TEMPLE OF LAO-TZU
![]() |
Lao-tzu(570?-490? BC), Chinese philosopher and reputed founder of Taoism. He was born in the province of Henan (Ho-nan) and was a court librarian. According to tradition, he is the author of the Tao-te Ching (Classic of the Way and Its Virtue), a philosophical treatise. By far the most translated Chinese literary work, this small book has had an enormous influence on Chinese thought and culture. It teaches that "the way" (tao) is realized through recognition and acceptance of nothingness; that is, wisdom is understanding that weakness truly equals strength, that happiness depends on disaster, and that passivity is the greatest action.