Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, is a Chinese philosopher allegedly born around 600 bc. Loa Tzu is a very Famous philosopher whose origin has been researched from time to time, yet researchers have very little knowledge of his life. The few things that are known, whether if it’s from legends or biography’s, is that Tzu was born in the state of Chu. Throughout this time, he worked as a historian at the royal court while the Zhou dynasty prospered. Through Tzu’s working time, it is said that he met Confucius who scrutinize him by his arrogance.
Instead of being angry Confucius became intrigued and compared Loa Tzu to a dragon. Confucius compared him to this majestical creature because a “dragon glides on the winds and through the clouds of the sky”. After a while, Loa Tzu left to the west after understanding that his dynasty was soon to collapse. He decided to leave and that’s where he met Yinxi.
Yinxi was a philosopher at the time and insisted Lao Tzu to write a book. For that reason, Loa Tzu started to write his book which is a mix of Tao and De. Tao is the way and Te is its virtue. As a result, the book illustrated the classic of the way of power. Lao’s personal life also somewhat unfamiliar. Its speculated that he was married and had a son who became a soldier. Since there is little information on Tzu life, there are many assumptions about his death.
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Nevertheless, Loa Tzu teachings have been taught and passes done through centuries. He is known for his book Tao Te Ching. In Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu writes eighty-one poems depicting Taoism. Taoism is a way of life that is surrounded by harmonious living. Taoism is a mysticism. You’re supposed to retain it as much as possible in order to have a direct experience of the total unitary reality of the whole. Unlike other ideas, it’s not something that you have to wait until you die to fully understand. It’s something some might even call enlightenment. In Daoism’s stages of enlightenment is when you’re at peace when once self and the universe. Through a careful philosophical analyzation, I’ve found that poems () illustrate Daoist beliefs and concepts best. These poems sentiments explain and reflect the Daoist best and support their goal which is to….
The first poem presented in Tao Te Ching gives insight into the basic points of Taoism. It begins by explaining how the Tao cannot actually be named and is eternal. They can’t be named because once you name something, it becomes one of the 10,000 things. Every time you use the word Toa or fail to name it, you fail to capture its singularity. I think that this demonstrates how important singularity is for the Taoists. Once you begin to name things and get stuck in the world of 10,000 things is when you lose the true meaning. When we start talking about it and thinking about it where in the world of 10000 things. In my opinion, you become overwhelmed with everything which is why they try to distance themselves so much. It also explains how the name Toa is the mother of myriad things and how the eternal Toa is actually the origin of everything that exists including heaven, hell, and earth. It also gives insight on desire and lack of desire.
The Tao believe that desire is what separates mystery and manifestation, but they are still both coming from the utter darkness. This darkness is “Darkness within darkness, the gate with all mystery”. I believe that this means not knowing that you don’t know. It’s similar to the allegory of the cave where the people at the bottom of the cave don’t know that they themselves are in darkness. The poem goes on by explaining beauty and goodness. It’s believed that in order to see beauty you need ugliness similar to the Ying and Yang. This is important for Taoism because the sage goes about not doing activities but goes the effortless ways. The sage also goes about practicing wuwie. In order to explain wuwei A question could be asked such as what happens if you put in effort and how will that put you in the world of 10,000 things? The answer would be since your ego gets bigger. There is I which is thinking about doing the effort which puts you in the world of 10,000 things. Wuwei is important because the opposite of acting with effort always reinforces the I and creates the world of multiplicity.
Poem 13 also gives great insight into the basic points of Taoism. This poem focuses more about what Taoism has to do with one’s self. It discloses that we shouldn’t focus on what other people think about us. If we worry and focus on what other people think and say about us, whether it’s good or bad, it actually is making us obsessed with ourselves. Being obsessed with ourselves and being fixated on what other people think about us is actually make us live in endless fear. It also advises you to accept disgrace willingly. Willingly accepting disgrace. Although this is hard it doesn’t mean that we should not value ourselves. We should but it should be equal to the way we value everyone. This connects with Tao’s act of humility. When you’re not humble you see yourself as a whole and connect to it but when you willingly excepting misfortune you’re not concerned with winning or losing the game. Therefore, separate of the world of 10,000 things. Finally, the poem ends by stating that those who love themselves the same way they love others can be entrusted with the world”. This poem basically reveals to us that we should be narcissistic and be obsessed with us and what other people think about us. I think the quote means that those who aren’t worried about a million different things are more prone to be successful not because they’re better but because they know how to accept themselves and those around them without making themselves a priority.
Going on, poem 15 focuses on the ancient masters. The ancient masters could only describe the Toa because they never fully understood it. The poem describes them and their distinct qualities. According to poem 15, the ancient masters had to be subtle, mysterious, and responsive. They had to moderately be careful and cautious. Open-minded was also looked for as well as serious. They also had to be genuine but also needed the ability to be hard to read. The ancient masters also meditated. They let mud puddle though instead of seeing it through rose-colored glasses. Seeing Tao isn’t like seeing a god figure, instead, it’s seeing this exact moment. Although these may seem as unimportant qualities I think that it demonstrates what being a Taoist truly requires. It demonstrates that not everyone can be it because not everyone embodies these qualities. These qualities are also very helpful when it comes to not getting involved in the world of 10,000 things. They allow your mind to not be jumbled and help you think and not be worried about what people say or think. This fit the Taoist goal of following the Toa way because you can’t follow without having these qualities.
Poem 18 continuous by stating that the great Tao fades. Although it was previously mentioned that the great Tao was internal this could mean that the concept of the great Toa could be fading. It explains how when the great Toa is forgotten that is when kindness and morality comes. This means that extraordinary trust in Toa is coming through. The world will not be chaotic when you let ethics and morality through. With the Toa what we call philoplety , wisdom, and kindness, is not called for because it already is there and there is nothing contrasting them. I think that is important to get across the Taoist overall goal because it demonstrates how much they appreciate the great Toa and when it is gone, it won’t be like when God is gone. Chaos and travesty won’t come but instead kindness and wisdom.
In chapter 19. In this chapter, the poem states that we should abandon knowledge in order to learn from it. To do this the ancient masters must give up sainthood and renounce their wisdom. We’re also told that we should stop spreading kindness in order for the people to start being charitable again. We’re also told that if we were to stop searching for better profits then there would be no more thieves left in the world. The fact that the poem states this may be problematic, but it clarifies itself by stating how we must live a simple life. Not only that but we must decrease our desires and be selfless. I think what this poem is trying to explain by the masters dying is that although they are “masters” and they should be sacred if they fade people would still be okay. The Taoist never believed that one should be in control or superior to someone. It’s also saying that the people will be kinder, more charitable etc. if nobody is making them believe that he or she is beneath them. I think that this is important because of it
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