The Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Lao-tzu, though the text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. Even the meaning of "Lao-tzu" is still debated. It may mean "The Old Master", or more poetically "The Old Boy". The central figure of the Tao lives in harmony, unencumbered with desire, able to master life through thought and thought alone. To find truth, experience life, do not judge others.

Introduction to the Tao Te Ching 2020
“This little book cannot be understood any more than you can understand a river. If you wish to experience the river you must jump in. So it is with the Tao Te Ching. Many things in here will confuse you. The confusion is not to be conquered. It does not result from a lack of knowledge. This confusion is a teacher that can teach you about yourself, your story, your people, your world and the still point of the universe to which we give the crude name - the Tao. There are no footnotes of commentary here. These words of the Tao are to be hung like bells in our hearts and rung by the motions we make as we move through our daily lives. Any other sounds make it difficult to hear the bells. The Tao is universal. It is not Chinese. Its is found in the quest of Christian mystics, native Americans, Zen monks, desert holy men, and indeed in every culture and age in the story of the earth. Before this story began and after it ends there is the Tao. It consists of stillness and silence and it will enter into any quiet heart.”