The
most common first language in the world is Chinese. One of the many Chinese
religions is Taoism. Though Taoism as a religion might not be well known by the
westernized civilization, many westerners use symbols and words from Taoism
every day including chi and yin-yang. However, despite its influence on Chinese
civilization, Taoism has been hard to define. Taoism talks about how life is
ever changing. This being said, most of our contemporary understanding of
Taoist philosophy is deeply rooted in the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang Tzu, but
there are many other Cannon books that have been a part of Taoist culture
throughout the ages.
The
Tao Te Ching is also known as the Daodejing or Dao De Jing and provides the
basis for Taoism. It is a brief text of just over 5,000 Chinese characters.
Literally translated Tao Te Ching can be broken into Tao, the way, Te, strength
or virtue, and Ching, scripture. The Tao Te Ching has been translated into
English more times than any other Chinese document, this being said it is
almost impossible to render an ancient Chinese text properly into English
without losing some part of it. The Tao Te Ching is thought to be written in
the sixth century BCE by Lao-tzu. Disappointed with court life, he left for the
western mountains on top of an ox. When a guard asked for his teachings he gave
him the Tao Te Ching. The text is now thought to be written by multiple people
and was possibly started in the fourth century BCE. 
The
second most influential book in Taoism is the Chuang-tzu. The Chuang-tzu was
named for its fourth-century BCE author, Master Chuang, otherwise known as
Chuang Chou. The Chuang-tzu is addressed more towards the individual than to
the ruler. This work took the Taoist position of Lao Tzu and developed it
further. He even speaks of the Immortals, which are the “perfected individuals
who live on mountains, feed on the wind, sip the dew, and experience ecstatic
flight.” In the Chuang-tzu, a new notion was brought into Chinese philosophy.
He believed in life as dynamic and ever changing. Like the Tao Te Ching, it is
thought that only seven of the chapters were written by Chuang Chou and the
other twenty-six chapters were the works of his students.
Other
than the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu, there are many other widely accepted Canon texts. In the year 471 CE, the
first Tao Ts’ang or Taoist Canon was
brought together. The first Taoist Canon
had some of the Tao Te Ching in it, but also had interpretations by later
masters in it. This first Taoist Canon
had 1,200 scrolls and included writings on alchemy and immortality as well as
philosophical essays and folktales. The second Taoist Canon was compiled in 748 CE. The Tang emperor Tang Xuan-cong
ordered scholars all over China to collect Taoist works. The scholars returned
with 7,300 scrolls. In 1016, the Second Canon
was revised under the direction of the Song dynasty. Some of the works that were
collected in the Second Canon were thrown out and so the Third Canon was then
only 4,565 scrolls long. The final Canon was produced in 1444 by the Ming
dynasty. This work of 5,318 scrolls is the largest body of scripture in the
world. However, much of the Tao Ts’ang is not able to be understood today. The
Tao Ts’ang is full of cryptic symbols and has many references whose meanings
have been long lost. The modern Tao Ts’ang is still the primary source for
Taoist thought. It still contains the root of Taoist belief. It also contains
the tales and parables as well as rituals and practices.
Though
the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu are the root to Taoist thought, the modern
Tao Ts’ang is still the primary source for Taoist thought. Though some of these
books are impossible of being perfectly translated to English, there are many
that are close enough to be read by English speaking people. Although the Tao
Te Ching is the most translated Chinese text and is regarded by Taoist as the
essential guide to living an ethical life, all three text are very important to
the Taoist religion.
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