What Buddhism and Taoism have in Common?

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Uzae_SqbmDE

Let the discussion begin! Edited October 31, 2009 by TheSongsofDistantEarth

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

I can only laugh.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that

[33865_1494798762]

What Buddhism and Taoism Have in Common?

 

They have all that counts in common - you!

[Vajrahridaya]

I have to go poo... I think both Buddhists and Taoists do that? YAY!! Common ground!! We both digest foods. Actually, I think there are high level practitioners who even transcend that, but they are generally cave dwellers and they are able to absorb nutrition straight out of the elements through mind manipulation. I can almost see the energetic metaphysical break down around such an ability! But, alas... I really have to go poo.

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

I can only laugh.

 

They both(sometimes....don't jump to the gun)wear some kind of robe thing. The Daoist one is a bit dark though, that might just be in the movies, i'm not sure. Buddhists are much more colorful with that orange one and sometimes a lovely blue one. But they both frequently wear some kind of clothes, of that there's no doubt!!!!

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Buddhists can wear topknots and Taoists can wear topknots...(I think)...

 

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=92&catid=3

[Marblehead]

They both walk upright, don't they?

 

 

 

This is the original "Dualing (Fuedin') Banjos":

 

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

I have to go poo... I think both Buddhists and Taoists do that? YAY!! Common ground!! We both digest foods. Actually, I think there are high level practitioners who even transcend that, but they are generally cave dwellers and they are able to absorb nutrition straight out of the elements through mind manipulation. I can almost see the energetic metaphysical break down around such an ability! But, alas... I really have to go poo.

 

 

Hope everything worked out OK for you, and that you had a "clean break". (I really hate it when I don't have a clean break). Hey, we Taoists use toilet paper, do Buddhists, or do they just do that thing with a bucket and their left (unclean) hand? I'm finding these commonalities with buddhists thrilling!!

[Apech]

OK shall we start with loose fitting robes?

[JustARandomPanda]

I just heard something from one of my Buddhist audio cds that has me troubled. If I understand this right in (Buddhist Yoga Tantra) it appears I was born a woman (and of course this holds for every other woman on this planet - including all of your mothers, sisters, girlfriends and daughters) because my past merit is less than that of a man. Being born a man means one has accumulated enough good merit in past lives that one finally automatically gets to be born such even if the rebirth still remains unconscious.

 

I'm upset now over the fact I was born a woman. It is an outer sign of inferior merit to even the least of men - including the rapist, murderer and suicide terror bomber. I hope in the future I get to be reborn as a man.

 

*heavy sigh*

[Enishi]

I just heard something from one of my Buddhist audio cds that has me troubled. If I understand this right in (Buddhist Yoga Tantra) it appears I was born a woman (and of course this holds for every other woman on this planet - including all of your mothers, sisters, girlfriends and daughters) because my past merit is less than that of a man. Being born a man means one has accumulated enough good merit in past lives that one finally automatically gets to be born such even if the rebirth still remains unconscious.

 

I'm upset now over the fact I was born a woman. It is an outer sign of inferior merit to even the least of men - including the rapist, murderer and suicide terror bomber. I hope in the future I get to be reborn as a man.

 

*heavy sigh*

 

I think it was speaking in a very generalized manner. For a guy, no ability to have children (plus less of a desire to want kids) equals more time for practice.

[JustARandomPanda]

 

I think it was speaking in a very generalized manner. For a guy, no ability to have children (plus less of a desire to want kids) equals more time for practice.

 

If I understand correctly it is a Buddhist Sutra that is meant for both Laypeople and Monks. It states one eventually accumulates merit enough to warrant needing to be born in a stronger, more vibrant body able to hold that higher merit (and energy). Hence one eventually ascends enough to be born male. To be born female = less merit than any male.

 

*shrug*

 

However...this gets away from the topic of this thread which is commonalities between Buddhism and Taoism. Thanks to my mom I now own a copy of Eva Wong's big book on Taoism. So finally I get to learn about it too.

[gendao]

Buddhists can wear topknots and Taoists can wear topknots...(I think)...

 

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=92&catid=3

Nope, the easiest way to tell Buddhists from Taoists in China is that Buddhists are clean-shaven (often even their heads), while Taoists grow their hair and beards out.

SB - Interesting, can you post a link to that Sutra?

