As an avid Simpsons fan, I was quite surprised to hear mention of the Tao te Ching on the show. The episode was called "The Dead Putting Society" (7F08). It originally aired on November 15, 1990, the 2nd season of the Simpsons. The basic synopsis is that Bart must face neighbor Todd Flanders in a mini-golf tournament, and the loser's father has to mow the lawn of the winner in his wife's "Sunday Dress."

Needless to say, Homer (Bart's father) is determined to make sure that Bart wins. He forces Bart into all sorts of strange excersizes, none of which work. Bart gives up until Lisa (Bart's sister) offers to help him. They begin at the library, where Lisa picks out all sorts of books on golf and lastly, the Tao te Ching.

Lisa asks Bart, "What's the sound of one hand clapping?" Bart replies by closing one hand several times, making a small clapping sound. "No, Bart. It's supposed to clear your mind. It's an ancient riddle which has no answer."

"Lisa, hello!" He proceeds to clap his one hand. Later on in the episode, Bart is competing in the tournament, and trying to concentrate he mutters to himself "...tree falling in the woods. Tree falling in the woods."

As most people know, Howard mentioned this book in an early interview. And he even wrote a song entitled "Tao te Ching," a B-Side to "Hide & Seek." I merely enjoyed the reference, however indirect it may have been. If you get a chance to see the episode, I suggest you check it out. (And the song is great, too!)