True contentment, believed Daoists, came only by abandoning ambition and instead following the 'Dao' (the 'Way'). Daoism was based on the notion of Nature linking everything in the world, with the cause of disorder being man's activities. The Daoist solution was to revert to a simpler way of life and to get back in tune with Nature.
Daoism was devised by Lao Zu, 'The Old Master', around 500 BC. He formulated it from a mixture of ancient Chinese folk religions and other beliefs, possibly from India.
Lao Zu's manuscripts, the 'Dao Te Ching' or 'The Way of Virtue', also embraced the occult, mysticism, alchemy, the search for the Elixir of Immortality and ancient magic.
In his manuscripts, Lao Zu described the ideal society as being a land of simple villages, with the true Daoist being content to 'hear the sounds of dogs barking and roosters crowing from a nearby village, without ever visiting it'.
