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Lao Tzu (Old Master)
Chinese Taoist Philosopher
c. 600 B.C.E.
At the center of your being you have the answer;
You know who you are and you know what you want.
—Lao Tzu
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 is attributed with the writing 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). Lao Tzu was not his real name, but an honorific given the sage, meaning "Old Master."
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 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.
Legend says that in the end Lao Tzu, saddened by the evil of men, set off into the desert on a water buffalo leaving civilization behind. When he arrived at the final gate at the great wall protecting the kingdom, the gatekeeper persuaded him to record the principles of his philosophy for posterity. The result was the eighty-one sayings of the "Tao-Te Ching." This ancient Chinese text is the world's most translated classic next to the Bible.
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Resources
• Related Figures in Lucidcafé's Library
• Books About Lao Tzu
• eTexts of Lao Tzu
• Lao Tzu Images
• Related Websites
Related Figures in Lucidcafé's Library
Books About Lao Tzu
- The Secret Coloring Book of Lao Tzu - Author: Barry Lane, Robin Lane, Illustrator
Sparse wording and evocative illustrations, presenting the startling and easygoing Way of Tao - the teachings of legendary Chinese sage rendered in simple and direct terms. These morsels of timeless wisdom invite coloring, decorating and personalizing. A book for all ages. 28 pages of 8 1/2" x 11" coloring book illustrations. Click here to view sample pages.
Click here to purchase this Paperback edition of "The Secret Coloring Book of Lao Tzu." - Dao De Jing: A New-Millennium Translation - Author: by Lao Tzu, David H. Li (Translator)
The material in David Li's new translation is presented interlinearly—a short passage of two or three lines in Chinese is immediately translated (and followed by footnotes where needed) before moving onto another short passage in Chinese. The work is accompanied by a year-by-year chronology of the author; a listing of 59 rhymed passages (Lao Tzu used rhyme for emphasis—and passages that are rhymed are, by inference, important ones in his view); a subject-specific comparison of passages in DDJ with those in Confucius's "Analects" (using the Li's own translation, published in 1999), yielding 71 entries; another subject-specific comparison with Sun Tzu's "Art of War" (again, using Li's translation, published in 2000); a bibliography; a list of DDJ translations in English; and a 20-page subject index.
Click here to purchase this Paperback edition of "Dao De Jing." - The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart of Taoism Through the Authentic Tao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang-Tzu - Authors: Thomas Cleary, Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu
Composed of two ancient Taoist classics that explore the Tao.
Click here to purchase this Hardcover edition. - Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching - Author: Lao Tzu, Livia Kohn (Editor), Michael Lafargue (Editor)
Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching presents a coherent collection of materials on the Tao-te-ching and its author, describing traditional and modern Western Interpretations. Written and edited by recognized international specialists in the field, this book brings Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching together to present current scholarship on their history and interpretation.
Click here to purchase the Hardcover edition. - Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings - Authors: Martin Aronson (Editor)
Comparing the New Testament with the Tao Te Ching, Taoism's most sacred teachings, Jesus and Lao Tzu features astonishing examples of these two spiritual masters leading their followers down the same path despite vast differences in time and geography.
Click here to purchase this Paperback edition.
eTexts of Lao Tzu
- Tao Te Ching—Stan Rosenthal's Translation
Related Websites
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Copyright © 1995-2008 Robin Chew
Article written by Robin Chew - June 1996
