Editing Laozi (section)

== Influence ==
{{Asian philosophy sidebar}}
Potential officials throughout Chinese history drew on the authority of non-Confucian sages, especially Laozi and [[Zhuang Zhou|Zhuangzi]], to deny serving any ruler at any time. Zhuangzi, the other founder of Taoism, had a great deal of influence on Chinese [[Scholar-bureaucrats|literati]] and culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Reynolds|first=Beatrice K.|date=February 1969|title=Lao Tzu: Persuasion through inaction and non-speaking|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463376909368862|journal=Today's Speech|language=en|volume=17|issue=1|pages=23–25|doi=10.1080/01463376909368862|issn=0040-8573}}</ref> Political theorists influenced by Laozi have advocated humility in leadership and a restrained approach to statecraft, either for ethical and pacifist reasons, or for tactical ends. In a different context, various [[antiauthoritarianism|antiauthoritarian movements]] have embraced Laozi's teachings on the power of the weak.{{sfnp|Roberts|2004|pp=1–2}}

=== Han dynasty ===
The story of Laozi has taken on strong religious overtones since the [[Han dynasty]]. As [[Taoism]] took root, Laozi was worshipped as a god. Belief in the revelation of the Tao from the divine Laozi resulted in the formation of the [[Way of the Celestial Masters]], the first organized religious Taoist sect. In later Taoist tradition, Laozi came to be seen as a personification of the Tao. He is said to have undergone numerous "transformations" and taken on guises in various incarnations throughout history to initiate the faithful in the Way. Religious Taoism often holds that the "Old Master" did not disappear after writing the ''Tao Te Ching'' but rather spent his life traveling and revealing the Tao.<ref name="Kohn 3-4"/>

[[Chinese mythology|Taoist myths]] state that Laozi was a [[miraculous births|virgin birth]], conceived when his mother gazed upon a falling star. He supposedly remained in her womb for 62 years before being born while his mother was leaning against a plum tree.  Laozi was said to have emerged as a grown man with a full grey beard and long earlobes, both symbols of wisdom and long life.{{sfnp|Simpkins|Simpkins1999|pp=11–12}} Other myths state that he was [[reincarnation|reborn]] 13 times after his first life during the days of [[Fuxi]]. In his last incarnation as Laozi, he lived 990 years and spent his life traveling to reveal the Tao.<ref name="Kohn 3-4">{{Harvp|Chan|2000|pp=3–4}}</ref>

=== Tang dynasty ===
Due to his traditional name ''Li Er'', Laozi has been [[Chinese ancestral veneration|venerated]] as the ancestor of all subsequent [[Li (surname 李)|Li]]s, and many clans of the Li family trace their descent to Laozi,<ref name="Woolf2007 1">{{cite book|last= Woolf | first= Greg|title=Ancient civilizations: the illustrated guide to belief, mythology, and art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=94NuSg3tlsgC&q=Li+Er+Laozi|year=2007|publisher=Barnes & Noble|isbn=978-1435101210|pages=218–219}}</ref> including the [[List of rulers of China|emperors]] of the [[Tang dynasty]].<ref>{{Citation |access-date=8 February 2012|title=The Chinese: their history and culture, Volume 1|last=Latourette|first= Kenneth Scott|quote=T'ai Tsung's family professed descent from Lao Tzu (for the latter's reputed patronymic was likewise Li)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ultxAAAAMAAJ|edition=2|year=1934|publisher=Macmillan|page=191}}</ref><ref name="Woolf2007 1" /><ref name="Hargett2006">{{cite book|last= Hargett|first= James M.|title=Stairway to Heaven: A Journey to the Summit of Mount Emei|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m21KGsV8ihgC&pg=PA54|year=2006|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0791466827|page=54 ff}}</ref> This family was known as the Longxi Li lineage ({{lang|zh|[[w:zh:隴西李氏|隴西李氏]]}}). According to the Simpkinses, while many (if not all) of these lineages are questionable, they provide a testament to Laozi's impact on Chinese culture.{{sfnp|Simpkins|Simpkins|1999|p=12}} Under the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], Laozi received a series of [[temple name]]s of increasing grandeur. In the year 666, [[Emperor Gaozong of Tang|Emperor Gaozong]] named Laozi the "Supremely Mysterious and Primordial Emperor" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|太上|玄|元|皇帝}}}},}} ''Tàishàng Xuán Yuán Huángdì'').<ref>{{cite book|author=Fu Qinjia (傅勤家) |script-title=zh:道教史概論 |trans-title= Outline of the History of Daoism |year=1996 |publisher=Commercial Printing House |location=[[Taipei]] |isbn=978-9570513240 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=goTcCDAOHh0C&pg=PA82 |page=82 |language=zh}}</ref> In 743, [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang|Emperor Xuanzong]] declared him the "[[sage (philosophy)|Sage]] [[Chinese ancestral veneration|Ancestor]]" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|聖祖}}}},}} ''Shèngzǔ'') of the dynasty with the posthumous title of "Mysterious and Primordial Emperor" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|玄|元|皇帝}}}},}} ''Xuán Yuán Huángdì''). Emperor Xuanzong also elevated Laozi's parents to the ranks of "Innately Supreme Emperor" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|先天|太上|皇}}}},}} ''Xiāntiān Tàishàng Huáng'') and "Innate Empress" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|先天|太后}}}},}} ''Xiāntiān Tàihòu''). In 749, Laozi was further honored as the "Sage Ancestor and Mysterious and Primordial Emperor of the Great Way" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|聖祖|大道|玄|元|皇帝}}}},}} ''Shèngzǔ Dàdào Xuán Yuán Huángdì'') and then, in 754, as the "Great Sage Ancestor and Mysterious and Primordial Heavenly Emperor and Great Sovereign of the Golden Palace of the High and Supreme Great Way" {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|大|聖祖|高|上|大道|金闕|玄|元|天皇|大帝}}}},}} ''Dà Shèngzǔ Gāo Shǎng Dàdào Jīnquē Xuán Yuán Tiānhuáng Dàdì'').

