This golden treasure is a 2500 year old brief (about 5000 words) but powerful philosophical text said to have been written by Lao Tzu. Roughly the title means "a book about the power of the way." Tao is pronounced like "dow" in the English word dowel, Te like "der" in order and Ching like "jing" in jingo.

The famous first line from the Tao reads "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao." With such an opening, should we dare to explain? No, but we will try to suggest the flavor of the Tao since it probably describes the attitude of The Intuitive Self better than anything said or written since.

Epiphanies

At one time or another, most of us have had spontaneous experiences similar to the Taoist view of The Intuitive Self. People have used the phrases below to state how they felt at those moments. Often these experiences take place in nature, e.g. while watching a sunset.

Everything was absolutely perfect.
I had answers to all my questions.
I was in the center of the universe.
I felt peace, total and complete.
I could think with a clear mind.
I felt nature swallow me up.
Everything fell into place.
I blended into everything.
I felt I could do no wrong.
I felt so peaceful inside.

Doing-Not Doing

The Tao Te Ching shows that what we experience in those rare moments can become a way of life. The Chinese phrase says "wei wu wei" or in English "doing-not doing." This is difficult for our Western mind to understand with its propensity for a take charge, get it done way of relating to the world.

As paradoxical as it may seem, the Tao suggests that everything gets done best by doing nothing. The challenge in these ideas is to realize that does not mean a laid back, passive attitude. In fact just the opposite is true: passion and engagement characterize The Intuitive Self!

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