The legend of Laozi and Daoism

Typical renderings of Laozi depict him as an old man with long white hair and beard.

Arguably the most influential Chinese philosopher of his time, Laozi’s life reflects the ambiguity of his philosophy—mysterious and contradictory. Questions asked about the Daodejing, the Taoist script attributed to Laozi, also lead to doubts over the actual existence of Laozi himself. However, despite the uncertaintly of Laozi’s existence as a physical being, his deification as a worshiped figure in China parallels similar global religious figures which emerged during Karl Jasper’s “axial age”(99). As a philosopher, or deity, Laozi continues to contribute to philosophical thought, and religious worship in modern days.

Origins of the Man

Then one day Siddhartha saw an old man. Being shielded from such things, Siddhartha was surprised. It was explained to him, by Channa, his servant, that people get old. This made Siddhartha wonder what else was beyond the walls and set off on his own to find out. He then encountered a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and an ascetic. He became depressed by these things and strove to overcome ageing, sickness, and death.

Siddhartha meditating under the Bodhi tree. Photo by Amadeus Vince.

First, Siddhartha went to the streets and became a beggar. When his father, Bimisara, found out what he was doing he offered him his throne. This offer, however, was rejected. Next, he moved on to study under two hermit teachers, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta. Under their guidance, Sakyamuni learned high levels of meditation. Siddhartha was asked to succeed his teachers, but still not being satisfied, moved on. Next, he and his now five companions took their austerities even further. In order to find enlightenment, the group deprived themselves of all worldly goods, including food, and practiced self-mortification. It is said that at this point, they were surviving off of a leaf and nut per day. Then one day Siddhartha collapsed while bathing in a river and nearly drowned. This caused him to reconsider this path. He remembered a time during his childhood when his father was about to start the season’s plowing. He entered a new meditative state that was blissful and refreshing, called jhana (Mitchell 2002).

File:Presentation Laozi.pptx -Nice job with the presentation yesterday. --Tcrale 00:17, 11 October 2012 (UTC)