PureInsight | August 11, 2007
[PureInsight.org] Lao Zi was
from Chu and was in charge of the Print and Drawing Collection for a
while during the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius came to visit him there. After
he had a talk with Lao Zi, Confucius told his disciples: "Lao Zi's
ideology is like a dragon, capable of flying in the wind and clouds."
Lao Zi didn't seek honors and only stressed his cultivation. Having
lived in the Zhou Dynasty for a long time and seen that dynasty's
decline, he thought he would leave the Zhou realm. When he arrived at
the Hanguguan Pass, the district magistrate said to him: "You are
leaving us. Can you leave something for us?" Lao Zi thus wrote two
articles, totally five thousand words. They elaborate on human
morality. He then left quickly and no one knew his whereabouts
afterwards.
People referred to the five thousand words he left behind as "The
Classic on the Virtues of the Dao" later. Many people have studied it
from generation to generation.
From Historical Records by Sima Qian
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/8/10/47694.html
