Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, is considered to be the founder of Taoism. His birth and death dates are uncertain. According to legend, Lao Tzu was keeper of the archives at the imperial court. When he was eighty years old he set out for the western border of China, saddened and disillusioned that men were unwilling to follow the path to natural goodness. At the border, he was asked by a border guard to record his teachings before he left. These teachings were compiled into the Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power).