The wisdom of the sages has been preserved through the many upheavals in Asian history and underlies all fabrics of Eastern life. This accumulated knowledge has been catalogued and codified over millenia, passed on through oral traditions and recorded through written traditions which have been handed down in the Classics. For many generations, the Classics have provided guidance to humanity and society.

From the Classics of Wen-tzu #62:
“People in ancient times who sustained themselves took pleasure in virtue and did not mind lowliness, so reputation could not affect their will. They took pleasure in the Way and did not mind poverty, so profit could not move their minds. Therefore they were sober yet capable of enjoyment, quiet and able to be serene.

“To use a finite lifetime to worry and grieve over the chaos of the world is like weeping into a river to increase its water in fear of its drying up. Those who do not worry about the chaos of the world but enjoy order in their own bodies can be engaged in conversation about the Way.”
— from Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries,
Further Teachings of Lao-tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary

Written more than two thousand years ago, the Wen-Tzu is one of the great source books of Daoism, and is an example of how the Classics can provide an important insight into reality. According to Cleary's introduction, “Following the tradition of Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu, and the Huainan Masters, the Wen-tzu covers a whole range of Classical Daoist thought and practice.”

 Herbal Tradition and the Sages

 The Classics & the Dao Earth Culture Library