Laozi's Teachings:
The 5,000-word Book of Dao and its Virtue written by Laozi
discusses ways of personal cultivation, political opinions, and
philosophical explanations to Dao. Examples are given below for a
brief explanation:
Laozi's explanations to Dao:
"There is a whole formed and born earlier than Heaven and Earth.
Silent and empty, it relies on nothing, moving around forever. We
may regard it as the mother of all things. I do not know its name,
so I name it as Dao, and further name it as the Great. The Great is
moving forward without stopping, extending to the remotest
distance, and then returning to where it was. That is why I say Dao
is Great, Heaven is Great, Earth is Great, and Man is Great. There
are four things that are Great, of them Man is one. Man takes Earth
as his model, Earth takes heaven as its model, Heaven takes Dao as
its model, and Dao takes Spontaneity as its model." -- Chapter
25
More than 2,500 years ago, in the whole world, only Laozi could
imagine that the original earth was but chaotic breath. Heaven and
Earth are not divided, and the earth revolves in circles along a
certain orbit, silently and permanently. This idea coincides with
the phenomenon of the beginning of the earth observed by scientists
today. We can only say that Laozi is a sage, a superman.
Laozi called the first phenomenon of the earth he imagined as the
"Great Dao". The Great Dao constantly moves, it is the endless
movement of the brain. The Great extends distantly, it is the
imagination of the remotest nature and even the imagination of the
truth -- Dao. One can return to simplicity and perfection after
attaining Dao.
Therefore, Dao is limitless, and Heaven, Earth and Man are all
limitless. This limitless phenomenon is called Spontaneity. Man
takes Earth as his model, Earth takes Heaven as its model, Heaven
takes Dao as its model, and Dao takes what is Spontaneous as its
model. We study Dao from spontaneity, while spontaneity is
limitless without any artificial thoughts or behaviors. To get rid
of bad thoughts and behaviours that are harmful to the human body
and mind means "Non-Interference". When this is achieved, the mind
and nature are omnipotent and can take every action. Being able to
take every action is Dao expressed through spontaneity.