Taoism Essay, Research Paper

rubric: TaoismIt is ever present in you. You can utilize it anyhow you want. & # 8212 ; Lao-tzu Taoism is one of the two great philosophical and spiritual traditionsthat originated in China. The other doctrine native to China isConfucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the sametime, around the 6th century B.C. China & # 8217 ; s 3rd great faith, Buddhism, came to China from India around the 2nd century of thecommon epoch. Together, these three religions have shaped Chinese life andthought for about 25 hundred old ages. One dominate construct inTaoism and Buddhism is the belief in some signifier of reincarnation. Theidea that life does non stop when 1 dies is an built-in portion of thesereligions and the civilization of the Chinese people. Although non acceptedby our beliefs, its apprehension helps construct strength in our ownreligion. Reincarnation, life after decease, beliefs are non standardizedbetween the faiths. Each faith has a different manner of applyingthis construct to its beliefs. Ignorance of these beliefs is a mark ofweakness in the head. To truly understand 1s ain faith, one mustalso understand those constructs of the other faiths of the universe. Hopefully this will be an enlightenment on the reincarnation constructs asthey apply to Taoism and Buddhism. The end in Taoism is to accomplish Taoist, to happen the manner. Tao is theultimate world, a presence that existed before the existence was formedand which continues to steer the universe and everything in it. Tao issometimes identified as the Mother, or the beginning of all things. Thatsource is non a God or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism isnot monotheistic. The focal point is non to idolize one God, but alternatively oncoming into harmoniousness with Taoist. Tao is the kernel of everything that isright, and complications exist merely because people choose to complicatetheir ain lives. Desire, aspiration, celebrity, and selfishness are seen ashindrances to a harmonious life. It is merely when one rids himself ofall desires can tao be achieved. By eschewing every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. The longer the one & # 8217 ; slife, the closer to tao one is presumed to hold become. Eventually thehope is to go immortal, to accomplish Taoist, to hold reached the deeperlife. This is the hereafter for a Taoist & # 8212 ; to be in harmoniousness with theuniverse. To understand the relationship between life and the Taoism conceptof life and decease, the beginning of the word Taoist must be understood. TheChinese character for Taoist is a combination of two characters thatrepresent the words caput and pes. The character for pes represents aperson & # 8217 ; s way or way. The character for caput represents aconscious pick. The character for caput besides suggests a beginning, andfoot, an stoping. Thus the character for Taoist besides conveys the continuingcourse of the existence, the circle of Eden and Earth. Finally, thecharacter for Taoist represents the Taoist impression that the ageless Tao isboth traveling and unmoving. The caput in the character means thebeginning, the beginning of all things, or Tao itself, which ne’er moves orchanges ; the pes is the motion on the way. Taoism upholds the belief in the endurance of the spirit afterdeath. To hold attained the human signifier must be ever a beginning of joyfor the Taoist. It is genuinely a ground to joy because despitewhatever is lost, life ever endures. Taoists believe birth is non abeginning and decease is non an terminal. There is an being withoutlimit. There is continuity without a starting point. Applyingreincarnation theory to Taoism is the belief that the psyche ne’er dies, aperson & # 8217 ; s psyche is ageless. It is possible to see decease in contrast tolife ; both are unreal and altering. One & # 8217 ; s psyche does non go forth the worldinto the unknown, for it can ne’er travel off. Therefore there is no fearto semen with decease. In the Hagiographas of The Tao Te Ching, Taoist is described as havingexisted before Eden and Earth. Tao is formless ; it stands alonewithout alteration and ranges everyplace without injury. The Taoist is toldto use the visible radiation that is indoors to return to the natural clarity ofsight. By depriving oneself of all external distractions and desires, one can accomplish Taoist. In ancient yearss, a Taoist that had transcendedbirth and decease and achieved Taoist was said to hold cut the Thread ofLife. The psyche, or spirit, is Taoism does non decease at decease. The soulis non reborn, it migrates to another life. This procedure, the Taoistversion of reincarnation, is repeated until Taoist is achieved. The followings of the Buddha believe life goes on through arepitition of reincarnations or metempsychosiss. The ageless hope for allfollowers of Buddha is that through reincarnation one comes back intosuccessively better lives until one achieves the end of being free frompain and agony and non holding to come back once more. This wheel ofrebirth, known as samsara, goes on forever or until one achievesNirvana. The Buddhist definition of Nirvana can be summerized as thehighest province of religious cloud nine, absolute immortality throughabsorption of the psyche into itself, while continuing individualism. Birth is non the beginning and decease is non the terminal. This rhythm oflife has no beginning and can travel on everlastingly without an terminal. Theultimate end for every Buddhist, Nirvana, represents totalenlightenment and release. Merely through accomplishing this end is oneliberated from the ne’er stoping rhythm of birth, decease, and metempsychosis. Transmigration, the Buddhist rhythm of birth, decease, and metempsychosis, involves non the reincarnation of a spirit but the metempsychosis of aconsciousness incorporating the seeds of good and evil workss. Buddhism & # 8217 ; sworld of transmigration encompasses three phases. The first phase in

