Compare And Contrast Confucianism And Buddhism
Comparison and Contrasts of Buddhism and Taoism
Around 2500 years ago, two major Eastern religions arose that attempted to discern the causes of human suffering and the steps needed to end it. These two, Buddhism and Taoism, originated from two very different places yet are incredibly similar. Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who became the enlightened Buddha, is recognized as the founder of Buddhism; Taoism has no recognized founder but was instead developed by many great teachers, the most important being Lao-tse, a Chinese philosopher who is credited with the development of Taoism in the sixth century BC. A significant aspect of these two religions is the idea of a path to achieving a heaven-like state of being. These two religions …show more content…
Buddhism stems from Hinduism due to the similar ideas of karma and samsara. Samsara is from Buddha’s perspective the “wheel of suffering”, and karma is the force that drives it. Instead of the Confucian belief that earth was out of harmony with heaven, Taoists believe that heaven and earth are naturally harmonious. Buddhism and Taoism can, in a way, be seen as reactions to philosophies that were insufficient in dealing with human …show more content…
Siddhartha Gautama grew up in a sheltered life and was horrified to witness human suffering for the first time. He decided to spend his life on a spiritual quest trying to end suffering, and spent many years before reaching the Highest Truth- Dharma. He decided to share his solution to pain and suffering by teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path. By following Buddha’s laws, one can affect his or her karma and destiny and ultimately achieve enlightenment to “transcend the ‘world of dust’ and achieve Nirvana” (Hoff 444).
In comparison, Taoism is more concerned with solving the riddle of life and encouraging a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature. The goal of the Taoist is to follow the Tao, “The Way”, in order to (as Lao-tse advised) “join the dust of the world”, rather than to turn away from it (qtd. in Hoff 445). Classic Taoism developed over the years into philosophical, monastic, and folk religious forms (Hoff 445). Taoism is thus more of a philosophical and religious tradition than the concrete religion of
Around 2500 years ago, two major Eastern religions arose that attempted to discern the causes of human suffering and the steps needed to end it. These two, Buddhism and Taoism, originated from two very different places yet are incredibly similar. Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince who became the enlightened Buddha, is recognized as the founder of Buddhism; Taoism has no recognized founder but was instead developed by many great teachers, the most important being Lao-tse, a Chinese philosopher who is credited with the development of Taoism in the sixth century BC. A significant aspect of these two religions is the idea of a path to achieving a heaven-like state of being. These two religions …show more content…
Buddhism stems from Hinduism due to the similar ideas of karma and samsara. Samsara is from Buddha’s perspective the “wheel of suffering”, and karma is the force that drives it. Instead of the Confucian belief that earth was out of harmony with heaven, Taoists believe that heaven and earth are naturally harmonious. Buddhism and Taoism can, in a way, be seen as reactions to philosophies that were insufficient in dealing with human …show more content…
Siddhartha Gautama grew up in a sheltered life and was horrified to witness human suffering for the first time. He decided to spend his life on a spiritual quest trying to end suffering, and spent many years before reaching the Highest Truth- Dharma. He decided to share his solution to pain and suffering by teaching the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path. By following Buddha’s laws, one can affect his or her karma and destiny and ultimately achieve enlightenment to “transcend the ‘world of dust’ and achieve Nirvana” (Hoff 444).
In comparison, Taoism is more concerned with solving the riddle of life and encouraging a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature. The goal of the Taoist is to follow the Tao, “The Way”, in order to (as Lao-tse advised) “join the dust of the world”, rather than to turn away from it (qtd. in Hoff 445). Classic Taoism developed over the years into philosophical, monastic, and folk religious forms (Hoff 445). Taoism is thus more of a philosophical and religious tradition than the concrete religion of