Questions About Tao.org
I recently ran across this website https://tao.org/tao/taoism/#Nature which came up at the top of a search for Daoist meditation. It claims to teach traditional Taoism, and is a religious center with a lot of emphasis on deities, and some on magic and so forth. Now I have really just scratched the surface of Taoism, but some of the things in this site surprised me.
For example, because nature is harsh and unkind, survival of the fittest: "Therefore, Lao Tzu insists “the Sage is unkind,” urging the Taoist to avoid the Siren call of Universal Love and instead embrace a mindset of harsh indifference towards all but a few loved ones. Enlightened self-interest would be the best way to describe this principle to modern sensibilities."
The duality of society and the individual: "This duality of Society versus the Individual is another unique Taoist concept that, in many ways, harkens to early America’s rugged individualism."
So it would seem according to this, Taoism is very self centered, shuns society, and it would seem has very little room for compassion.
Interestingly Grand Master Alex Anatole is said to have fulfilled prophecy when he was kicked out of China and fled to the US where he started the Center of Traditional Taoist Studies. I can find no claim of a certain Taoist lineage or anything like that, the claim here is that the teaching is traditional Taoism.
I am curious what others who have a deeper knowledge of Taoism that I do, think about this site and it's teachings.