The foundational text of Daoism, a slim book of poetic verses on the Dao ('the Way') and the virtue of effortless action (wu wei). It counsels humility, simplicity, and harmony with the natural order.
Sources for Laozi — Tao Te Ching
Laozi — Tao Te Ching in Religion & Spirituality
Held in the Religion & Spirituality chamber of the Babel Nexus Index.
- Ancient Egyptian — The Book of the Dead (Spells for Coming Forth by Day) (−1550)
- Hinduism — The Rigveda (selected hymns) (−1500)
- Judaism — The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) (−500)
- Christianity — The New Testament (60)
- Islam — The Qur'an (650)
- Buddhism — The Dhammapada (−300)
- Hinduism — The Upanishads (−700)
- Hinduism — The Bhagavad Gita (−200)
- Confucius — Analects (−475)
- Zhuang Zhou — Zhuangzi (−300)
- Rumi — Masnavi (Book I) (1258)
- Augustine — Confessions (397)
- Thomas à Kempis — The Imitation of Christ (1418)
- Josephus — Antiquities of the Jews (93)
- Zoroastrianism — The Avesta (Zend-Avesta) (−1000)
- Sikhism — The Guru Granth Sahib (selected hymns) (1604)
- K'iche' Maya — The Popol Vuh (1550)
- Anonymous — Theologia Germanica (1350)
- William James — The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)
- Augustine — The City of God (426)