Robyn Lebron Huangdi, one of the legendary emperors of ancient China.3 Encyclopedia Britannica identifies him as “a patron saint of Taoism,” while Columbia Encyclopedia says: “Along with the semi-mythical Lao Tzu, Fu Hsi was associated in the traditional Chinese folk culture with the founding of Taoism ”…We can give Lao Tzu credit for religious Taoism and philosophical Taoism, but not the original Taoism that gave rise to both We can see another clue in the (2100 bc), also known as the We commonly associate this book with Taoism…To Lao Tzu and the Chinese people who lived during his time, the I Ching would be seen in a similar light as the Bible is regarded by Christians today—as an ancient tome of spiritual wisdom.4 The Tao concept that began with Huangdi was all-inclusive It applied to all aspects of life and was never limited to either religious or philosophical variations Every religion or philosophy was simply a particular expression of the Tao It is important to note that Lao Tzu never claimed to be the founder of anything This is clear in the itself, where Lao Tzu speaks of past practitioners Chapter fifteen of the Tao Te Ching, for instance, is a description of “Tao masters of antiquity” or “those who mastered the Tao in ancient times.” The chapter demonstrates Lao Tzu’s awareness of the already existing Tao, and his wish to emulate the examples set by revered masters—people who were ancient to him and already historical figures by the time he wrote the Tao Te Ching Essentially, the Tao Te Ching was written as a collection of teachings from the original form of Taoism Lao Tzu presented these teachings in an organized and accessible format His work revitalized and energized Tao cultivation, so its importance cannot be overlooked.5 In the early Han Dynasty, the Tao came to be associated with the Xian Di Emperor A major text from the Huang-Lao movement would be the , which interprets earlier Taoist teachings in light of the quest for immortality Zhang Daoling, a Taoist hermit, claimed to have begun receiving new revelations from Lao Tzu and went on to found the sect as the “First Celestial Master.” He performed spiritual healing, and collected dues of five pecks of rice from his followers … Zhang Daoling’s major message was that the ... demonstrates Lao Tzu’s awareness of the already existing Tao, and his wish to emulate the examples set by revered masters—people who were ancient to him and already historical figures by the time he wrote... original form of Taoism Lao Tzu presented these teachings in an organized and accessible format His work revitalized and energized Tao cultivation, so its importance cannot be overlooked.5 In... receiving new revelations from Lao Tzu and went on to found the sect as the “First Celestial Master.” He performed spiritual healing, and collected dues of five pecks of rice