FREE ESSAY ON TAOISM AND CONFUCIANISM

TAOISM AND CONFUCIANISM

Taoism 
It is always present in you. You can use it anyway you want. -- Lao-tzu 
Taoism is one of the two great philosophical and religious traditions that originated in
China. The other philosophy native to China is Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism
began at about the same time, around the sixth century B.C. China's third great religion,
Buddhism, came to China from India around the second century of the common era. Together,
these three faiths have shaped Chinese life and thought for nearly twenty-five hundred
years. One dominant concept in Taoism and Buddhism is the belief in some form of
reincarnation. The idea that life does not end when one dies is an integral part of these
religions and the culture of the Chinese people. Although not accepted by our beliefs,
its understanding helps build strength in our own religion. Reincarnation, life after
death, beliefs are not standardized between the religions. Each religion has a different
way of applying this concept to its beliefs. Ignorance of these beliefs is a sign of
weakness in the mind. To truly understand ones own religion, one must also understand
those concepts of the other religions of the world. Hopefully this will be enlightenment
on the reincarnation concepts as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism. The goal in Taoism is
to achieve Tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence that existed
before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the world and everything in
it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. That source
is not a god or a Supreme Being as with Christians, for Taoism is not monotheistic. The
focus is not to worship one god, but instead on coming into harmony with Tao. Tao is the
essence of everything that is right, and complications exist only because people choose
to complicate their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as
hindrances to a harmonious life. It is only when one rids himself of all desires can Tao
be achieved. By shunning every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on
life itself. The longer the one's life, the closer to Tao one is presumed to have become.
Eventually the hope is to become immortal, to achieve Tao, to have reached the deeper
life. This is the afterlife for a Taoist -- to be in harmony with the universe. To
understand the relationship between life and the Taoism concept of life and death, the
origin of the word Tao must be understood. The Chinese character for Tao is a combination
of two characters that represent the words head and foot. The character for foot
represents a person's direction or path. The character for head represents a 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 the universe, the circle of
heaven and earth. Finally, the character for Tao represents the Taoist notion that the
eternal Tao is both moving and unmoving. The head in the character means the beginning,
the source of all things, or Tao itself, 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. To have attained the human form must be always a source of joy for the Taoist. It
is truly a reason to rejoice because despite whatever is lost, life always endures.
Taoists believe birth is not a beginning and death is not an end. There is an existence
without limit. There is continuity without a starting point. Applying reincarnation
theory to Taoism is the belief that the soul never dies, a person's soul is eternal. It
is possible to see death in contrast to life; both are unreal and changing. One's soul
does not leave the world into the unknown, for it can never go away. Therefore there is
no fear to come with death. In the writings of The Tao Te Ching, Tao is described as
having existed before heaven and earth. Tao is formless; it stands alone without change
and reaches everywhere without harm. The Taoist is told to use the light that is inside
to revert to the natural clearness of sight. By divesting oneself of all external
distractions and desires, one can achieve Tao. In ancient days, a Taoist that had
transcended birth and death and achieved Tao was said to have cut the Thread of Life. The
soul, or spirit, is Taoism does not die at death. The soul is not reborn, it migrates to
another life. This process, the Taoist version of reincarnation, is repeated until Tao is
achieved. The followers of the Buddha believe life goes on through a repetition of
reincarnations or rebirths. The eternal hope for all followers of Buddha is that through
reincarnation one comes back into successively better lives until one achieves the goal
of being free from pain and suffering and not having to come back again. This wheel of
rebirth, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achieves Nirvana. The Buddhist
definition of Nirvana can be summarized as the highest state of spiritual bliss, absolute
immortality through absorption of the soul into itself, while preserving individuality.
Birth is not the beginning and death is not the end. This cycle of life has no beginning
and can go on forever without an end. The ultimate goal for every Buddhist, Nirvana,
represents total enlightenment and liberation. Only through achieving this goal is one
liberated from the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Transmigration, the
Buddhist cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, involves not the reincarnation of a spirit
but the rebirth of a consciousness containing the seeds of good and evil deeds.
Buddhism's world of transmigration encompasses three stages. The first stage in concerned
with desire, which goes against the teachings of Buddha and is the lowest form and
involves a rebirth into any number of hells. The second stage is one in which animals
dominate. But after many reincarnations in this stage the spirit becomes more and more
human, until one attains a deep spiritual understanding. At this point in the second
stage the Buddhist gradually begins to abandon materialism and seek a contemplative life.
