This point of view is supported by a number of historical facts including the paucity of historical evidence for the existence of Laozi, the failure of (supposedly) contemporaneous documents to mention the text (especially the Zhuangzi), and the presence of multiple editorial hands visible in the work (attested to by repetition, confusing passages and other textual problems that should not have arisen if the text was written by a single author). Throughout Chinese history, the Dao De Jing has received constant commentarial attention, and it has been continually translated since the earliest Western contact.įor many scholars, the Dao De Jing-rather than being the product of a single sagely author-is a gradual accretion of centuries of wisdom it is a compendium of epigrams forwarding a particularly mystical (or at least contemplative) worldview. Though modern scholars have contested this story (and even the very existence of Laozi), the text attributed to him remains one of the most renowned of Chinese philosophical writings.
When finished, and without a backward glance, Laozi departed through the gate, never to be seen again. The elder sage complied, descended from his donkey and proceeded to write the entirety of the Dao De Jing in one sitting. When he reached the Western Pass (the border between civilized China and the barbarian wilds), a guard petitioned him to record his teachings for the edification of future generations. According to legend, Laozi, the ostensible founder of Daoism, became disgusted with iniquities of life in feudal China and decided to leave his home in the state of Zhou for an unfettered life in the wilderness.
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