Some general TAO related questions.

[Cavendish]

Well, I've been reading a couple different versions of Tao Teh Ching and I'm really enjoying everything I've been taking in, but I do have some questions...

 

1. When was Lau Tzu/Laoizi born and when did he die? Everything I see basically say's "unknown"...

 

2. Should I learn to meditate? I notice a lot of other Taoists talking about it and I have known others who were non-Taoists who did it regularly, so it seems important to learn. Do you guys meditate?

 

3. Lau Tzu or Laozi? Which name should I refer to him as and which one was more appropriate, also, why the two different spellings?

 

4. Is there actual places to go in the U.S if I wanted to learn from a Taoist hands on?

 

Thanks alot!

[Marblehead]

Hi Cavendish,

 

I will speak briefly to the first three.

 

1. When was Lau Tzu/Laoizi born and when did he die? Everything I see basically say's "unknown"...

 

There is not enough evidence to be able to state that he really existed at all. I accept that he did live according to the most widely accepted understanding.

 

Wikipedia does a pretty good cover on him and can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi

 

2. Should I learn to meditate? I notice a lot of other Taoists talking about it and I have known others who were non-Taoists who did it regularly, so it seems important to learn. Do you guys meditate?

 

Yes, learn to meditate. Find your own way or find a teacher. Either is fine, IMO. There are many uses of meditation. Find out how it can help you and then develop that.

 

3. Lau Tzu or Laozi? Which name should I refer to him as and which one was more appropriate, also, why the two different spellings?

 

Lao Tzu (not Lau Tzu) and Laozi are both acceptable spellings. Basically the name means "Old Master". It was surely a nickname given him during his later years.

 

I always use Lao Tzu but we should understand that both refer to the same person.

 

The spelling differs according to who is doing the translating.

[Cavendish]

Hi Cavendish,

 

I will speak briefly to the first three.

 

 

 

There is not enough evidence to be able to state that he really existed at all. I accept that he did live according to the most widely accepted understanding.

 

Wikipedia does a pretty good cover on him and can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi

 

 

 

Yes, learn to meditate. Find your own way or find a teacher. Either is fine, IMO. There are many uses of meditation. Find out how it can help you and then develop that.

 

 

 

Lao Tzu (not Lau Tzu) and Laozi are both acceptable spellings. Basically the name means "Old Master". It was surely a nickname given him during his later years.

 

I always use Lao Tzu but we should understand that both refer to the same person.

 

The spelling differs according to who is doing the translating.

 

Great information, my friend. Thank you very much!

 

I've been doing some research and it seems as if Taoism is more wide-spread than I originally thought, I saw some video of a guy named Alex (forgot last name) and he seemed to be very knowledgable on Taoism and seemed like a nice guy, I may watch some of his lecture videos that are up there on YouTube. Has anyone here met him, and if so, is he a credible "Grand Master" of Taoism?

 

I didn't think Taoism had ranking such as "Grand Master" anyhow, if Taoism does have ranking then can someone explain to me what they are?