Great religions and philosophies of humanity have left behind scriptures. Hinduism in India has the Vedas and Upanishads, Buddhism has the Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra, Christianity has the Bible, and Islam has the Quran. Daoism, a spiritual source that has shaped Chinese civilization, has also produced significant texts, with the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi at its core.
If the Dao De Jing explains the principles of the universe, then Zhuangzi illustrates how to embody those principles in human life. While Laozi is seen as the philosopher of the cosmos, Zhuangzi is regarded as the philosopher of freedom. Laozi describes the source of order, while Zhuangzi depicts the human experience of living freely within that order. Thus, the term Daoist philosophy (老莊思想) is often used in the history of Chinese thought, as both Laozi and Zhuangzi, despite living in different eras, completed a unified spiritual worldview centered around the Dao.
The Dao De Jing is a concise text of about 5,000 characters, yet its influence is immense. It is considered one of the most translated Eastern classics, second only to the Bible, and has been read by countless people worldwide. Composed of 81 chapters, this number is not coincidental; in Eastern thought, the number 9 symbolizes completion, and 81, being 9×9, signifies a complete cosmic order. Interestingly, the Korean text Cheonbu-gyeong also consists of 81 characters. Although a direct connection has not been proven, both texts reflect a common Eastern philosophical trait of expressing the principles of the universe concisely.
The Dao De Jing surprises readers from its very first line:
“The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
This suggests that any Dao that can be described is not the true Dao, and any name assigned is not the eternal name. Laozi speaks to the limitations of human language, indicating that while we attempt to explain the universe, our explanations may already stray from its essence. This insight, despite being 2,500 years old, remarkably resonates with contemporary philosophical and linguistic concerns.
The core of the Dao De Jing can be summarized in three main concepts:
- Dao (道): The Dao is the source of the universe and the principle that gives birth to and nurtures all things. Laozi does not refer to the Dao as a deity but sees it as the origin of all existence. The phrase “Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things” illustrates an Eastern insight into cosmic creation.
- De (德): De is not merely morality; it is the power to embody the Dao in life. If the Dao represents the order of the universe, then De manifests that order within humanity. Therefore, Laozi states that the greatest virtue is not to show off oneself.
- Wu Wei (無爲): Wu Wei is often misunderstood as doing nothing, but it is not laziness. It means not forcing actions and not going against the natural flow. Laozi believed that the more humans try to control the world through excessive desires, the greater the chaos becomes.
One of the most famous lines from the Dao De Jing is “The highest good is like water.” This means that the greatest virtue resembles water, which flows to the lowest places yet ultimately exerts the strongest force, carving rivers and nurturing life. Laozi uses water to illustrate humility, flexibility, and true strength.
If the Dao De Jing is a philosophical text explaining the principles of the universe, then Zhuangzi is closer to a literary work celebrating the freedom of the human spirit. In fact, Zhuangzi is regarded as one of the greatest philosophical texts in the East.
A representative story from Zhuangzi is the Butterfly Dream. One day, Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly, flying freely. Upon waking, he pondered:
“Am I Zhuangzi who dreamed of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi?”
This brief tale raises fundamental questions about human existence: What is reality and what is a dream? What is life and what is death? Do we truly know absolute truth?
Zhuangzi viewed the world as far more relative than it appears. He believed that many things humans consider absolute are merely differences in perspective.
Another notable work by Zhuangzi is the “Free and Easy Wandering,” which features a giant bird, the Dapeng, soaring thousands of miles into the sky. Through this, Zhuangzi suggests that humans should shed small desires and prejudices to pursue greater freedom.
Zhuangzi’s philosophy is one of freedom, but it is not a reckless freedom. It is a freedom that harmonizes with the natural order. It is the freedom of emptying oneself and becoming one with the world.
Zhuangzi particularly cautioned against an obsession with right and wrong. He believed that concepts of big and small, strong and weak, success and failure, and precious and worthless are all relative. This perspective would later intersect with the Buddhist concept of emptiness (空), becoming a significant pillar of East Asian spiritual culture.
In fact, one reason Zen Buddhism was able to take root easily in China was due to the influence of Daoist thought. Both Zhuangzi and Zen Buddhism exhibit remarkable similarities in their approach to realizing truth beyond language through intuition.
In addition to the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi, Daoism encompasses various other texts, including the Yezhi, Taiping Jing, Huangjing Jing, and Nanhua Jing. However, the most influential remain the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi.
Even today, numerous leaders and entrepreneurs around the world read Laozi and Zhuangzi. In increasingly complex times, the wisdom of simplicity is essential. As competition intensifies, the value of balance becomes crucial. As change accelerates, the ability to see the essence is necessary.
Ultimately, the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi pose a single question to humanity:
“What are you bound by? Money? Power? Fame? Fear?”
Zhuangzi asserts that true freedom is not about leaving the world but living in it without being bound by it.
Thus, the scriptures of Daoism are not merely religious texts; they are declarations of freedom that liberate the human spirit and pose profound philosophical questions about how humans should live within nature and the universe.
Laozi spoke of the Dao, while Zhuangzi spoke of freedom. And even 2,500 years later, humanity still stands before their questions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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