Laozi.

Laozi
老子


Master Moon.

Laozi (also Lao-Tzu /ˈlaʊˈdzʌ/ or Lao-Tze) was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer.

He is known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, and as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.

Although a legendary figure, he is usually dated to around the 6th century BCE and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BCE.

A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people of the Li surname as a founder of their lineage.

Throughout history, Laozi's work has been embraced by various anti-authoritarian movements.


Tao Te Ching.

Laozi is traditionally regarded as the author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), though the identity of its author(s) and/or compiler(s) has been debated throughout history.

It is one of the most significant treatises in Chinese cosmogony.

As with most other ancient Chinese philosophers, Laozi often explains his ideas by way of paradox, analogy, appropriation of ancient sayings, repetition, symmetry, rhyme, and rhythm. In fact, the whole book can be read as an analogy – the ruler is the awareness, or self, in meditation and the myriad creatures or empire is the experience of the body, senses and desires.

The Tao Te Ching, often called simply Laozi after its reputed author, describes the Dao (or Tao) as the source and ideal of all existence: it is unseen, but not transcendent, immensely powerful yet supremely humble, being the root of all things. People have desires and free will (and thus are able to alter their own nature). Many act 'unnaturally', upsetting the natural balance of the Dao. The Daodejing intends to lead students to a 'return' to their natural state, in harmony with Dao. Language and conventional wisdom are critically assessed. Taoism views them as inherently biased and artificial, widely using paradoxes to sharpen the point.

Livia Kohn provides an example of how Laozi encouraged a change in approach, or return to 'nature', rather than action. Technology may bring about a false sense of progress. The answer provided by Laozi is not the rejection of technology, but instead seeking the calm state of wu wei, free from desires. This relates to many statements by Laozi encouraging rulers to keep their people in 'ignorance', or 'simple-minded'. Some scholars insist this explanation ignores the religious context, and others question it as an apologetic of the philosophical coherence of the text. It would not be unusual political advice if Laozi literally intended to tell rulers to keep their people ignorant. However, some terms in the text, such as 'valley spirit' (gushen) and 'soul' (po), bear a metaphysical context and cannot be easily reconciled with a purely ethical reading of the work.

Wu wei (無爲), literally 'non-action' or 'not acting', is a central concept of the Daodejing. The concept of wu wei is multifaceted, and reflected in the words' multiple meanings, even in English translation; it can mean 'not doing anything', 'not forcing', 'not acting' in the theatrical sense, 'creating nothingness', 'acting spontaneously', and 'flowing with the moment.'

It is a concept used to explain ziran (自然), or harmony with the Dao. It includes the concepts that value distinctions are ideological and seeing ambition of all sorts as originating from the same source. Laozi used the term broadly with simplicity and humility as key virtues, often in contrast to selfish action. On a political level, it means avoiding such circumstances as war, harsh laws and heavy taxes. Some Taoists see a connection between wu wei and esoteric practices, such as zuowang 'sitting in oblivion' (emptying the mind of bodily awareness and thought) found in the Zhuangzi.

Some of Laozi's famous sayings include:

'When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality.'

'Without Darkness, there can be no Light.'

'The usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness.'

'The best people are like water, which benefits all things and does not compete with them. It stays in lowly places that others reject. This is why it is so similar to the Way.'

'When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.'

'Try to change it and you will ruin it. Try to hold it and you will lose it.'

'Those who know do not say. Those who say do not know.'

'A journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet.'

'The more that laws and regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will be.'

— Laozi, Tao Te Ching.


Taoism.

Laozi is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism, intimately connected with the Daodejing and 'primordial' (or 'original') Taoism. Popular ('religious') Taoism typically presents the Jade Emperor as the official head deity. Intellectual ('elite') Taoists, such as the Celestial Masters sect, usually present Laozi (Laojun, 'Lord Lao') and the Three Pure Ones at the top of the pantheon of deities.


Source: Laozi on Wikipedia.

... see also, if You wish or need, ... : Modesty in the Eyes.