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Essence of China B3 DECEMBER 14 – 20, 2012 Lao Zi: Saint and founder of Daoism ZONA YEH/THE EPOCH TIMES BY CINDY CHAN, DAVID WU & CAROLINE YATES EPOCH TIMES STAFF Lao Zi (۔) is venerated as a saint and a great philosopher in China. He is regarded as the founder of the Dao School (道 家, pronounced dào jiā), the philosophical tradition of Daoism. Dao (道) means the “Way,” referring the “Way of Heaven,” or the right or proper path. It is also written as Tao. It is commonly recognized among scholars that Lao Zi lived around 571–470 B.C. and was a contemporary of Chinese philosopher Confucius ( 孔子) (551-479 B.C.). Chinese culture is said to have begun over 5,000 years ago with the Yellow Emperor—Huang Di (黄帝), who was a cultivator of Dao and had great power and wisdom. Lao Zi, heralded by a purple aura, appeared on a water buffalo. To enable people to return to their true nature, Lao Zi disseminated the Dao during a chaotic period in the Zhou Dynasty. The disappearance of kindness, righteousness, filial piety, and loyalty indicated the deterioration Lao Zi systemized Daoist thought about 2,500 years ago. His teachings are contained in the “Dao De Jing,” also called “Tao Te Ching” (道德經), or “The Classic of Dao and Virtue.” The classic, which consists of 81 chapters, uses concise verses and vivid expressions to discuss the meaning of Dao and its manifestation in virtue, or de (德, pronounced dé). Lao Zi believed that Dao is the root and creator of all things, and that virtue is the foundation of Dao; it is behaviour that adheres to the Dao—sincere morality and manifestation of good deeds. The essence of his teachings is to honour the Dao, value and aspire to virtue, and do so not due to command but spontaneously and naturally. The ultimate purpose is to attain the Dao, or rather, to re-attain it—to return to one’s original level of the Dao. Imparting the Dao Lao Zi’s family name was Li (李), while his given name was Er ( 耳). The name Lao Zi, literally “Old Master,” is an honorific title. “Lao” means old age and great virtue, while “zi” is a laudatory way of addressing a man or a “master” in ancient China. Lao Zi was born during the Spring and Autumn Period SHIOUJEN WEN/THE EPOCH TIMES (770–476 B.C.) of the Eastern Zhou, in the later part of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝) (approximately from the 11th century B.C. to 221 B.C.). Some legends say he was born with white hair and this is why he came to be known as Lao Zi. Legends also say he was endowed with extraordinary natural abilities. He lived in the capital of Zhou for a long time and was the curator of the imperial library and archives. He was familiar with ceremonial systems and had extensive knowledge of nature. While the earlier Western Zhou (until 771 B.C.) saw great peace and unity, the Eastern Zhou (770–221 B.C.) was characterized by fragmentation and war. Lao Zi witnessed the decline of the Zhou. In 520 B.C., he was dismissed from his posi- tion after being implicated in a power struggle among Zhou officials. Deeply feeling the evilness of the human world, he obscured his identity and began a life of wandering. According to legend, when Lao Zi reached the border of the Zhou empire to cross into the northwestern regions, the border official saw a purple aura rising in the east, foretelling the arrival of a saint. He then saw Lao Zi approaching on a green water buffalo. The official requested that Lao Zi transmit his wisdom before departing. Lao Zi left behind some 5,000 Chinese characters. This is the well-known “Dao De Jing.” Following what is natural Lao Zi pointed out that the source of good fortune—virtue—and the source of bad fortune—a result of commit- Wise and capable rulers in ancient China revered Heaven and cherished, respected, and protected their subjects. A philosophical belief was established by the founders of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝) around 1100 B.C. that Heaven bestowed the divine right of ruling to those who were morally worthy. This belief, known as the “Mandate of Heaven” (天命, pronounced tiān mìng), is rooted deeply in Chinese culture and has had a fundamental and enduring influence on Chinese history. It established that a ruler must be wise and just, follow the Dao—the Way of Heaven— and be attuned to destiny. The ancient Chinese regarded the emperor as a “son of Heaven,” with Heaven above him. Lao Zi (老子) expressed his idea of the unity of Heaven and humans in the Dao De Jing (道德經): “Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows what is natural.” Wise and capable rulers in ancient China revered Heaven and cherished, respected, and protected their subjects. Historians recorded all the words and Sudoku Sudoku FREE ON iPHON THE ETM Guess the hidden saying, phrase or word(s) suggested by the picture! Loss of innocent nature Lao Zi stated that societal developments led to people’s pursuit of fame and profit at the expense of virtue, and people lost their innocent nature. The disappearance of kindness, righteousness, filial piety, and loyalty indicated the deterioration of social morality. If everyone could be kind to each other and government officials were decent and honest, morality would be part of daily life and there would be no need to advocate it, Lao Zi believed. Returning to the origin To enable people to return to their true nature, Lao Zi disseminated the Dao during a chaotic period. In just 5,000 words, he explained the meaning of the Dao, its relationship to the formation of the universe, and the origin of all things. Lao Zi discussed how to behave as a human being and how to finally return to one’s original, true self. He provided many examples to explain these main issues, paving the way for people to achieve this final purpose. Chinese dynasties and the ‘Mandate of Heaven’ BY CINDY CHAN & BLAKE LI EPOCH TIMES STAFF Dragons in the East have a positive connotation and are said to have accompanied several great emperors in the third millennium B.C. when they descended from Heaven and later when they reascended to Heaven after completing their mission. ting wrongdoing—are mutually transformable; good fortune can turn into bad, and vice versa, under certain circumstances. To guard against losing virtue, Lao Zi taught people to follow the course of nature and have no intent, as even something that looks like a good deed may turn out to be wrongdoing. By having no intent, practising what is called wuwei (無為), or non-action, one avoids committing wrongdoing and thus will not lose virtue. Lao Zi said, “Heaven follows the Dao. The Dao follows what is natural.” Fill in the boxes using numbers between 1 and 9 so that each column, each row, and each 3x3 square contain all nine numbers only once. SOLUTION BELOW deeds of the emperor, and the emperor’s behaviour was judged by the Confucian classics. Sage kings had wise and virtuous officials serve as their teachers or advisers. One example is Yi Yin (伊尹), who helped Shang Tang (商湯) found the Shang Dynasty (商朝) and became its first prime minister. Jiang Ziya (姜子牙) is another example. He assisted both King Wen (周文王) and King Wu (周武王) in establishing the Zhou Dynasty. Enforcing the Dao on behalf of Heaven If a ruler is immoral, he would be criticized by his ministers and the people, and the people may overthrow him, such as Shang Tang’s defeat of Xia Jie (夏桀), the last emperor of the Xia Dynasty (夏朝), who was a tyrant. Another example is King Wu’s removal of Emperor Zhou (紂王), the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty. Traditional Chinese culture did not consider these uprisings as violations of loyalty or the Dao, but rather as enforcing the Dao on behalf of Heaven. The ancient Chinese also believed that natural disasters were Heaven’s warning signs that the government had moved away from the Dao. If the government ignored these rebukes, Heaven would send stronger warnings in attempts to awaken conscience. If warnings continued to be ignored, calamities would follow. These patterns were believed to be the ways in which Gods showed their compassion to human beings. Throughout Chinese history, the Mandate of Heaven is recorded as having influenced changes of dynasties and emperors, with the rise and fall of dynasties and emperors linked to the morality of human beings. GEOGRAPHY GURU Growing Your Geography Knowledge Quiz 399 CONNECTING COUNTRY: What is the only nation on the North American continent that shares land borders with four other nations and has coastline on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean? BONUS: Name the four nations sharing the land borders. Embarra$$ment Alan Morgan Read The Epoch Times next week for the answer! C nswer for Quiz 398: Presented By This week's solution FORTY EAST: The 40 degrees east longitude line passes through 11 nations in three continents. From north to south: RUSSIA and UKRAINE in Europe; TURKEY, SYRIA, IRAQ, and SAUDI ARABIA in Asia; and ERITREA, ETHIOPIA, KENYA, TANZANIA, and MOZAMBIQUE in Africa. ANS: x_Embarrassment_of_riches_xx