Laozi journeyed westward, partaking of the spirit‑grazing mushroom; the Tao Te Ching, a timeless wisdom.
Release date:
2023-06-18
It is said that, in his seventies, the venerable Laozi served as the Keeper of the Imperial Archives of the Eastern Zhou—roughly equivalent to today’s director of the National Library. Witnessing the decline of the court and the incessant strife among the feudal lords, he resolved to resign his post and retire into seclusion. Thus, mounting a blue ox, he journeyed westward. As he passed through the Hangu Pass, an official stationed there recognized him by the extraordinary celestial phenomenon of “purple qi coming from the east.” At the official’s earnest entreaty, Laozi composed his timeless masterpiece, the Dao De Jing—a work whose global cumulative sales have made it the best‑selling book of all time—dividing it into two parts, each expounding on the principles of morality and virtue, totaling more than five thousand words.
No one knows where Laozi ultimately went, but according to the Records of the Grand Historian, thanks to his mastery of health and longevity, he lived at least one hundred and sixty or even over two hundred years. Laozi’s influence on later generations has endured through the ages: not only is the Dao De Jing revered as the founding scripture of Daoism, but Laozi himself was honored as “Taishang Laojun” or “Dao De Tianzun,” becoming the patriarch of Taoism. Moreover, the Daoist and Taoist pursuit of immortality sparked ancient scholars’ exploration of lingzhi mushrooms as a means to strengthen the body and prolong life.
In the Song dynasty, the weaver of the kesi tapestry “Laozi Riding the Azure Ox” not only depicted Laozi astride his azure ox, surrounded by auspicious purple mist and clouds, but also added a few lingzhi mushrooms to the ground—almost as if to suggest that by cultivating virtue through moral self‑cultivation and nourishing oneself with lingzhi, one can ultimately attain the state of mind and longevity of Laozi himself.
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