在探讨道教的起源和创始人时，我们经常会提到老子，认为他是道教的主要奠基人。然而，在中国古代哲学中，还有两个人物——符离和庄周——他们对于后世的影响同样巨大，他们与老子的思想相辅相成，为后来的道教发展做出了不可磨灭的贡献。
首先我们要了解的是，符离，他是《淮南子》中的一个人物，据说他生活在战国末期，是一个隐逸之士，对于自然哲学、天文、地理等都有深入研究。在他的著作中，可以看到对宇宙万物本原的一种理解，这种理解与后来形成的道家哲学不谋而合。例如，《淮南子·齐言》中记载了“夫水之为物也，不可方寸，不可量度”这一观点，这正符合老子的“无为而治”的思想核心。
接下来，我们要谈论的是庄周，也就是我们熟知的小說《西游记》中的唐僧。他所代表的人格特质——智慧超群，对自然界怀抱敬畏之心，以及对生命意义深刻思考—are all closely related to the development of Daoist thought. In his famous book, Zhuangzi (also known as Chuang Tzu), he expressed his philosophical views on the nature of reality, which are highly influential in shaping the Daoist tradition.
One of the most important concepts in Zhuangzi's philosophy is the idea that "all things are empty and without a self" (). This concept is central to Daoism because it emphasizes that everything in existence is interconnected and lacks a permanent essence or identity. It encourages people to adopt a detached perspective towards life events and not be bound by conventional norms or expectations.
Furthermore, Zhuangzi believed in living according to one's own nature () rather than trying to conform with external standards. He advocated for an attitude of spontaneity () and non-action (), which aligns perfectly with Laozi's teachings on wu wei (non-action) as outlined in Daodejing (The Book of Dao).
In addition, both Laozi and Zhuangzi were critical of Confucian values such as social hierarchy, rituals, and morality codes. They believed that these could lead people astray from their true nature and cause suffering. Instead, they advocated for simplicity, humility, compassion towards all beings (), detachment from worldly desires (), inner peace through meditation practice(), etc., ideas that have shaped many aspects of Chinese culture including Taoist beliefs.
While Laozi may be considered more prominent among them due to his role as founder/propagator/embodiment-of-Daodejing-the-most-important-philosophical-text-in-Taoism-and-Chinese-culture-but-Zhuang-zis-contribution-to-the-development-of-Daoism-is-no-less-significant-he-was-a-disciple-or-following-the-footsteps-of-Lao-tzus-teachings,-he-built-on-those-foundations-and-created-his-own-system-of-thought-that-reflected-even-more-depthful-insights-about-human-nature-and-reality-than-Laos-doctrine-alone-offered.
Finally we should note that while there is no consensus on who founded Taoism-as-a-religious-movement,-it-is-clear-that-symbols-like-Zhuangs-ideas-played-an-extremely-vital-role-in-shaping-it-from-within-and-making-it-evolve-over-time.-Taoists today still draw inspiration from these ancient thinkers' wisdom about how best live life based upon harmony with natural laws; they also continue practicing various forms such as Tai Chi Chuan martial arts styles developed during this period where one moves fluidly like water flowing down stream without resistance -this dance between movement & balance reflecting what we call Wu Wei ("Non-action").
In conclusion while symbolizing figures like old man symbols contribute significantly but so do other symbols too – notably those found within works written by authors named after places like West Lake’s Master Zhi You who wrote "The Master Who Embraced Simplicity," whose writings emphasize simple living & non-desire-for-material-world-goods . There are countless others contributing insights into religious movements over time since its inception 2 millennia ago!
