Laozi - Laozi

Japanese: 老子 - ろうし

Date of birth and death unknown. A person who is considered to be the founder of Taoist thought in ancient China. Also a book that is considered to be his work.

[Osamu Kanaya December 14, 2015]

person

He was also called Lao Yi. His family name was Li, given name was Er, and his pen name was Yi. He was born in Ku County, Chu (Luyi County, Henan Province) during the Spring and Autumn Period. He became a clerk (li) in the Zhou royal treasury, and Confucius visited him and taught him etiquette. Eventually, seeing the decline of the Zhou dynasty, he decided to retire and set off for the West. On the way, he wrote two books, one for the gate and the other for the gate guard (Guan Yinxi), at the request of the gate guard, but his whereabouts are unknown. However, there are many doubts about this legend, and even the oldest source that conveys it, the "Biography of Laozi" in the Records of the Grand Historian, expresses doubts. There is little evidence that this person, who was a senior to Confucius and was active in the 6th century BC, actually existed. Today's academic theories include one that says he was about 100 years younger than Confucius, who died in 479 B.C., and another that denies his existence as a fictional character. In short, it is unclear, and considering the connection with existing books, he cannot date back further than the middle of the Warring States period (4th century B.C.).

[Osamu Kanaya December 14, 2015]

book

The two volumes of the Laozi are also called the Tao Te Ching. The first volume begins with the character "Tao" (way), so it is called the Tao Te Ching, and the second volume begins with the character "Virtue" (deity), so it is called the Virtue Ching. Unlike Confucian morality, it is a word that expresses the origin of universal life and its function. It is about 5,000 characters long. It is currently divided into 81 chapters, but this is not the original form. The text is a collection of concise aphoristic expressions, and it uses many couplets and rhymes, and is characterized by unexpected and paradoxical words, giving it the feel of a collection of proverbs and aphorisms that have been widely passed down orally among the people. Therefore, along with worldly words, it also contains many difficult metaphorical words, and there are many different theories about the ancient interpretations. It was probably created around the end of the Warring States period. There are a great many annotations, of which the oldest remains is by Wang Bi (226-249) of Wei, who interprets the text from the standpoint of the philosophy of nothingness, and the annotations by Heshang Gong, who not only provide a realistic interpretation of governing oneself and governing the country, but also show a leaning towards Taoism, which relates to health maintenance; these two are representative of the ancient annotations. In Japan, there are many ancient annotations by Heshang Gong. An annotation by Soji was discovered in Dunhuang, which suggests an interpretation based on ancient Taoism. After this, annotations by Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty and Lin Xiyi (1193-1271) in the Song Dynasty were famous, and Lin's "Kougi" in particular was the most widely read during the Edo period. The most excellent Japanese commentary is the "Complete Commentary" by Ota Seiken (1795-1873). Two versions of the "Laozi" discovered in Mawangdui, China in 1973 date to around 200 B.C. and are the oldest surviving handwritten texts.

[Osamu Kanaya December 14, 2015]

Thought

The central thought of the Laozi was to explain the art of "non-action" to achieve personal or political success, and to explain the metaphysical source "Tao" as the justification for this. First of all, "Tao" is a oneness beyond the senses, as described as "seeing it but not seeing it, hearing it but not hearing it...mixing together into one." It exists independently and prior to the existence of all things in heaven and earth, and yet it plays a great practical role. In other words, it was the "mother of the world" as the source of the creation of all things, as described in the text "Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things." In other words, all beings in the world, including human beings, achieve their respective ways only because of "Tao." Thus, all things exist as they are (naturally) according to "Tao," but human beings often deviate from "Tao" for their own personal will. This is human misfortune. Therefore, it is good to "follow only the Way", to discard the frivolous aspects of being human, to place oneself in a position of "non-action" by avoiding any special effort, to become "selfless", not to try to stand out above others and show oneself off, but to be weak and humble. "There is nothing that does not do, without doing" -- if one is "non-action", then everything can be accomplished. It is said that since the great work of the Way is a natural way of being that leaves no trace of its work, people should follow that example and "return" to the absolute world of the Way.

