Taoism and its philosophy
The ancient philosophy of Tao was first put into words when Lao Tzu was leaving China. The documents that he wrote went on to become the holy book of Taoism.
Another very popular but comparatively lesser known author is Chang Tzu. Two of his books, The way of Chang Tzu and Inner Chapters have gained wide recognition in the world.
Taoism has certain principle and based on these principles gives us a way of seeing and understanding reality. The belief that there is life in every organic thing and that it has energy is the basis of all Tao writings.
The most popular book on Tao philosophy is the Tao te Ching written by Lao Tzu and is the fundamental book of Tao philosophy. It also happens to be the third most translated book after the Bible and the Bhagwad Gita. There are many speculations about this book some being that the book was written by a number of people and compiled over 800 years and that Lao Tzu never existed and that it was just a name used by the people who wished to remain anonymous.
Some sources say that there is a core teaching which is only a few lines and that the same teaching is expanded in chapters in the book. There is a lot of mystery about this book. It is said that the book was not written on a scroll but on strips of bamboo which led to some confusion.
Many scholars believe that only the first seventy sections of the Tao te Ching were written originally and the rest were added a hundred years later. This is believed because the first part talks about the state in a positive way while the rest speaks about it with discontent.
The confusion surrounding the book has made not affected its popularity and the philosophy of the religion of Taoism has appealed to thousands around the world and more and more people are adopting it, especially in the United States of America.