The legendary founder of Taoism, whose teachings are encapsulated in The Treatise on the Way and its Power (the Tao Te Ching). Whereas Confucianism represents the social development of human potential, Lao Tzu represents unity with the universe, achieved by the simple, uncomplicated life with minimal desires and maximum absorption in nature. The identity and life of Lao Tzu himself are shadowy, and there has been controversy over whether the 6th-century date is correct, or whether he may have lived two to three centuries later or even whether ‘Lao Tzu’ is a composite of legendary early sages He is thought to have been a native of Ch’u in the province of Hunan.