It is not difficult to describe how Taoists view Confucians, Buddhists, Christians, or the adherents to any other philosophy, religion, or movement. Taoists do not place themselves higher than anyone else, nor do they devote any efforts to demonstrate that their philosophical ideas are better than anybody else’s. Nor do Taoists spend time criticising other…

I am fond of comparing the differences between Taoism and Confucianism to the differences between cats and dogs. I love dogs and cats, but I recognize their distinct traits. They respond to situations according to the nature of their species, and come what may, they will keep doing so no matter what. Taoists are like…

When Westerners are confronted with Taoism, they react at first with surprise, then with scepticism, and finally, with total disbelief. They are particularly intrigued by Wu Wei, the non-action principle that constitutes one of the pillars of the Taoist philosophy. How can we get more things done by working less, they wonder. It is impossible…

Taoism is ancient in its method, but modern in its mentality. It correctly assumes that happiness can only be achieved if we make good decisions. Let me underline that it calls for “good decisions,” not “perfect decisions.” Either in terms of accuracy or timing, “good” will do from the Tao Te Ching’s standpoint. I categorize…

In our business and private lives, simplification works well as long as we do not omit any crucial steps; and once we have identified a simple, but still workable way to do something, we can repeat the process and enjoy the results once and again. Thousands of internet pages are devoted to breaking down complex…

Despite similarities in lifestyle, there are large differences between Taoist and Christian ethics. Although the lifestyle of medieval Christian saints reminds me of Lao-Tzu, their beliefs rest on asymmetrical premises. Taoist and Christian ethics are as similar to each other as a cat is similar to a tiger. When cats and tigers are well-fed and…

At first sight, Taoism and Christianity seem close to each other. They both favour modesty, moderation, benevolence and peacefulness. Furthermore, they both revere nature. Lao-Tzu’s conception of the Tao is not far away from the conception held by Christians that regard nature as a reflection of the divine. However, the similarities between Taoism and Christianity…

I would not try to learn about Taoism by just memorizing a few quotes; the underlying principles are much more important than the quotes, and it does not really matter if it was Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu or Chuang-Tzu who formulated the principle. To make things worse, Taoist quotes can prove misleading. If Lao-Tzu’s quotes are placed…

I pay no attention to people who speak about achieving self-mastery through meditation because I find them impractical. In real life, it takes an enormous amount of practice to learn any valuable skill. Do you think that we can achieve self-mastery just by sitting on the floor, lighting candles, and meditating? Taoism is an extremely…

In contrast to other philosophies, Taoism represents more a mentality than an array of prescriptions. The Tao Te Ching will not tell us what to do in a specific situation, but gives us a solid framework for finding solutions. It does not tell us which goals to pursue, but helps us discern if we are…