Lao Tzu (the Old Sage) is the author of the Tao Te Ching. Unfortunately very little is known about his life.
He lived during the Warrior States in China (about 604-531). Much of his life he would have worked as an archivist at the Chou court. There he would met Confucius and talked about rites. This historical meeting stress the huge difference between Lao Tzu’s philosophy the Confucius’.
Lao Tzu’s is based on the seclusion and the keeping of a low profile while Confucius believed in human transformation through acquiring knowledge and moral education.
The meeting is related by Ssu-ma Ch’ien in his Historical Records. Here we find that Confucius would have been shocked by Lao Tzu’s charisma and would have called him a Dragon! The dragon is the Chinese symbol for the Perfect Man (Yang).
Later on Lao Tzu would have head to the West and met Yin His, the guardian of the pass. He would have written the Tao Te Ching upon his request.
Nothing more in known about Lao Tzu excepting a short story about his death ascribed to Chuang Tzu, the best known Lao Tzu’s disciple.
Some said Lao Tzu would have lived about 200 years.
You can find more about Tao Te Ching teachings by taking our short guide for beginners written in PDF. Click here to learn how.
Tao Te Ching Meaning 