[Osamu Kanaya December 14, 2015]

Inheritance and Evolution

The ideas of Laozi are said to have been passed down to Liezi and Zhuangzi. However, there is a difference between Laozi's realistic, secular successism and Zhuangzi's conceptual, speculative philosophy. At the beginning of the Han dynasty, the "Art of Huanglao," which linked Laozi with the Yellow Emperor, flourished as a political ideology of non-action, and from the Wei-Jin dynasty, the Laozi-Zhuangzi ideology, which combined Laozi and Zhuangzi, reached its heyday. From the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, the words and ideas of Laozi were also borrowed to understand Buddhism, and Laozi was correspondingly deified. At first, Huanglao and Buddhism were worshipped together, referred to as "Huanglao Floating Tu," but over time, Laozi came to be especially revered, which led to the establishment of Taoism. Emperor Huan of the Later Han Dynasty, in his later years (165), enshrined Laozi and had the "Inscription on Laozi" written, which already shows the deification and deification of Laozi, who is related to the founder of Taoism. In Taoism, Laozi is an entity without beginning or end that precedes heaven and earth, and is said to have manifested as an imperial teacher to successive generations since ancient times. Many mystical legends have been added to him, and he has been called by various titles, including "Taishang Laojun" and "Xuanyuan Emperor." As part of the Taoist and Zhuangzi ideology, Laozi is important not only for its ideological significance in opening up a lofty spiritual transcendence within the expanse of the universe and nature, but also for its religious significance in the Taoist faith, as a form of opposition to Confucianism.

[Osamu Kanaya December 14, 2015]

"The Complete Works of Tsuda Sokichi 13: Taoist Thought and Its Development" (1964, Iwanami Shoten) " "The Complete Works of Takeuchi Yoshio 5: The Primitives of Laozi" (1978, Kadokawa Shoten) " "Haruki Kusuyama's Study of the Legend of Laozi" (1979, Sobunsha)

[Reference Items] | Zhuangzi | Taoist | Taoism | Liezi

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

生没年不詳。中国古代の道家(どうか)思想の開祖とされる人物。またその著作とされる書物。

［金谷　治　2015年12月14日］

人物

老耼(ろうたん)ともいう。姓は李(り)、名は耳(じ)、字(あざな)は耼。春秋時代に楚(そ)の苦(こ)県（河南省鹿邑(ろくゆう)県）に生まれる。周の王室の守蔵室の吏(り)（図書役人）となり、孔子(こうし)が訪れて礼の教えを受けたこともあった。やがて周の衰微をみて隠棲(いんせい)を決意して西方に旅立った。途中、関所で関守り（関尹喜(かんいんき)）の請いによって、上下2編の書を著して去ったが、行方はついに不明であったという。しかし、この伝説には疑問が多く、それを伝える最古の資料『史記』の「老子伝」でも疑問を表明している。孔子の先輩として紀元前6世紀に活躍した人物の実在性は薄い。今日の学説としては、前479年没の孔子より100年ほど後輩とする説や、架空の人物として実在を否定する説などもある。要するにはっきりせず、現存の書物との結び付きで考えれば、戦国中期（前4世紀）よりさかのぼることはできない。

［金谷　治　2015年12月14日］

書物

『老子』2編はまた『道徳経』ともよばれる。上編が「道」の字で始まるので道経、下編が「徳」で始まるので徳経で、それをあわせた名称である。儒教の道徳とは違って、宇宙人生の根源とその働きとを表すことばである。内容は約5000字。現在は81章に分けられているが、これは原初の形ではない。文章は簡潔な格言的表現の集積で、対句(ついく)や脚韻(きゃくいん)を多く用い、意表をつく逆説的なことばにも特色があって、民間に広く口誦(こうしょう)で伝えられてきた諺(ことわざ)や格言を集めたような趣(おもむき)がある。したがって、世俗的なことばとともに比喩(ひゆ)的な難解な語句も多く、古来の解釈も異説が多い。成立はほぼ戦国末期であろう。注釈の数もきわめて多いが、魏(ぎ)の王弼(おうひつ)（226―249）の注が現存最古で、無の哲学としての立場から解釈し、河上公(かじょうこう)注は治身治国(ちしんちこく)の現実的な解釈のほか、養生にかかわる神仙道教への傾斜をみせていて、この二つが古注の代表である。日本では河上公注本の古鈔(こしょう)が多い。敦煌(とんこう)からは想爾(そうじ)注が発見され、古道教での解釈をうかがわせる。この後、唐では玄宗(げんそう)皇帝の御注、宋(そう)では林希逸(りんきいつ)（1193―1271）の注が有名で、とくに林の『口義(こうぎ)』は江戸時代にもっとも広く読まれた。日本の注釈としては太田晴軒(せいけん)（1795―1873）の『全解』が優れる。なお1973年に中国の馬王堆(まおうたい)で発見された2種の『老子』はほぼ前200年ごろのもので、現存最古の書写本文である。

