Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu, or Laozi, is the ancient Chinese sage traditionally regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of Taoism. According to the historian Sima Qian, his name was Li Er, and he served as keeper of the archives at the Zhou royal court in the 6th century BC, as an older contemporary of Confucius, though the details of his life are uncertain. Tradition holds that, as the Zhou declined, he departed westward, and at the frontier pass the gatekeeper Yin Xi asked him to record his wisdom. The result was a brief book of some five thousand characters teaching harmony with the Tao, or Way, through simplicity, humility, gentleness and wu wei, or effortless action. Among the most widely translated books, the Tao Te Ching has shaped Chinese philosophy, religion and art, and in Taoist religion Lao Tzu is venerated as a deity.