This ancient Chinese text is the world’s most translated classic next to the Bible. The result was the eighty-one sayings of the Tao-Te Ching. 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. 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. Lao-tzu, however, is better known as the reputed founder of Taoism, a way of life (Chinese Tao, Way) that, among many competing Ways, alone became known. He believed simplicity to be the key to truth and freedom, encouraging his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature, develop intuition and build up personal power, and to use that power to lead life with love, and without force. His belief was that a person’s conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience, and that human life, like everything else in the universe, is constantly influenced by outside forces. Lao Tzu laid down no rigid code of behaviour. A student of the Tao for several decades, Le Guin has created an English text that will speak to modern readers in a fresh and lively way, while conveying. Lao Tzu wanted his philosophy to remain a natural way to live life with goodness, serenity and respect. He believed that written words might solidify into formal dogma. Lao Tzu’s wise counsel attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing. Lao Tzu was not his real name, but an honorific given to the sage, meaning Old Master. 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). Legends vary, but scholars place his birth between 600 and 300 B.C.E. The specific date of birth of Lao Tzu is unknown.

Lao tzu the way of life