[JustARandomPanda]

SB - Interesting, can you post a link to that Sutra?

 

I will try Vortex. I'll have to go back and listen to my Dalai Lama audio book as that's where he discusses the Sutra. Buddha said women can become Buddhas. But that Sutra does indeed exist in the Buddhist canon. Born female = less merit, less chi energy. The body one is born with is to match what it must 'contain' energy and merit-wise.

[Andrei]

Uzae_SqbmDE

Let the discussion begin!

 

 

 

1_sUNmLQQmc

[Marblehead]

Ah! A duplicate "in Common" thread.

 

I get to post twice as often!!!

 

They both wear nothing underneath the robes, right?

[JustARandomPanda]

OK shall we start with loose fitting robes?

 

Ah! A duplicate "in Common" thread.

 

I get to post twice as often!!!

 

They both wear nothing underneath the robes, right?

 

I've merged the topics.

 

Cheers to everyone!

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

I will try Vortex. I'll have to go back and listen to my Dalai Lama audio book as that's where he discusses the Sutra. Buddha said women can become Buddhas. But that Sutra does indeed exist in the Buddhist canon. Born female = less merit, less chi energy. The body one is born with is to match what it must 'contain' energy and merit-wise.

 

Oh Buddhism...

 

Serene Blue, please do not take this nonsense too seriously. Remember that at the time Indian society was very patriarchal. The Buddha did a great service to all women (at the behest of Ananda) by allowing women to take vows and become nuns. Prior to this, no women could ever engage in spiritual practice in India at all. The Buddha broke the many societal rules and conceptual norms by opening things up for women, but his tradition was not able to shuck all of the nonsense away immediately.

 

As Enishi said, there was a very practical reason for men to think that they were better off, since they were not endowed with periods, shifting hormones, childbirth, and other physical limitations, in addition to the societal limitations that would have made it impossible for them to make most major life decisions (such as taking the vows) without the unlikely consent of their fathers, husbands, or even sons. With all of these problems, it must have seemed clear that a female birth was an unfortunate one.

 

Here is something to keep in mind: While rebirth in the Western Paradise of Amitabha would automatically bring you back as a man, rebirth in the Eastern Paradise of Akshobya would bring you back as a woman who would not have a period, could have painless, instantaneous childbirth, and would have a beautiful physical form with no sexual desire.

 

Either way, Taoism traditionally had a much healthier view of the feminine throughout its history. At least Vajrayana has consorts for all of its Buddhas, and it frequently depicts its advanced beings as hermaphroditic.

[ralis]

I just heard something from one of my Buddhist audio cds that has me troubled. If I understand this right in (Buddhist Yoga Tantra) it appears I was born a woman (and of course this holds for every other woman on this planet - including all of your mothers, sisters, girlfriends and daughters) because my past merit is less than that of a man. Being born a man means one has accumulated enough good merit in past lives that one finally automatically gets to be born such even if the rebirth still remains unconscious.

 

I'm upset now over the fact I was born a woman. It is an outer sign of inferior merit to even the least of men - including the rapist, murderer and suicide terror bomber. I hope in the future I get to be reborn as a man.

 

*heavy sigh*

 

 

Serene,

 

Authoritarian systems only serve one purpose and that is to acquire power. Tibet has never been Shambhala, everything is fine and all are in bliss. Far from it! Tibet was a theocracy, patriarchy, and based on a feudalistic system.

 

Psychological manipulation, trance induction and appealing to the higher cause are always used by authoritarians to keep the masses subjugated. It is and was no different in Tibet or even in India during the time of the Buddha. All this serves is to keep the system intact. I am beginning to see that westerners are really in a trance for the whole Buddhist trip.

 

Women and men alike have all been victims of propaganda, abuse and myriad atrocities. Causing women to feel inferior (lack of merit etc.), as you have stated above, is extremely abusive.

 

Here in Santa Fe we have a traditional Tibetan Stupa where many Lama's teach. Eventually it became a place of division and sectarianism. Just having four different lineages creates much division. When the Dalai Lama came to town it became clear to me what the whole Tibetan trip was about. The whole Tibetan authoritarian hierarchy was exposed, at least to me it was. The monks preach celibacy and are not! Especially with each other.

 

The most important attribute is one of unbounded freedom. That you will not find from any authoritarian figure.

Especially the Dalai Lama!

