Lao Tzu
- Father of Taoism
Lao Tzu was a Chinese sage
and mystic, traditionally accepted as the founder of Taoism and author
of the Tao Te Ching, (tao-meaning
the way of all life, te-meaning the fit use of life by men, and ching-meaning
text or classic,) one of the most sacred scriptures of Taoism.
The specific date of birth
of Lao Tzu is unknown. Legends vary, but scholars place his birth between
600 and 300 B.C.E. Lao Tzu was not his real name, but an honorific given
the sage, meaning "Old Master."
According to legend Lao Tzu was keeper of the archives at the imperial
archives at Luoyang. In this capacity Lao Tzu was able to immerse himself
in the study of history, philosophy and literature, gaining wisdom and
insights along the way. Lao Tzu's wise counsel attracted followers,
but he refused to set his ideas down in writing. He believed that written
words might solidify into formal dogma. Lao Tzu wanted his philosophy
to remain a natural way to live life with goodness, serenity and respect.
Lao Tzu laid down no rigid code of behavior. He believed a person's
conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience.
Lao Tzu is believed to have once met Confucius, according to another
well known legend. Confucius visited with Lao Tzu and came away in awe
of Lao Tzu's intellect. Confucius recognized in Lao Tzu a deep understanding
about the world that was above his own, and went so far as to liken
Lao Tzu to the mysterious dragon.
Lao Tzu believed that human life, like everything else in the universe,
is constantly influenced by outside forces. He believed "simplicity"
to be the key to truth and freedom. Lao Tzu encouraged his followers
to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition
and build up personal power; and to use that power to lead life with
love, and without force.
When he was eighty years old he set off into the desert on a water buffalo,
toward what is now Tibet, disillusioned that men were unwilling to follow
the path to natural goodness. At the border a guard persuaded him to
record his philosophy for posterity. Lao Tzu agreed, and wrote a small
book in two parts, expressing his accumulated learnings in brief, concise
yet profound language. The result was the eighty-one sayings of the
"Tao Te Ching." (The Way and Its Power) This ancient Chinese
text is the world's most translated classic next to the Bible.
Name Translation
Notes
The name Lao Tzu ("Old Master") is sometimes written as Lao-tse.
In the more modern Pinyin system, it is written as Laozi. All are equally
correct.
"Tzu" is sometimes mistranslated as "son" or "boy."
To compound this error, people talk about how meaningful it is that
Lao Tzu was literally an "old boy" in the sense of being old
and wise and yet young at heart. In other contexts "tzu" can
mean "son" or "boy," but in this context the only
valid meaning is "master."
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