Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching is an ancient classic Chinese poem written by Lao Tzu, during the Zhu Dynasty between early 300 to late 400 BC (between 2,309 and 2,400 years ago). Lao Tzu was the supposed founder of the philisophies of Taoism, with the famous yin and yang symbol.

The Tao Te Ching is a timeless masterpiece because it deals with the universal principle of the Buddhist karma. In America, “what comes around goes around” and “comes full circle” is everyday belief among Americans in reference to both positive and negative human actions/motives/thoughts/sayings. Basically, whatever a person says, thinks (openly and in their mind/heart), and does (direct and/or subtle) will come back to haunt them later in their life. So, therefore, be careful what you say and do to other people, because how you treat others will reflect back to you as well later! This “karma” aspect of the Tao Te Ching and Taoism helped to motivate Chinese people to lean towards more positive and good actions in order to achieve a positive and good future while alive, and in the afterlife either go to Heaven or Hell and have either a good or bad reincarnation in the next life.

In our free-will society, we also believe in “karma”, especially when evil corrupt people are involved. It is to our comfort that bad actions/sayings done against us by someone who is mean/evil/negative/corrupt will somehow ironically affect that same mean/negative/corrupt person sooner or later! The Tao Te Ching in that sense was and still is a very powerful poem among Chinese people worldwide.

So Chinese Taoism is similar to Buddhism, Christianity, Judiasm, and Islam. For Buddhists, if we treat others good, karma is good and people go to Buddhist Heaven and be reincarnated in a much better life (i.e. a wealthy person or a person experiencing good luck). If we treat others bad in life, then such people go to Hell and then are reincarnated as something bad (i.e. an insect that gets crushed, or an animal, or a piece of dung on the ground). Similar to Judiasm, Islam and Christianity with God and Heaven and Satan and Hell.

So, be careful how you treat other people! Karma lurks among our free-will choices and our own control of our personal destinies!