Lao Tzu lived around 500 B.C, exact dates are unknown. Lao Tzu was not his real name, but a title, meaning "Old Master."  He did not want to write down his understanding;  he believed that would result in a formalized dogma.  He did not want his students to follow a rigid code of behavior, but have an intuitive perception of the natural way of life.  Toward the end, he was persuaded to write down his thoughts.  The compilation of his eighty-one sayings is the TAO TE CHING (the Way of All Life) the most translated work after the Bible.

TAO TE CHING

         translated - 

The Way that can be grasped 
is not the unchanging Way 
The Name that can be spoken 
is not the eternal Name. 

Nameless is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. 
naming is the mother of all thought. 
Free from desire, the hidden becomes clear
Clinging to desire, only the surface is known.

When people define superior
inferior is created 
When people identify good 
its opposite comes into being 

Therefore the Master must act without acting 
must teach without saying a word 
Things come, he takes no credit
things go and he lets them go

The Way is like an empty container: 
there is nothing there, yet that is its purpose
it is invisible to the eye, yet it can be seen
the more you use it, the more useful it becomes.

How does one attain One Mind?
By untieing the knots to the self.
How does one untie knots to the self?
By accessing One Mind.

different translations