Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, was born in 6th-century BCE China. As a philosopher, he attracted a large number of disciples, though he never opened an official school. Not much is known about Lao Tzu’s biography with certainty, but according to many traditional biographies, Lao Tzu was a scholar who worked as the Keeper of the Archives in the royal court of Zhou. This job was boring and gave him lots of time to think. Working for the royal court, Lao Tzu saw much corruption around him and decided to leave the country, traveling west on a water buffalo. A guard recognized him and demanded he write down his teachings. According to legend, these collected teachings became the Tao Te Ching.