Biography of Lao-Tzu
Lao Tzu, also known as Laozi, Lao Tsu, Lao Tse, Lao Zi, or a variety of other names is reported to have lived in the sixth century BC according to Chinese tradition. However, recent scholars believe that Lao Tzu may have actually been born in the fourth century BC.
Although precious little is known about the life of Lao Tzu, his cultural significance is important to the lives of generations of Chinese. According to Chinese tradition, Lao Tzu was born in the Chŭ state, which today is named Lù yì County of the Henan province during the Spring and Autumn Period, roughly between 722 BC and 481 BC.
Some legends state he was born with white hair, having spent more than eighty years in his mother’s womb, giving him his title Laozi, which means “the old master”. Obviously, this is the fable-like version of a story.
According to tradition, Lao Tzu was an elder contemporary of Confucius and worked as an archivist in the Imperial Library of the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius supposedly met Lao Tzu near modern Luoyang where he was going to study library scrolls. Reportedly, the two discussed many issues.
Lao-Tzu strongly opposed many of Confucius’s ideals. It is said that Confucius left the meeting rather befuddled at Lao Tzu. Some doubt whether this meeting actually occurred, but if it did it would reason that the two would have differences in philosophy.
When he was eighty years old, it is said that Lao-Tzu decided to leave his work and head west on a water buffalo through the state of Qin, which is now modern day Tibet. He then disappeared into a vast desert never to be seen again.
However, before his entrance into the great desert, Yin Xi (Yin Hsi), a guard at the western-most gate of the Great Wall convinced Lao Tzu to write down his wisdom and his response to the soldier was Dao De Jing, also spelled Tao Te Ching, which means “The Law of Virtue and Its Way”.
Lao Tzu’s work, Tao Te Ching, was a testament to his rationalism and beliefs. The work later led to the creation of both philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism, with the help of Chuang Tzu, which is most associated with harmony and leading a simple life.
Some believe Lao-Tzu was fictional and that the Tao Te Ching was actually the work of several authors. No matter what the truth of the authorship is, the truth of the Tao Te Ching speaks to all and continues to find an audience today, thousands of years later.
Whether there actually was a Lao-Tzu is really rather irrelevant to today’s practitioner. Those who wish to believe can believe, and those who question can question. There is no questioning the wisdom set forth in the verses.
|
|
