In Journey to the West, the story of “Lord Lao Zi Converting the Hu People into Buddhists” stems from historical debates between Taoism and Buddhism. According to legend, Laozi (Lao-Tzu), revered as an incarnation of Taishang Laojun (the Supreme Elder Lord), rode westward on his blue ox, later giving rise to the claim that he taught the “barbarian” peoples, thereby founding Buddhism.
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