the cosmic energy of the living self

When comparing Asian philosophical concepts and religion, there seems at first to be very little difference between Buddhism and Taoism. A closer comparison will demonstrate that there are two distinctly different ways to reach a similar conclusion to the travels of the soul.

Originating in India, Siddhartha Gautama developed the path to enlightenment of the soul by rejecting the trappings of religion and gods to form a way in which men could live in harmony with each other. It encompasses the belief that life is suffering and that suffering is caused by desire and striving for material things. The purpose of the Eightfold Path is to help man let go of that ambition, end his suffering, and upon death, dissolve back into the greater nothingness of Nirvana. The end to reincarnation from life to life is the ultimate success.

Buddhism spread East into China and,Bailey Button Triplet ugg boot, as is common with such philosophies, began to change and evolve. The basic precepts of Taoism seem to have been derived from Buddhist thought. It did,you’ll probably also need to add, along the way, deviate from the purely spiritual into a philosophy that held greater importance on the material world. Twelve hundred years after Siddhartha, the ideas of Taoism were first set down in writing and canonized by the philosopher Lao Tze in his treatise “Tao-Te Ching.” He details a similar philosophy but one that does not view final disintegration as the goal or destination.

Taoist belief strives to teach men to be good for the purpose of the soul to find perfection in life. Reincarnation is still a concept of Taoism. It is, however, designed so that a soul who develops this perfection of thought will ultimately reincarnate into a realm of conscious immortality rather than be forced to return to the material world. There is no dissolution of consciousness in the Taoist ultimate success. It is more in line with what Western philosophy understands as “heaven.”

Taoism at its core is the belief in the natural order of all things. The concept of Yin-Yang is the primary example of this philosophy. Reality consists of a duality of opposites that in their turn are still but aspects of each other and is all encompassing within the totality of existence. It is through balancing their opposing forces within yourself that the Chi, the cosmic energy of the living self, overcomes the imperfections of the soul.

Taoism, and its subsequent divisions, is still primarily found in China. It has a strong following in Taiwan but is not well represented elsewhere in the world. Buddhism has found its following and philosophy to be widespread, from Asia into Europe and across the oceans.

Taoism is very much a personal philosophy. There is no push for the individual to seek to change and improve society as a whole since each individual should be doing this for himself. Buddhism is concerned with how the individual reacts to society and one’s fellow man. Buddhists feel that the way should be demonstrated even if only by example. Where Buddhism seeks the salvation of all man, Taoists seek this individually.

While the Buddhist may feel that illness or other suffering is but a natural part of one’s existence, Taoists concern themselves with finding ways to heal the body through actions. Where Buddhism accepts the problem, Chinese medicine, developed alongside Taoist philosophy seeks to find the balance that will allow the mental energy of the Chi to repair the body.