Amy Lin H01
Report-Lao Tzu
October 9, 2018
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu is a Chinese philosopher and poet. He was born as Li Er or Li Dan and thought to have lived during the 6th century BCE. He later changed his name to Lao Tzu which can be translated to “Old Man” or “Old Master.” Lao Tzu is the founder of Taoism and he also wrote a book called Dao De Jing meaning Classic of the Way and Its Virtue. Dao De Jing highlighted the core values of Lao Tzu’s Taoism. Archaeologist do not know the exact timeframe the book was written; however, around the 19th century, the authenticity of Lao Tzu being the true author of Dao De Jing became a huge controversy. Some even questioned whether an individual like Lao Tzu even existed. Most of what we know about Lao Tzu came from Sima Qian who was a curator of ancient Chinese history. According to Sima, Lao Tzu was a record keeper for the Zhou Dynasty. It was also from Sima that we have the story of Confucius taking advice from Lao Tzu. Because most of what we know about Lao Tzu was from Sima, people began to doubt the existence of Lao Tzu and origin of Dao De Jing.
Lao Tzu’s main beliefs and philosophy are heavily intertwined with Taoism. To be a Taoist, is to live in harmony with nature, the cosmos, and the universe. Some of the most common Taoist thought include genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with Tao), detachment, refinement, spontaneity, transformation, and omni-potentiality. To become one with the Tao, you must immerse yourself with nature and adapt to the continuously changing Universe. The Theory of Wu Wei is the idea of non-action, but it does not simplify to being lazy. A great analogy of how to conform to the Theory of Wu Wei is to compare a person to water. Like water, life flows in one direction carried by a strong current. Rocks and tree branches are obstacles that water encounter. Instead of going against the current to avoid the obstacles, water find ways to overcome it which in this case is going around it. As the Taoist thought would say, let your life lead you to your destiny but never disrupt the natural order of things by going backward or in the case of the water against the current. “De” meaning virtue is another concept of Taoism but it is manifested within rather than the actions you make. To have “de” is to have integrity and be in harmony with your true self.
Taoism and Confucianism began to gain widespread recognition around the same time in ancient China, but they highlight two very different ideals of human society. Taoism is all about “Natural Order” and letting everything in Nature flow into place with no interference. It opposes the creation of laws because the “more laws one makes, the more criminal one creates.” On the other hand, Confucianism believed in a society that composes of more laws so that there was more control over citizen behavior and action. This may be why Confucianism is so popular in the Chinese government but not so much with the poor population. One of Lao Tzu’s main theme is the disparity of intention and result. He states that “reversal” is the way of Dao. Rather than gaining more wealth, status, or reputation, it is the way of the Dao to align oneself with the weak and the poor.
One of the most famous quote from Dao De Jing is
“Yield and overcome, Empty and become full, Bend and become straight.”
The quote reflects a very natural and peaceful way of looking at problems in life. If we were to yield, we would overcome our obstacles. If we were to empty our basket, we would realize how much more food we had. If we were to get anything straight, we must bend. I love the meaning of this quote from Lao Tzu because it teaches us that we must give up something for us to gain something. Life doesn’t always give us what we want.
Quiz Questions
- What does Lao Tzu translate to in English?
- What is the name of the book that recorded Lao Tzu’s teachings and philosophical ideas?
- Name one thought of Taoism.
- What theory encourages non-action or the natural flow of things?
- What is Lao Tzu’s philosophy?
Discussion Questions
- Does Lao Tzu’s philosophy remind you of other philosophies? Does Lao Tzu remind you of another philosopher?
- Most philosophers tend to write books to highlights their ideas? Would you do so?
- Would you live a life as a Daoist? How might your life change if you were to follow Daoism?
- Do you prefer a society where there are more or less enforcing laws?
Links
“Lao-Tzu.” World Authors Electronic, Jan. 1997. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brb&AN=203087640&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Holcombe, Charles W. “Laozi.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2013. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.mtsu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=88258789&site=eds-live&scope=site.
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