The author of the "Tao Te Ching", Lao Tzu, kept the
Imperial Archives of the Court of Chou, in the province of Honan in the
sixth century, B.C. Some historical records indicate that he had personally
instructed Confucius and was an elderly contemporary, although others claim
that he passed away before the birth of Confucius.
Lao Tzu, thoughout his life, taught that "The Tao that can be told,
is not the eternal Tao", as is referenced within his writings. According
to legend, when Lao Tzu was about to retire from public service, he mounted
a horse and began riding west into the desert regions of China. When the
guardian of the pass to the province of Ch'in requested that he write down
his |
thoughts so that it could be passed on to mankind, Lao Tzu sat down for
two days and wrote the "Tao Te Ching". After turning over the
works to the guardian, he rode into the desert, never to be seen from again.
In its original form, the "Tao Te Ching" is believed to have
consisted of eighty-one short chapters, arranged in two sections, known
as the 'Tao Ching' and the 'Te Ching'. The first of these scrolls was thirty-seven
chapters, and the second was forty-four chapters. The essence of Taoism
is contained in these eighty-one chapters (roughly 5,000 words) which, for
2,500 years, has provided a major influence in Chinese thought and culture. |
This scholar called "Lao Tze" most likely had another name,
because the characters for Lao Tze also mean "old man" or sometimes
translated as "old scholar". The same characters in Japanese are
reserved for a master of Zen teachings, promounced as "roshi"
in that language. Although there are many who disagree with who wrote the
"Tao Te Ching", and when it was written, there is virtually no
dissent among scholars as to its value as a literary and philosophical work
for all of humans. |