［金谷　治　2015年12月14日］

思想

『老子』の思想の中心は、個人的あるいは政治的な成功をかちとるための「無為」の術を説き、そのための根拠づけとして考えられた形而上(けいじじょう)的な根源、「道」を説くことであった。まず「道」とは、「これを視(み)れども見えず、これを聴(き)けども聞こえず……混じて一となる」といわれるような、感覚を超えた一者で、天地万物の存在に先だって独立自存しており、しかも大きな現実的な働きを遂げている。すなわち「道は一を生じ、一は二を生じ、二は三を生じ、三は万物を生ず」とあるように、万物生成の根源として「天下の母」であった。いいかえれば、人間を含む世界の存在はすべて「道」によってこそ、それぞれのあり方を遂げている。そこで、万物は「道」に従ってあるがままに（自然に）あるのだが、人間は私的な意欲をもってしばしば「道」を逸脱する。それが人間の不幸である。そこで、「ただ道にのみ従って」、人としてのさかしらを棄(す)て、ことさらなしわざを避ける「無為」の立場に身を置き、「無欲」になって、他人にぬきんでて自分を顕(あら)わすようなことをせずに、弱々しくへりくだっていくのがよいとする。「無為にして為(な)さざるなし」――「無為」であればすべてが成し遂げられるのである。「道」の大きな働きは、その働きの跡を残さない自然なあり方であるから、人はそれを模範として「道」の絶対世界に「復帰」せよともいう。

［金谷　治　2015年12月14日］

継承と展開

『老子』の思想は列子や荘子に承(う)け継がれたとされる。ただ老子の現実的世俗的な成功主義と荘子の観念的思弁的な哲学とには違いがある。漢の初めは老子と黄帝を結び付けた「黄老(こうろう)の術」が無為の政治思想として栄え、魏晋(ぎしん)のころからは、老子と荘子とが折衷された老荘思想の全盛時代となる。なお後漢末からは、仏教の理解のために『老子』のことばや思想を借りることも行われ、それに対応して老子の神格化も進んできた。初め「黄老浮図(ふと)」という呼び方で黄老と仏教とをあわせて信仰されていたのが、やがて老子だけをとくに尊崇するようになって、道教の成立へと続くことになる。後漢(ごかん)の桓(かん)帝は晩年（165）に老子を祀(まつ)って「老子銘」をつくらせたが、すでにそこに道教の教祖に連なる老子の神仙化、神格化がみえている。道教での老子は天地に先だつ無始無終の存在であり、太古以来の歴代に帝師として化現(けげん)するとされるほか、多くの神怪な説話が付加され、太上老君(たいじょうろうくん)、玄元(げんげん)皇帝のほか種々の称号でよばれた。老荘思想として、儒教思想と対抗する形で、宇宙自然の広がりのなかでの高踏的な精神的超脱を開く思想的意義とともに、また道教の信仰のなかに生きた宗教的意義も重要である。

［金谷　治　2015年12月14日］

『『津田左右吉全集13　道家の思想とその展開』（1964・岩波書店）』▽『『武内義雄全集5　老子原始』（1978・角川書店）』▽『楠山春樹著『老子伝説の研究』（1979・創文社）』

[参照項目] | 荘子 | 道家 | 道教 | 列子

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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