Philosophy - Taoism Precepts

Prayer in Honor of Taoism (from the Cao Dai faith)

From the Primordial Breath,
Arose Thai Thuong Dao Quan, (Predecessor to Lao Tse).
Of inestimable virtue was he, And so his deeds.
Preceding the Thai Cuc (Monad), was the Dao of Nil;
Within the Dao of the visible, a transcendent element.

The Dao rides upon the original breath,
In transforming into three WAYS of cultivation.
His virtues brighten the dimension of Nil,
And the Dao reigns over the saints.

On the 15th of the second lunar month,
He brought one incarnation to Earth;
One soul with a million miraculous transformations,
And from the East spread the purple clouds of saintliness

Which propagated the Tao. Traveling West serving humanity,
Using supernatural power he created two figures,
Tat Vien and Dong Phuong Soc,
Who taught meditation and metaphysics.

The Tao is eternal and primordial,
Predecessing mortal beings, Earth and sky; it exists through time,
As the Universe spins, And the sun and moon shine.
The Dao encompasses everything, In this immense universe;

May all give benediction, As we all have gained from the Dao.
Oh, Magnanamous One of great virtue, Honorable as you are,
Oh, pre-existent one, THAI THUONG DAO QUAN,
Sublimely holding the Dao.

Below are some of Lao-Tse's more prayer-like sayings:

"Let the Love be present in your life,
   and you will become genuine.
Let it be present in your family,
   and your family will flourish.
Let it be present in your country,
   and your country will be an example to the whole world.
Let it be present in the Universe,
   and the Universe will sing.
How do I know this is true?
   By looking inside myself."

"Can you keep the unquiet physical soul from straying,
   hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it?
Can you, when concentrating your breath,
   make it soft like that of a little child?
Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery
   until all is without blur?"

"The pursuit of learning is to increase day after day.
The pursuit of the Tao is to decrease day after day.
It is to decrease and to further decrease
   until one reaches the point of taking no action.
No action is undertaken, and yet nothing is left undone."

"The great Tao flows everywhere: It can go left, it can go right.
The myriad things owe their existence to it, And it does not reject them.
When its work is accomplished, It does not take possession.
It clothes and feeds all, But does not pose as their master."

"Ever without ambition, It may be called Small.
All things return to it as their home,
And yet it does not pose as their master.
Therefore it may be called Great.
Because it would never claim greatness,
Therefore its greatness is fully realized."