This book is about the traditional Chinese religious text concerning Taoism. The Tao or the way, is a sort of ineffable life force present in everything. The author of the book Lao Tzu, true to the Daoist manner, is shrouded in mystery. No one is sure of whether the author was a real person or perhaps a group of authors. Many of the teachings contained therein are also concise and leave more to be desired for clarification. This is intentional.
The Tao that can be described, cited as authority and praised is not the immutable Way, page xiv, introduction.
This indescribable force, the Tao, is believed to be the force of the creation of the universe and is the cause of and predates its existence, xvii, introduction.
When i no longer have a body, what trouble have I? Page 17, book one
Hold fast to the way of antiquity In order to keep in control of the realm today, page 18, book one