道沖而用之或不盈。淵兮似萬物之宗。湛兮似或存。吾不知誰之子，象帝之先。
My rendition of Chapter 4 of Tao Te Ching
Tao flows continuously
used it and it flows again, never exhaust itself
Tao is so deep and profound
that everything seems coming from it
Tao is so clear and invisible
that it almost can't be felt to exist.
I don't know how can one first feel its existence
Seems earlier than
human cognition
Paul's inspiration: If my non-Chinese readers are puzzled by the meaning of Tao as explained above, they should not feel frustrated. Most Chinese share the same. Yet many Chinese seem to be able to experience Tao, understand Tao viscerally, and perhaps some act according to Tao's principles. In my opinion, the best way to experience Tao is not through philosophical analysis of the western kind (which I happened to have studied in my University years), or through following moral rules or guidelines as explained in many chapters of Tao Te Ching, or through Zen-riddles - though all of the above are possible routes.
The best way to experience Tao is through meditation. A kind of mediation that you just sit there, or stand there (lying there is fine, except that you might fall asleep!), forget about time, let go of your body, but keep your inner sense open, wait with no sense of waiting, breath naturally as if another person is breathing, let your body sinks in, your mind always alert to the tiniest signal of Tao. Suddenly you will understanding what Tao is about. Don't feel overjoyed, keep it that way. In time, you will understand the meaning of Tao with your mind and body, as this chapter of Tao Te Ching promised.
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