Every culture and religion has different notions on how people should live their lives. Lao Tzu's book Tao Te Ching is similar to the books of other religions. It sets a standard for living like the Quran does for Muslims, the Bible does for Christians, and the Torah does for the Jews. This webpage defines "the way," from many religious perspectives and then emphasizes "the way" that Lao Tzu would like people to live their lives.
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Taoism was officially declared a religion in China hundreds of years ago. It is hard to determine the stand of Taoism on many core issues of society. This page summerizes the stand of Taoism on social issues.
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This site summerizes all of Tao's main points. It is very straight to the point and concrete. Tao was more like abstract, this site puts it into some concrete definitions.
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This is definately one of the best pages on Tao. It has some really good explainations on the Theosophy of Tao. It explains all the religious aspects of Tao. I will let the page speak for itself.
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The specific date of birth of Lao Tzu is unknown. Legends vary, but scholars place his birth between 600 and 300 B.C.E. Lao Tzu is attributed with the writing of the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu was not his real name, but an honorific given the sage, meaning "Old Master."
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This page is very helpful for understanding the Tao. I didn't have problems with the language of Tao, but I was confused about about what Tao stands for in real life and on earth. This page explains the history behind Tao, explains the quotations, and how Tao would like us to live our lives.
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This is a very good essay on Tao Te Ching. It talks about how humans have this natural compassion. It gives some examples of how some people, like the early catholics, tried to live their lives in seclusion. They found their lives very complete and comforting. Therefore, Tao, just like all the other religions, emphasizes modesty, and an exclusion from materialism.
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The Tao Te Ching is written on the basis of contradictions. It is a form of intense poetry; thus it is hard to distinguish which contradiction is suitable to "the way." For example, Tao may say "good" and then contradict it by saying "bad." How can you determine which is preferable to "the way." This site emphasizes on the ethics behind Taoism and determines which contradiction is suitable to "the way."
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