Followers of taoism believe dao is

The core of the basic belief and doctrine of Taoism is that "Tao" is the origin and law of all things in the universe. Taoists believes that people can become deities or live forever through practicing certain rituals and austerities.

Taoists saw the Dao, which means "the way" or "the path," as the source of yin and yang. The Dao is mysterious and impossible to define clearly. However, Taoists felt people should try to understand the Dao. Often, they saw the Dao in natural things, like water:

There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong, nothing is better than it ...

-Laozi, Dao De Jing