Questions on Tao"ism" and Confucius"m"

[quills]

Hi there everyone, I have question that might be quite vague.

I read something about how different Tao and Confucius is in their approach to life. One is against the other.
Does anyone have opinion on this?
Tao is about emptiness. While religions are mostly concerned with materialism, which is easy to connect to real world. But how about Tao? How do we connect it to the real world?

[Willy]

Hi quills,

Taoism in imperial China(Han dynasty) was developed into two movements. One was a kind of Taoist revisionism which harmonise Taoist thoughts with Confucian social and moral principles. Hence, it was possible for Chinese of subsequent centuries to bear social responsibilities while retaining the spiritual detachment (which is connected to the emptiness aspects you have mentioned). The other form of thought is more towards the escapism of taoism.

In fact, it was Wan Pi(brillant annotator of Iching and Lao Tse) who encouraged that a fulfilled Taoist could dispense with mystical profundities and focus on externalising the spirit of Taoism in the world of practical affairs. 

[quills]

Hi Willy, thank you for your reply.

If you don't mind, can you explain what you meant by "the escapism of taoism"?

[Willy]

that means the escape from the pursue of wealth and fame. But how many people can actually do that?

[quills]

The more I read into Tao Te Ching, the harder it is for me to manage things that have to do with career and all the worldly task. Less desire, less energy. It's hard to make it balance. So I was just wondering if you can help me with it without being heavy on either side. Like, the less I care about things, the more other people force their things.

Some people argue that it's only for lazy people. Maybe I am lazy and just try to find reasons to justify it? I just don't have ambitions and my thinking is ruining my body and people around me, so I want to know more about Tao.

I just came across this book written by someone named Osho. He wrote a lot of books on Joy, Happiness and being alone, and also on Tao. But I don't understand how someone who's really practising Tao can talk bad about other religions or against Confucianism.