 

 

ralis

Edited October 4, 2009 by ralis

[Marblehead]

If I understand this right in (Buddhist Yoga Tantra) it appears I was born a woman (and of course this holds for every other woman on this planet - including all of your mothers, sisters, girlfriends and daughters) because my past merit is less than that of a man.

*heavy sigh*

 

Well Serene,

 

You now see one of the reasons why I hold to no religion. Nearly all of them try to subjugate people. Religions are especially nasty toward women. It's not just the Buddhist religion. Any that do not allow women to be heard as well as only seen had to because of the protests of the women of the faith.

 

Like has already been mentioned to you, don't take it all too seriously. It's a man thing. Gotta' keep the women barefoot and pregnant.

 

If you want to continue your study of Buddhism just ignore that part because it really has nothing to do with what is really going on.

 

Happy Trails!

 

Both Taoism and Buddhism hold that compassion is a cornerstone of one's virtue.

Edited October 5, 2009 by SereneBlue

[ralis]

Well Serene,

 

You now see one of the reasons why I hold to no religion. Nearly all of them try to subjugate people. Religions are especially nasty toward women. It's not just the Buddhist religion. Any that do not allow women to be heard as well as only seen had to because of the protests of the women of the faith.

 

Like has already been mentioned to you, don't take it all too seriously. It's a man thing. Gotta' keep the women barefoot and pregnant.

 

If you want to continue your study of Buddhism just ignore that part because it really has nothing to do with what is really going on.

 

Happy Trails!

 

Both Taoism and Buddhism hold that compassion is a cornerstone of one's virtue.

 

Well put!

 

ralis

[Stigweard]

As we have just discovered, Taoism and Buddhism both have a concept of "eternal oneness" in common.

What I said is impermanence is permanent and universal. Not that something is itself permanent. You really are trying though. So... Tathagatagarbha does not have inherent existence and is not the oneness of all things. It is a metaphor for seeing dependent origination.

 

...

 

In this sense, everything shares the same core, which is not a reality in and of itself, but rather the core fact that all things are impermanent and arise due to each other's arisings. Not that all things have the same source of existence.

To quote yourself: "There is no other way of interpreting this".

 

To declare a permanence of an sort is to say that it is an enduring concept that will continue and stay forever. Thus, because you are saying impermanence is without beginning or end, will last forever and will always exist then it is by definition "eternal."

 

To say that impermanence is universal and is the "shared core" of all things is to say that it is a common attribute experienced by every infinite aspect of reality. So in essence, everything is unified by the "one core" of impermanence. In other words, everything finds oneness within impermanence.

 

Thus impermanence is the monism (i.e. eternal oneness) of Buddhism.

 

In Taoism it is Tao, which also incorporates the concept of change being the only universal constant, which is the eternal oneness.

 

So we are united by the fact that we have similar, though yes with some somantic differences, concepts of eternal oneness.

 

[Enishi]

The way I look at it, the Tao would be the "process" of how the whole universe moves, constantly shifting to maintain its balance, not a being or substance as per monism.

 

Speaking in a holographic, fractal sense, this eternal process exists not only on an outer level, but an inner level. The 'Tao' is within you, and by increasing your awareness and living in tune with it, you yourself become more and more an outward manifestation of that eternal process.

[Marblehead]

The way I look at it, the Tao would be the "process" of how the whole universe moves, constantly shifting to maintain its balance, not a being or substance as per monism.

 

Speaking in a holographic, fractal sense, this eternal process exists not only on an outer level, but an inner level. The 'Tao' is within you, and by increasing your awareness and living in tune with it, you yourself become more and more an outward manifestation of that eternal process.

 

That is nice!!! And I'm glad you put that word "process" in quotes.

 

Happy Trails!

 

 

Common between the two belief systems is:

 

In Buddhism: Sila: Virtue, good conduct, morality.

 

In Taoism: Te: Virtue (includes good conduct and morality when te is referring to man's nature [character traits])

 

Happy Trails!

[Stigweard]

That is nice!!! And I'm glad you put that word "process" in quotes.

 

Happy Trails!

Common between the two belief systems is:

 

In Buddhism: Sila: Virtue, good conduct, morality.

 

In Taoism: Te: Virtue (includes good conduct and morality when te is referring to man's nature [character traits])

 

Happy Trails!

So who can tell me more about Sila? I would love to learn more.