Lao Tse From China

Of the thousands of titles of books ever written in China, perhaps the most widely translated and read abroad it is a book written over 2000 years ago, known by the name of Lao Tzu or the Tao Te Ching. This book is the Tao Te Ching or "The old way and its power" is the main text in which the philosophy of Taoism is specified.
This book is complicated book, written in a style typical
of the extraordinary and able to present the various form of interpretation. The central ideas associated with the common problem of the Tao is translated as "Way" or "Line." But the concept is rather vague, because the Tao Te Ching, the book itself begins with the sentence: "The Tao that is described is not the eternal Tao; names mentioned here is not the eternal name." But, can we say that Tao means roughly "Nature" or "Law of Nature."
Taoists believe that individuals do not wrestle against Tao thrall but must submit themselves and work with him. (A Taoist may appoint a soft water samples was limited, which flow without protest to the lower mainland and are not against any weak force, indestructible, but rock solid as any that could yield in the end).

To a person, simplicity and fairness are to be recommended. Violence should be shunned, as well as struggling for money and prestige. One should not desire to change, the world, but must respect it. For the government, which is considered a wise step is to do not so active, many of this set was banned. Moreover, the rules and restrictions are too much. Therefore, adding more laws, or amplify the provisions of the existing old, only result in worse condition. High taxes, government plans are too ambitious, promoting the war, all of which are contrary to the philosophy of Taoism.

According to Chinese tradition, the author of Tao Te Ching is a man named Lao Tzu who said contemporaneous but older than Hu-Cu Kong. However, Kong Hu-Cu living in the 6th century BC. And both - whether from the point of writing style and content - only a few scientists today believe that the Tao Te Ching was written during the early. There are different opinions about the real time compilation of the book. (Tao Te Ching himself never mentioned the name of a particular person, nor place, date, or historical events). However, the year 320 BC is a proper estimate of the time-actually eighty years of real time, and maybe even closer.

Family adherents schools of Taoism make offerings to the moon ahead of the autumn.

This problem makes a sharp conflict of opinion concerning the time comes to even the existence of Lao Tzu himself. While the authorities believe the tradition that Lao Tzu lived in 6th century BC, hence the conclusion he is not writing the Tao Te Ching. Other scholars consider him nothing more than a mere fairy tale figures. My own opinion, which only agreed by a minority of scholars, is as follows: (1) Lao Tzu was there really people and indeed the author of Tao Te Ching; (2) he lived in the 4th century BC; (3) Lao Tse's story that contemporary but older than Hu-Cu Kong is the information that far-fetched, the fictional and written by Taoist philosophers who came later just for the purpose of adding prestige to the person and his book.

Both noted, from the Chinese writers Kong Hu previous good-Cu (551-479 BC), or Mo Ti (5th century BC), or Meng-tse (371-289 BC) mentioned none of both Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching. However, Chuang Tse, a famous Taoist philosopher - who emerged around the year 300 BC Lao Tzu's name repeatedly.

Because about whether or not human beings in this world whose name Lao Tzu's still a question, should we even doubt the details of his biography. However, there are respectable sources in the form of the following statements: Lao Tzu was born and lived in northern China. Most of his life he became a historian or a supervisor is part of government archives, most likely in the city of Loyang, the capital of the kingdom of Chou dynasty. Lao Tzu is not a real name, but simply call honor roughly means "elder." He married and had a son named Tsung. Si Tsung then became a general in the state of Wei.

While Taoism originated from secular philosophy, but a kind of religious movement developed from there. However, because of Taoism as a philosophy to continue on the basis of particular ideas set out in the book Tao Te Ching, "Religion Taoist" was soon filled with confidence and full of worship, which means that very little superstition to do with the teachings of Taoism.

With a focus on allegations that Lao Tzu was the real author of the book Tao Te Ching, the effects really wide. The book is very compact (content less than 6000 Chinese characters, because it is still not a lot to be placed in a newspaper!), But he includes a lot of deep thoughts. The entire line of Taoist philosophers hold on this book as the base of the decline of his own ideas.

In the West, the Tao Te Ching far more popular than the writings Kong Hu-Cu or philosopher Kong Hu-Cu anywhere. In fact, there are at least forty kinds of English translation of the book was published, more than any translation of the book, except the Gospel.

While in China, schools of Hu-Cu Kong is generally a fad of the dominant philosophy, and clearly there is a conflict between the mind with Lao Tse Hu-Cu Kong. Most schools of Chinese people embrace the latter. But Lao Tzu is highly valued at the average by the adherents Kong Hu-Cu. And more than that, in many ways, the ideas just dibaur Taoist ideas-Kong Hu Cu, because it affects millions of people while not calling themselves Taoist. Similarly, Taoism has a clear influence on the development of Buddhist philosophy in China, especially of Zen Buddhism. Although few people now call themselves Taoist, no one except the Chinese philosopher Hu-Cu Kong which has influence so wide and so steady the human mind as well as Lao Tse. Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.