Lao Zi and Taoism

Hello my name is Lao Zi, which means "Old Body", and I was born as a full grown man  in the 6th century B.C. Having been in the womb for 62 years, I had a full gray beard and long earlobes representing wisdom and intelligence, and was born in the spring and autumn seasons.

In my life I became very interested in philosophy and after studying for years, I wrote the Daodejing, perhaps one of the oldest books books in the world and, because of my interest in philosophy, was full of philosophical poems. Also,Taoism was said to have come about because of me. Taoism means the way or the path of living, is much like Confucianism, and basically tells that everything is dependent on each other. This is considered a mix of philosophy and religion, and it urges people to go about on an effortless path just as I do.  I have also spent a great amount of time with Confucius who shares many of my idea on this. Related to this religion is the Ying-Yang symbol, which represents the duality and opposites in life.

Thank you for listening to just a few of the many points of my life and beliefs.

Sincerely,
    Lao Zi