Reading Laozi - By Bai Juyi Poem by Eugene Levich

Laozi, the greatest of the Daoist (Taoist) philosophers, is thought to be the author of the Daodejing (Tao te ching) . Laozi is a mystery. It is unknown whether or not such a person ever existed. Even the meaning of the name is mysterious. Does it mean “Master Lao, ” Lao being a family name, or does it mean “The Old Master, ” as lao means old. There are several alternate translations of Daodejing. These include the following: “The Classic of the Way and Its Virtue, ” “The Classic of the Virtuous Way, ” “The Classic of the Way to Virtue, ” etc. In any case, the book is one of the world’s great philosophical masterpieces - and also a pleasure to read for its wit. And yes, it contains about five thousand characters.