Taoism And Buddhism (2219 words) Essay Example For Students

Taoism And Buddhism (2219 words) Essay Taoism And BuddhismTaoism and Buddhism are the two great philosophical and religious traditionsthat originated in China. Taoism began the sixth century BCE. And Buddhism cameto China from India around the second century of the Common Era. These tworeligions have shaped Chinese life and thought for nearly twenty-five hundredyears. One dominant concept in Taoism and Buddhism is the belief in some form ofreincarnation. The idea that life does not end when one die is an integral partof these religions and the culture of the Chinese people. Reincarnations, lifeafter death, and beliefs are not standardized. Each religion has a different wayof applying this concept to its beliefs. This paper will discuss thereincarnation concepts as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism, and then provide acomparison of both. Taoism The goal in Taoism is to achieve Tao, to find theWay. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universewas formed and which continues to guide the world and ev erything in it. Tao issometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. Thatsource is not a god or a Supreme Being, as Taoism is not monotheistic. The focusis not to worship one god, but instead to come into harmony with Tao. Tao is theessence of everything that is right, and complications exist only because peoplechoose to complicate their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishnessare seen as hindrances to a harmonious life. One can only achieve Tao if he ridshimself of all desires. By shunning every earthly distraction, the Taoist isable to concentrate on the self. The longer the persons life, the more saintlythe person is presumed to become. Eventually the hope is to become immortal, toachieve Tao, to reach the deeper life. This is the after life for a Taoist, tobe in harmony with the universe, and to have achieved Tao. The origin of theword Tao can explain the relationship between life, and the Taoism concept oflife and death. The Chinese character for Tao is a combination of two charactersthat represent the words as head and foot. The character for foot represents theidea of a persons direction or path. The character for head represents the ideaof conscious choice. The character for head also suggests a beginning, and foot,an ending. Thus the character for Tao also conveys the continuing course of theuniverse, the circle of heaven and earth. Finally, the character for Taorepresents the Taoist idea that the eternal Tao is both moving and unmoving. Thehead in the character means the beginning, the source of all things, or Taoitself, which never moves or changes; the foot is the movement on the path. Taoism upholds the belief in the survival of the spirit after death. Taoistbelieves birth is not a beginning, and death is not an end. There is anexistence without limit. There is continuity without a starting point. Applyingreincarnation theory to Taoism is the belief that the soul never dies, apersons soul is eternal. In the writings of the Lao-Tzu Te-Tao Ching, Tao isdescribed as having existed before heaven and earth. Tao is formless, it standsalone without change and reaches everywhere without harm. The Taoist is told touse the light that is inside to revert to the natural clearness of sight. Bydivesting oneself of all external distractions and desires, only then can oneachieve Tao. In ancient days a Taoist that had transcended birth and death,achieved Tao, was said to have cut the Thread of Life. In Taoism, the soul orspirit does not die at death. The soul is not reborn, it simply migrates toanother life. This process, the Taoist version of reincarnation, is repeateduntil Tao i s achieved. The following translation from the Lao-Tzu Te-Tao Chingsummarizes the theory behind Tao and how a Taoist can achieve Tao. The Great Taoflows everywhere. It may go left or right. All things depend on it for life, andit does not turn away from them. It accomplishes its task, but dies not claimcredit for it. It clothes and feeds all things but does not claim to be masterover them. Always without desires, it may be called the Small. All things cometo it and it does not master them; it may be called the Great. Therefore (thesage) never strives himself for the great, and thereby the great is achieved. (Te-Tao Ching, Chapter 34) Buddhism The followers of the Buddha believe thatlife goes on and on in many reincarnations or rebirths. The eternal hope for allfollowers of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back intosuccessively better lives until one achieves the goal of being free from painand suffering and not having to come back again. This wheel of rebirth, known asSamsara, goes on forever until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist definition ofNirvana is the highest state of spiritual bliss, as absolute immortalitythrough absorption of the soul into itself, but preserving individuality.Birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. This cycle of life has