A seventh-century work, the ''Sandong Zhunang'' ({{lang|zh|三洞珠囊}}; "Pearly Bag of the Three Caverns"), presents Laozi is the perfect Taoist master and a character named [[Yinxi]] as the ideal Taoist student. Yinxi follows a formal sequence of preparation, testing, training and attainment.{{sfnp|Kohn|Lafargue|1998|pp=55–56}}

=== Tamil Nadu ===
In the [[Siddhar]] tradition of [[Tamil Nadu]], the greatly revered Siddhar [[Bogar|Bhogar]], one of the 18 esteemed Siddhars of yore, is believed to be Laozi and is of Chinese origin. His caste, from obscure references is noted to be "Cinatecakkuyavar" or Chinese potter. In his principal book of poetry, the ''Bhogar 7000'', he tells of his travels to China to spread his ideas on spirituality, specifically on the topic of sublimating the sexual energies and using said energies to become self-realised, with a spiritually-minded partner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Siddha Bhoganathar: An Oceanic Life Story |url=http://palani.org/bhogar-biography.htm |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=www.palani.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaking the Tree: Kundalini Yoga, Spiritual Alchemy, & the Mysteries of the Breath in Bhogar's 7000 |url=https://www.alchemywebsite.com/bhogar3.html |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=www.alchemywebsite.com}}</ref> His [[Jiva|Jeeva]] [[Samadhi]] can be found in the southwestern corridor of the [[Dhandayuthapani Temple]], [[Palani]], [[Dindigul district]], Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arulmigu Dandayudhapani Swami Devasthanam, Palani |url=http://murugan.org/temples/palani.htm |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=murugan.org}}</ref>

=== Contemporary ===
Many contemporary philosophers have seen Laozi as a proponent of limited government.{{sfnp|Dorn|2008|pp=282–283}} The [[Right-libertarianism|right-libertarian]] economist [[Murray Rothbard]] suggested that Laozi was the first [[Libertarianism|libertarian]],<ref>Rothbard, Murray (2005). Excerpt from "Concepts of the Role of Intellectuals in Social Change Toward Laissez Faire", ''The Journal of Libertarian Studies'', Vol. IX, No. 2 (Fall 1990) at [https://mises.org/daily/1967 mises.org]</ref> likening Laozi's ideas on government to [[Friedrich Hayek]]'s theory of [[spontaneous order]].<ref>Rothbard, Murray (2005). "The Ancient Chinese Libertarian Tradition", ''Mises Daily'', (5 December 2005) (original source unknown) at [https://mises.org/daily/1967 mises.org]</ref> James A. Dorn agreed, writing that Laozi, like many 18th-century liberals, "argued that minimizing the role of government and letting individuals develop spontaneously would best achieve social and economic harmony."{{sfnp|Dorn|2008}} Similarly, the [[Cato Institute]]'s [[David Boaz]] includes passages from the ''Tao Te Ching'' in his 1997 book ''The Libertarian Reader'' and noted in an article for the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' that Laozi advocated for rulers to "do nothing" because "without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony."<ref name="Boaz">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Libertarianism |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339321/libertarianism |access-date=21 February 2017 |date=30 January 2009 |author-link=David Boaz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504222253/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339321/libertarianism |archive-date=4 May 2015 |quote=An appreciation for spontaneous order can be found in the writings of the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu (6th century bce), who urged rulers to "do nothing" because "without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony." |author=Boaz, David |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp|Boaz|1997}} Philosopher Roderick Long argues that libertarian themes in Taoist thought are actually borrowed from earlier [[Confucian]] writers.{{sfnp|Long|2003}}

The [[anarcho-syndicalism|anarcho-syndicalist]] writer and activist [[Rudolf Rocker]] praised Laozi's "gentle wisdom" and understanding of the opposition between political power and the cultural activities of the people and community in his 1937 book ''[[Nationalism and Culture]]''.{{sfnp|Rocker|1997|pp=82 & 256}} In his 1910 article for the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', [[Peter Kropotkin]] also noted that Laozi was among the earliest proponents of essentially [[Anarchism|anarchist]] concepts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/kropotkin/britanniaanarchy.html |title=Britannica: Anarchism |publisher=Dwardmac.pitzer.edu |access-date=14 November 2011}}</ref> More recently, anarchists such as John P. Clark and [[Ursula K. Le Guin]] have written about the conjunction between anarchism and Taoism in various ways, highlighting the teachings of Laozi in particular.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://raforum.info/spip.php?article4488&lang=fr|author=Clark, John P.|title=Master Lao and the Anarchist Prince|access-date=1 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020015752/https://raforum.info/spip.php?article4488&lang=fr|archive-date=20 October 2017}}</ref> In her rendition of the Tao Te Ching, Le Guin writes that Laozi "does not see political power as magic. He sees rightful power as earned and wrongful power as usurped... He sees sacrifice of self or others as a corruption of power, and power as available to anyone who follows the Way. No wonder anarchists and Taoists make good friends."{{sfnp|Le Guin|2009|p=20}}