The Tao Te Ching is the foundational text of the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, which dates back to the 4th century BCE. The word Tao means The Way, Te means virtue or morality, and Ching means classic book. So Tao Te Ching can be translated roughly as The Book of The Way and How to Live It.

Like most ancient texts that have endured the test of time, the Tao Te Ching has quite a lot of useful and thought-provoking things to say, which is why it continues to be relevant to modern people. It is the most translated book in the world, second only to The Bible.

If Yoda wrote a book, this would be it.

What's it about?

In a nutshell, the core message of the Tao Te Ching is that life has a certain rhythm to it - a certain flow. This ineffable reality is referred to as Tao and is not possible to describe or define in words.

However, by aligning ourselves with this force and working with the nature of reality rather than struggling against it, we can cultivate both inner peace and outer harmony.

Here are a few key concepts in Taoist philosophy:

• We must cultivate Wu Wei, which translates roughly as “effortless action.” This is something akin to the Western concept of being "in the zone," but is not limited to peak performance activities. Wu Wei can (and should) be a normal state of being. You can think of it as being at one with whatever you are doing - embracing the process rather than trying to control a particular outcome.

• The path to authentic virtue is not in following a set of predefined rules but by creatively expressing our true nature by recovering our sense of spontaneity. Predefined rules and moral guidelines are necessary only because we have become disconnected from nature and from the true essence of our being.

• In order to effectively navigate reality, we must accept it rather than trying to control it. This may seem like passivity but when combined with Wu Wei, it is a powerful way to navigate reality. It makes us similar to water - able to accommodate any obstacle we encounter but also possessing great strength and power.

How has this book influenced me?

The Tao Te Ching constantly reminds me to honor the lighthearted, spontaneous, and intuitive aspects of my nature. It helps me get out of my head when I am thinking too rigidly or mechanistically. It also helps me combat my tendency to want to control things. It’s the perfect Yin to my Yang, so to speak.

Why you should read it:

• It will give you a fresh perspective: If you grew up in the Western world, this book will offer a completely new way of looking at reality—not merely as a collection of separate parts but as a unified whole made up of a complex web of relationships.

• Lots of bang for your buck: This book is very short—composed of just 81 short poem-like verses—but it packs a ton of wisdom. The text itself is easy to read but the ideas are deep, thought-provoking, and inexhaustible. It's is one of those books you can flip open anytime when you have a few minutes to yourself or before falling asleep.

• Even if you take nothing from it practically (which is hard to imagine) it can stand on its own as a beautiful literary work.

Which translation is best?

There are many beautiful translations. I personally recommend two versions for people new to the Tao Te Ching:

1. Jonathan Star's translation - This one exquisitely balances accuracy of translation with literary beauty. I had to read a lot of translations to find this one.

2. Stephen Mitchell's interpretation - This one is not an true translation because the author doesn't speak Chinese. Rather, it is an interpretation based on other translated works. But it is the most accessible and poetic version out there. Very good way to get acquainted with Taoism.