The Buddhist in the third stage is ultimately able to put his ego to the side and become
a pure spirit, having no perception of the material world. This stage requires one to
move from perception to non-perception. And so, through many stages of spiritual
evolution and numerous reincarnations, the Buddhist reaches the state of Nirvana. The
transition from one stage to another, or the progression within a stage is based on the
actions of the Buddhist. All actions are simply the display of thought, the will of man.
This will is caused by character, and character is manufactured from karma. Karma means
action or doing. Any kind of intentional action whether mental, verbal or physical is
regarded as karma. All good and bad actions constitute karma. As is the karma, so is the
will of the man. A person's karma determines what he deserves and what goals can be
achieved. The Buddhists past life actions determine present standing in life and current
actions determine the next life -- all is determined by the Buddhist's karma. Buddha
developed a doctrine known as the Four Noble Truths based on his experience and
inspiration about the nature of life. These truths are the basis for all schools of
Buddhism. The fourth truth describes the way to overcome personal desire through the
Eightfold Path. Buddha called this path the Middle Way, because it lies between a life of
luxury and a life of poverty. Not everyone can reach the goal of Nirvana, but every
Buddhist is at least on the path toward enlightenment. To achieve Nirvana the Buddhist
must follow the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path. The path consists of knowledge of the
truth; the intention to resist evil; saying nothing to hurt others; respecting life,
morality, and property; holding a job that does not injure others; striving to free ones
mind of evil; controlling one's feelings and thoughts; and practicing proper forms of
concentration. Compliance to the path does not guarantee reaching Nirvana, but it is the
only path that leads to Nirvana. Only through following this path established by Buddha
does a Buddhist have a chance to reach enlightenment -- to free oneself from the
continuous rounds of birth, death and rebirth, to have reached the ultimate goal -- to be
absorbed into a state of Nirvana. The goal in both Taoism and Buddhism is to reach the
ultimate goal, to transcend life on earth as a physical being, to achieve harmony with
nature and the universe. The ultimate goal for both religions is to achieve immortality.
The Taoist called this ultimate goal Tao, while the Buddhist seeks Nirvana. Whatever the
name, the followers of these religions believe there is an existence beyond life which
can be achieved provided the right path or behavior is followed. The path to Tao and
Nirvana are similar, yet different. Both believe there is an Inner Light which guides a
person in the right direction to the ultimate goal. Personal desires must be forsaken to
enable the Inner Light to guide a person to achieve eternal bliss. The teachings that
discuss the inner light of a person are as well renowned in the Tao philosophy as that of
the Buddhist. The inner light that is sought is similar, but the actual path is the
primary difference between Taoism and Buddhism. The path toward enlightenment for the
Buddhist was defined by Buddha in his Eightfold Path. Only through following this path
does the Buddhist reach Nirvana. The path to Tao is individual, it comes from within. No
one can define a path for the Taoist, it must come from within. Tao means the way, but
this way is never taught. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as
complications to the end. That idea is consistent with Buddhist teachings; it is the
personal life of each individual that gives Taoism its special form. Taoism and Buddhism
perceive life, death and rebirth as a continuous cycle. This cycle has no beginning and
no end. The soul is eternal, yet the soul is not the object of reincarnation. Taoist
believes the soul is not reborn. Instead it migrates to another life. Buddhist also
believes the soul is not reborn, but instead consciousness is the object of rebirth. One
major difference between Taoism and Buddhism is the concept of karma to the Buddhist.
This idea that all actions are the display of thought, the will of man, is known as
karma. Karma determines the Buddhist actions and position in life. A person's karma
limits the goals that can be achieved. Karma determines where in the cycle of birth,
death and rebirth the consciousness returns. This return can be in the form of an animal
or human, and the Buddhist must progress through a hierarchy to achieve Nirvana. The
Taoist has no concept similar to karma, and no mention of the soul migrating to an animal
form. The determining factor to one's life is contained in the individual behavior for
the Taoist. By forsaking personal desires in life, by concentrating of the self, a longer
life is prolonged. Eventually, by following the Inner Light, immortality can be achieved.
The similarities between Taoism and Buddhism in the belief of life after death far
outweigh the differences. Both religions believe the individual must focus on the self to
achieve the ultimate goal. To focus on oneself, all desires and personal ambitions must
be forsaken. One must focus on the self and the proper way of life to reach immortality.
The cycle of life continues indefinitely until the Thread of Life is broken. Only through
proper living, by following the correct path guided by the Inner Light, can one achieve
the ultimate goal of Tao or Nirvana.