Lao Tzu: Father of Taoism Lao Tzu meets Yin Xi, the Guardian of the Gate of Tibet. Although ascetics and hermits such as Shen Tao (who advocated that one 'abandon knowledge and discard self') first wrote of the 'Tao' it is with the sixth century B.C. philosopher Lao Tzu (or 'Old Sage' -- born Li Erh) that the philosophy of Taoism really began. Some scholars believe was a slightly older ...

A brief and informal introduction to the 'Dao De Jing' [often spelled 'Tao Teh Ching'] and its author, Lao Zi [Laotze], with short quotations to illustrate its central concepts.