nobeginning and can go on forever without an end. The ultimate goal for everyBuddhist, Nirvana, is to accomplish total enlightenment and liberation. Byachieving this goal, one can be liberated from the never ending round of birth,death, and rebirth. Transmigration, the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, andrebirth, d oes not involve the reincarnation of a spirit, but only the rebirth ofa consciousness containing the seeds of good and evil deeds. Buddhisms world oftransmigration encompasses three stages. The first stage concerns with desire,which goes against the teachings of Buddha. It is the lowest form and involves arebirth into hell. The second stage is one in which animals dominate. But aftermany reincarnations in this stage the spirit becomes more and more human, untilone attains a deeper spiritual understanding. At this point the Buddhistgradually begins to abandon materialism and seek a contemplative life. In thethird stage, the Buddhist is able to put his ego to the side and become purespirit, having no perception of the material world. This stage requires one tomove from perception to non-perception. And so, through many stages of spiritualevolution and numerous reincarnations, the Buddhist reaches the state ofNirvana. The transition from one stage to another, or the progression within astage is based on the actions of the Buddhist. All actions are simply thedisplay of thought, the will of man. This is caused by the persons character,and character is manufactured from karma. Karma means action or doing. Any kindof intentional action, such as mental, verbal or physical action, is regarded askarma. All good and bad actions constitute karma. A persons karma determineswhat he deserves and what goals can be achieved. What the Buddhist does in hispast life determines his present standing in life and that determines his nextlife. Buddha developed a doctrine known as the Four Noble Truths based on hisexperience and inspiration about the nature of life. These truths are the basisfor all schools of Buddhism. The fourth truth describes the way to overcomepersonal desire through the Eightfold Path. Buddha called his path the MiddleWay, because it lies between a life of luxury and a life of poverty. Noteveryone can reach the goal of Nirvana, but every Buddhist is at least on t hepath toward enlightenment. To achieve Nirvana the Buddhist must follow the stepsof the Eightfold Path. Step 1: Right Understanding is knowledge of whatlife is all about; knowledge of the Four Noble Truths is basic to any furthergrowth as a Buddhist. It includes the true understanding of ourselves, of ourreal motives, of our hopes and fears, envies and hatreds. Step 2: RightThought is those thoughts that are free from lust, form ill-will, and fromcruelty. It means a clear devotion to being on the Path toward Enlightenment. Arthur Conan Doyle EssayDesire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as complications. That idea isconsistent with Buddhist teachings; it is the personal life of each individualthat gives Taoism its special form. Taoism and Buddhism perceive life, death andrebirth as a continuous cycle. This cycle has no beginning and no end. The soulis eternal, yet the soul is not the object of reincarnation. Taoist believes thesoul is not reborn, it migrates to another life. Buddhist alsobelieves the soul is not reborn, but instead a consciousness containingthe seeds of good and evil deeds is the object of rebirth. One majordifference between Taoism and Buddhism is the concept of karma. Karma refers tothe idea that actions are the display of thought, the will of man. Karmadetermines the Buddhist actions and position in life. A persons karma limitsthe goals that he can achieve. Karma determines where in the cycle of birth,death and rebirth the consciousness returns. This return can be in the f orm ofan animal or human, and the Buddhist must progress through a hierarchy toachieve Nirvana. The Taoist has no concept similar to karma, and Taoism does notmention the soul migrating to an animal form. The determining factor to oneslife is contained in the individual behavior for the Taoist. By forsakingpersonal desires in life, and by focusing on the self, one can live longer. Eventually, by following the Inner Light, immortality can be achieved. Thesimilarities between Taoism and Buddhism in the belief of life after death faroutweigh the differences. Both religions believe the individual must focus onthe self to achieve the ultimate goal. To focus on oneself, all desires andpersonal ambitions must be forsaken. One must focus on the self and the properway of life to reach immortality. The cycle of life continues indefinitely untilthe Thread of Life is broken. Only through proper living, and by following thecorrect path guided by the Inner Light, can one achieve the ultimate goal of Taoor Nirvana. BibliographyRobert G. Henricks, Lao-Tzu Te-Tao Ching ? Translated. With anintroduction and commentary, The Bodley Head, London, 1989. Dolly Facter,The Doctrine of Buddha, Phiosophical Library Inc., NY, 1965.