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Taoism
What do you think about Taoism? I recently bought a book on Taoism, but I am wondering how well its philosophy could be integrated into Buddhism, if you understand me.
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Edit: Haha, I also saw you just joined thetaobums. "New Member: ShanYin." I am going to join too.
@Bekenze
The Nei-yeh (Inner Cultivation or Inward Training)
Anonymous - Mid 4th Century BCE
Translated by Harold Roth
21
As for the vitality of all human beings:
It inevitably occurs because of balanced and aligned [breathing].
The reason for its loss
Is inevitably pleasure and anger, worry and anxiety.
Therefore, to bring your anger to a halt, there is nothing better than poetry;
To cast off worry there is nothing better than music;
To limit music there is nothing better than rites;
To hold onto the rites there is nothing better than reverence;
To hold onto reverence there is nothing better than tranquility.
When you are inwardly tranquil and outwardly reverent
You are able to return to your innate nature
And this nature will become greatly stable.
And that's just one I have read.
different finger, same moon
Just want to give a little trivia in case anyone who's interested in philosophical Taoism talks to a religious Taoist practitioner and then becomes confused, thinking "That's not Taoism!"
--The TAO Te Ching
New Translation, Ralph Alan Dale
Verse 33: Who are you?
If you understand others, you are astute.
If you understand yourself, you are insightful.
If you master others, you are uncommonly forceful.
If you master yourself you have uncommon strength.
If you know when you have enough, you are wealthy.
If you carry your intentions to completion, you are resolute.
If you find your roots and nourish them, you will know longevity.
If you live a long creative life, you will leave an eternal legacy.
What was your take on it, Jeffrey? Could you say a little about it?
“Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”
“I know the joy of fishes in the river through my own joy, as I go walking along the same river.”
“Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious.”
So yeah, @taiyaki would like it! And you too
Coming out of the crossover, Taoism picked up a claim that Lao Tzu authored _The Diamond Sutra_, which Taoists call ... mmm, not finding it at the moment. But it's exactly the same text. Same numbered divisions, everything.
Buddhism, on the other hand, came out of the cross-pollination with a marked difference. It became Ch'en, in China, which became Zen as it moved through Korea into Japana. --What is that called, when religions hybridize?
There are undoubtedly differences in philosophy between that expressed by the Buddha and that expressed by Lao Tzu. But the similarities are striking, and it can be difficult to do a straight comparison, because Lao Tzu wrote in an enigmatic, riddling manner, while the Buddha taught (if the Pali texts are to be believed) in a very straightforward way.
Zen picked up the enigmatic, riddling manner, but dropped the underlying alchemical philosophy.
This is all from what I've been able to see. Take it with a grain of salt -- I haven't studied it deeply!
It was very interesting reading about and tracing the paths around the world that buddhism spread to.
As I recall, Taoism is kinda the original religion of ancient China. It's foundation is the idea that a fundamental principle, the Tao, underlies all of nature. Akin to what we Buddhists call the "Buddha nature." And certainly, many Tao philosophers left behind writings which seem almost Zen-like.
The early Chinese teachers of meditation (dhyana in Sanskkrit and Ch'an in Chinese) certainly took from the Taoist view of intuitive wisdom. Most histories of Zen in China make many references to the similarities, and give credit to the contributions of the early Taoists philosophers.
The original religion of China, near as we can tell from artifacts and what the early Chinese themselves wrote about it, is commonly called Shamanism. It's the original religion of humanity itself. It's a combination of ancestor worship and rituals and beliefs in how to deal with the many spirits of the world to get favors and divine what's going to happen next. This is the root from which all religions spring.
Then Confucianism took ancestor worship and worship of authority and ritual and ran with it, and in response Taoism emerged, anti-authority and in contrast claiming nature itself and not human rules and conventions provided a blueprint for proper living. Shades of hippy versus hardhat. Yin and Yang in action.
Into this battleground came Buddhism, and I can only imagine the arguments and debates that this sparked. Buddhism was the middle way. It had the worship of ancestors in the Dharma transmission and at that time was full of magical ritual. Yet, at the heart was the simple statement that our suffering was caused by people wanting the world to be something it was not.
Confucianism, being ultraconservative, rejected Buddhism as foreign influence. As the three religions began a dance through dynasties and centuries, it's tempting to oversimplify the picture. Chan was not the only school of Buddhism competing for temple space in China. Buddhist missionaries from just about everywhere traveled the silk road and tried to start their own practice with their own scriptures and understanding. Occasionally an Emperor would look around and realize those big, lavish Buddhist temples were not paying taxes and the people should be worshiping him instead of Buddha, and this Buddha guy was foreign anyway so what were they doing in China, and a new round of persecution would begin. Then eventually another Emperor or his favorite concubine would rediscover the benefits of the Dharma, and whatever monks survived or happened to be visiting China at the time would be welcomed back.
Into this strange marriage of religion and politics stumbled Bodhidharma. The rest, as they say, is history.
Blessings my friends
this says it all.....
I practice all three,
Uber tripple gem LOL..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegar_tasters
It is said that Zen is Taoism disguised as Buddhism.
For me, they go hand in hand.
I LOVE THIS SENTENCE!!
Metta,
Some people would disagree with this first sentence, conrad, so maybe 'undountedly' was putting it a bit strongly. There is a massive difference in emphasis, of course, and this explains the different use of language. That there are any similarities at all is completely remarkable. I mean, what are the chances?
I conclude that the use of language is so different because one talked little about soteriology while the other talked about little else. The Buddha could say simply that we should abandon all our views, since this is enough for soteriology. Lao Tsu, being more of a metaphysician, wanted to point us towards the correct one, and says in an enigmatic, riddling manner things like 'True words seem paradoxical'. This is not his choice, however, but a true statement than cannot be further simplified.
If a person understands this simple statement then he or she will understand the philosophical foundation of Buddhism. as presented by Nagarjuna in his Fundamental Verses .
I suppose that to some people this will seem an idiotic claim. but it is not difficult to confirm it for ourselves. It just requires a slight interest in metaphysics. Maybe also a belief that Noble Nagarjuna correctly explained the philosophical foundation of the Buddha's teachings, as had been foretold during the Buddha's lifetime.
This is important, since one consequence of Nagarjuna's doctrine of Two Truths is that true words will seem paradoxical.