Laozi

Lao Zi:

I am best known of being the Author of the Daodejing

I am the founder of Daoism and I am also known as a deity in Daoist philosophy. I am also know as "One of the three pure ones".

Many noble and common people claim to be of my lineage

The earliest records of me are found in the "shiji" by historian Si maqian

I was an official in the imperial royal court of Zhou, I was also a contemporary of Confucius

In the Mid 20th century my book was considered doubtful and unproven because it had gone through the hands of many

It is said that before I was born, I stayed in my mothers womb for 62 years, then finally I was born after my mother leaned against a plum tree

At the age of 160 I went out west to live as a hermit but was recognized at the Western gate by a guard who asked me to write down my wisdom, in which then became the Daodejing

The guard was named Yin xi, he then became my follower and then devoted his life to my teachings

Since the Han dynasty Daoism had developed a more religious tone, I was then later viewed and considered a God

Some notable teachings of mine are: Wu Wei, which means=non-action and or non-forcing. These concepts are used to explain "Ziran" (Nature) or harmony of the Dao.

Cited:

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China.New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010