Taoism and T'ai Chi are two of three "lost religions" of China. The other is Confucianism which, though similar to Taoism, is not nearly as related to T'ai Chi. T'ai Chi and Taoism, on the other hand, compliment each other very well.
             Tao simply means "The Way." Taoism is a name given to a sequence of thoughts and actions that get a person to a harmonious state of being. The Tao Te Ching is considered "The Bible" of Taoism. It was written by Lao-Tzu and is the world's second most translated book. The book is a series of eighty-one of Lao-Tzu's thoughts. Each thought has a message which helps lead the reader to discover Tao.
             The first line of the Tao Ti Ching is, "A way can be a guide, but not a fixed path; names can be given, but not permanent labels." If one can fully understand this statement, that person can understand everything about Taoism. However, I doubt even Lao-Tzu knew all of what he talked about. The message of Taoism is simple, though it is said in many different ways.
             The part of the Tao Ti Ching that is one of the best is segment nineteen. It is as follows:
             Eliminate sagacity, abandon knowledge,
             And the people benefit a hundredfold.
             Eliminate humanitarianism, abandon duty,
             And the people return to familial love.
             There are many different things being said in this passage. Lao-Tzu starts off showing how the growth of society has begotten its potential eventual destruction. At the end, however, he turns it all around and shows how, if these things are eliminated, Tao will be accomplished. This teaches that the things that are unaltered by others are the best things to have near you. However, if the person alters these unaltered things, they will move away from Tao. The key is to become unaltered, do not alter anything else, and just exist among everything, not needing or wanting for anything.
             This concept is one th...