In the earliest ‘biographies’ it is claimed that he was a contemporary of Confucius (551-479BC) or that he lived during the Warring States period of the fifth or fourth century BC, and in legend he departs for the western borders, to live there as a hermit, after first writing the text of the Way, leaving it behind for the instruction of others. Traditionally the author was one Lao-Tzu (Laozi) which is an honorary title meaning the ‘Old Master’. Like the Homeric texts, the Tao Te Ching has been ascribed to a single author and to many. The literary style is terse and often cryptic, so that multiple interpretations of the individual sections are often possible, but the essence of the work is clear, in communicating an approach to life which is in accord with the natural, and so conducive to spiritual tranquillity and resilience. The Taoist inclination to refer to the natural background to human existence when considering the human is widely in evidence.
The emphasis is on the right view and understanding of existence, the Way of the cosmos, and the text sets out to transmit an informed awareness of being that leads to personal harmony. Consisting of eighty-one short sections in a poetic style, the text ranges widely in content, from practical advice to universal wisdom, embracing politics, society and the personal.
The title may be translated as Instruction regarding the Way of Virtue. According to tradition it has its origins even earlier, around the sixth century BC. The Tao Te Ching (or Daodejing, in pinyin) is a classic Chinese Taoist text dating from at least the fourth century BC.
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