Comparison Of Buddhism And Taoism Essay -- essays research papers

Taoism and Buddhism were born in the same century. Siddhartha reached enlightenment in approximately 535 B.C. and Lao Tzus teachings were recorded around 500 B.C. There are galore(postnominal) similarities in the basics of these two religions. Some of the similarities can be seen distinctly when examining the three meaning of Tao. The first definition of Tao is "the focus of ultimate reality." This agency that Tao cannot be percieved, defined, talked about, or thought of. It is too big a idea for humans to comprehend. As in the first line of the Tao Te Ching (the Taoist text meaning The Way and Its Power) "The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao." This is very similar to the Buddhist idea of Nirvana or Enlightenment. Nirvana cannot be understood by one who has not succeed it. Even when one has reached Nirvana, he cannot describe it to others, but only ease others to reach it as well. In its second sense, Tao means "the way of the universe." Tao is something that goes through and through solely beings, all of the earth. It is everywhere, all the time. It is something that flows through everything. This flowing idea relate with the idea in Buddhism that Nirvana can be reached by anyone, as long as one is devoted enough and has lost all attachments.Thirdly, one life must be a certain way to work with the Tao Tao also refers to "the way of human life" as it "meshes" with the customary Tao in its second sense. This fundamental idea of Taoism has m...