concerned with desire, which goes against the instructions of Buddha and isthe lowest signifier and involves a metempsychosis into

any number of hells. Thesecond stage is one in which animals dominate. But after manyreincarnations in this stage the spirit becomes more and more human,until one attains a deep spiritual understanding. At this point in thesecond stage the Buddhist gradually begins to abandon materialism andseek a contemplative life. The Buddhist in the third stage isultimately able to put his ego to the side and become a pure spirit,having no perception of the material world. This stage requires one tomove from perception to non-perception. And so, through many stages ofspiritual evolution and numerous reincarnations, the Buddhist reachesthe state of Nirvana. The transition from one stage to another, or the progression withina stage is based on the actions of the Buddhist. All actions are simplythe display of thought, the will of man. This will is caused bycharacter, and character is manufactured from karma. Karma means actionor doing. Any kind of intentional action whether mental, verbal orphysical is regarded as karma. All good and bad actions constitutekarma. As is the karma, so is the will of the man. A person’s karmadetermines what he deserves and what goals can be achieved. TheBuddhists past life actions determine present standing in life andcurrent actions determine the next life — all is determined by theBuddhist’s karma. Buddha developed a doctrine known as the Four Noble Truths based onhis experience and inspiration about the nature of life. These truthsare the basis for all schools of Buddhism. The fourth truth describesthe way to overcome personal desire through the Eightfold Path. Buddhacalled this path the Middle Way, because it lies between a life ofluxury and a life of poverty. Not everyone can reach the goal ofNirvana, but every Buddhist is at least on the path towardenlightenment. To achieve Nirvana the Buddhist must follow the steps ofthe Noble Eightfold Path. The path consists of knowledge of the truth;the intention to resist evil; saying nothing to hurt others; respectinglife, morality, and property; holding a job that does not injure others;striving to free ones mind of evil; controlling one’s feelings andthoughts; and practicing proper forms of concentration. Compliance to the path does not guarantee reaching Nirvana, but itis the only path that leads to Nirvana. Only through following thispath established by Buddha does a Buddhist have a chance to reachenlightenment — to free oneself from the continuous rounds of birth,death and rebirth, to have reached the ultimate goal — to be absorbedinto 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 withnature and the universe. The ultimate goal for both religions is toachieve immortality. The Taoist called this ultimate goal Tao, whilethe Buddhist seek Nirvana. Whatever the name, the followers of thesereligions believe there is an existence beyond life which can beachieved provided the right path or behavior is followed. The path to Tao and Nirvana are similar, yet different. Bothbelieve there is an inner light which guides a person in the rightdirection to the ultimate goal. Personal desires must be forsaken toenable the inner light to guide a person to achieve eternal bliss. Theteachings that discuss the inner light of a person are as well renownedin the Tao philosophy as that of the Buddhist. The inner light that issought is similar, but the actual path is the primary difference betweenTaoism and Buddhism. The path toward enlightenment for the Buddhist wasdefined by Buddha in his Eightfold Path. Only through following thispath does the Buddhist reach Nirvana. The path to Tao is individual, itcomes from within. No one can define a path for the Taoist, it mustcome from within. Tao means the way, but this way is never taught. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as complications to theend. That idea is consistent with Buddhist teachings; it is thepersonal life of each individual that gives Taoism its special form. Taoism and Buddhism perceive life, death and rebirth as acontinuous cycle. This cycle has no beginning and no end. The soul iseternal, yet the soul is not the object of reincarnation. Taoistbelieve the soul is not reborn. Instead it migrates to another life. Buddhist also believe the soul is not reborn, but instead consciousnessis the object of rebirth. One major difference between Taoism and Buddhism is the concept ofkarma to the Buddhist. This idea that all actions are the display ofthought, the will of man, is known as karma. Karma determines theBuddhist actions and position in life. A person’s karma limits thegoals which can be achieved. Karma determines where in the cycle ofbirth, death and rebirth the consciousness returns. This return can bein the form of an animal or human, and the Buddhist must progressthrough a hierarchy to achieve Nirvana. The Taoist has no conceptsimilar to karma, and no mention of the soul migrating to an animalform. The determining factor to one’s life is contained in theindividual behavior for the Taoist. By forsaking personal desires inlife, 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 lifeafter death far outweigh the differences. Both religions believe theindividual must focus on the self to achieve the ultimate goal. Tofocus on oneself, all desires and personal ambitions must be forsaken. One must focus on the self and the proper way of life to reachimmortality. The cycle of life continues indefinitely until the Threadof Life is broken. Only through proper living, by following the correctpath guided by the inner light, can one achieve the ultimate goal of Taoor Nirvana.