Lao-Tse (also known as Laozi or Lao-Tze) was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism. He is best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching, the work that exemplifies his thinking. The name by which he is known is not a personal name, but an honorary title meaning “Old” or “Old Master,” and there has been much speculation as to whether an individual with that name ever existed or whether Lao-Tzu is an amalgamation of many different philosophers.
The historian Durant writes: “Lao-Tze, the greatest of the pre-Confucian philosophers, was wiser than Teng Shih; he knew the wisdom of silence and lived, we may be sure, to a ripe old age, although we are not sure that he lived at all.” If he did exist, he is believed to have lived in the 6th century BC.
1. Lao-Tse and Confucius
A story told by the historian Szuma Ch’ien (also known as Sima Qian, 145/35-86 BC) recounts how a young Confucius went to visit Lao-Tzu to ask him a question about history. It is said that the wise Lao-Tzu replied:
The person you asked about has gained wisdom with his bones in dust. Only his words remain.
According to Szuma’s narrative, Confucius was so impressed by the old master that he could only compare him to a great mythical dragon and took his advice to heart, focusing more on his inner wealth than on outward displays of wealth and devoting himself to philosophy.
The story is considered fictional, but it exemplifies the high esteem in which Lao-Tzu was held, whether a real or fictional figure, in the sense that he has been shown to have influenced the greatest of China’s philosophers.
2. The Tao Te Ching
The Tao-Te-Ching (Book of the Way) is an anti-intellectual and anti-authoritarian treatise that posits that the path to virtue lies in simplicity and recognition of a natural and universal force known as the Tao.
Lao-Tzu writes: “When we give up learning, we have no problems… The ancients who showed their skill in practicing the Tao did not do so to enlighten people, but to make them simple and ignorant.“ By “ignorant,” Lao-Tse does not mean uninformed, but purposely focused on the present rather than accumulating knowledge that leads to idle speculation and complications in one’s own life and in the community at large.
Lao-Tzu’s Taoism was in direct contradiction to Confucius’ philosophy, which emphasized education, knowledge as power, and strict adherence to the law… Lao-Tzu’s assertion that “the more laws are made, the more criminals are created” is the antithesis of Confucius’ assertion that more laws make better citizens.
The landscape was similar to that of Earth but with a more malevolent flavor. There were trees and mountains, as well as rivers, but also lakes of fire, dark caves, evil spirits, and snakes.
The god Osiris ruled the underworld. Osiris was actually the King of Earth before he became “Lord of Duat.”
But then his brother Seth murdered him out of jealousy… and although Isis, along with other helpful deities, tried to restore her beloved husband, he could only be revived on earth for one day and then had to become the Osiris of the Underworld.
But Duat was visited by many other deities, as well as inhabited by other supernatural creatures. Some deities were helpful to the deceased on their journey through the underworld and judgment, while others could be harmful and provide challenges for the deceased to overcome.
4. The Night Journey of Ra
Although many of the texts describing the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt were not consistent, with different spells being used in different ways and in different sequences, there are two that really became established. They were used in sequence and followed particular themes.
These books together were called the “Guides to the Afterlife.”
These texts describe the night journey of the sun god Ra, from when he would descend into the underworld at sunset until he rose the next day on the opposite side. The ancient Egyptians mapped out what his journey was like during that time.
5. Ra in His Boat through Duat
This would also become the same journey that the deceased would take right after burial. The journey was divided into 12 hours, and each hour represents an obstacle that Ra had to complete in order to move on to the next.
These include searching for the tomb of Osiris, facing his enemy Apep, navigating the difficult realm of Sokar, and completely regenerating himself to emerge as the rising sun from the eastern horizon.
6. The Gates in Duat
For the deceased, each hour acted as a portal to the next, with gates in between. Each gate was guarded by demons. To pass through each gate, the demon’s name had to be recited correctly.
7. The final judgment after the Duat
If the deceased passed through all the gates, they could enter the Hall of Judgment for the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. And then they went to the judgment of the god Osiris.
8. Glossary of deities in the Duat
Duat was heavily inspired by Egyptian mythology, and as such, there are many references to ancient Egyptian concepts and deities throughout the show. Below is a glossary of deities and creatures that were once in the Duat:
- Apep: spirit of evil, darkness, and destruction.
- Ba: the spiritual manifestation of a person’s soul. This was the aspect of the soul that could leave the grave after death and travel between the living world and the afterlife. The Ba would return to the body from time to time, but it does not need it in the same way as the Ka.
- Duat: where your soul went for judgment. It is where your soul was weighed against Ma’at’s feather.
- Horus: god of the sky, son of Osiris. He is usually depicted as a falcon.
- Isis: wife/sister of Osiris. Goddess of fertility and motherhood. Her name means “Queen of the Throne.”
- Ka: a “spiritual twin” that everyone is born with. It is a person’s life force and, upon death, leaves the body but lives on in the person’s tomb. This is why people were buried with food and wine, so that the Ka could live on when it left the human body.
- Khonsu: god of the moon and time.
- Ma’at: the goddess of truth, harmony, and order. Without her, chaos would take over and the world would be destroyed. “When the dead were judged, it was on Ma’at’s feather that their hearts were weighed. If the hearts of the deceased were as ‘light as a feather’, they were granted eternal life in the Duat. The near weightlessness of their hearts indicated that their souls were not burdened with sin and evil.”
- Nephthys: sister/wife of Set. She gave birth to a son of Osiris, also her brother, who is said to be part of the reason why Set killed Osiris.
- Osiris: husband/brother of Isis. He is often referred to as a god of the underworld. But more accurately, he is the god of resurrection. His resurrection symbolizes the annual flooding of the Nile.
- Ra/Re: god of the sun and king of the Egyptian gods.
- Set: brother/murderer of Osiris. God of chaos.
