Orthodoxy and Eastern Religion or Pan-Asian Religion.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

This is not a question about who is better or this and that... The reason I need a plausible and ostensible answer to this question is patterns. What makes one thing different from another that can make it related to another thing.  If you do not understand patterns, just dismiss my explanation.  However getting to my question for people who would actually know from experience or reading:

 

Who is more "Orthodox" when it comes to following rules?  Is it Buddhists?  Or Daoists?

 

Even more important, in the past do we know what the comparative was?  Were things the same or different?

 

I greatly appreciate any knowledge anyone might have on this subject.  I have been too close to most of it so fresh opinions help me refocus.

[Aetherous]

Seems to me that only Theravada Buddhists are orthodox.

[Cheshire Cat]

I've read claims that theravada Buddhism was recently re-tailored to suit western expectations. Also, Mircea Eliade wrote about a pre-theravada tantric period in Sri Lanka. The Visuddhimagga itself was written to contrast the strong tantric ideas that were present.

 

It seems that nowadays you can't really find something more authentic than tantrism, but still the reconstructed orthodoxy of theravada has such a good format that makes it very practical and appealing to westerners.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Cheshire Cat

[TheWhiteRabbit]

How are you meaning "orthodox"? Technically, both Buddhists and Daoists have have groups and sects that can be considered more or less orthodox than others. In fact, much of the visible contemporary stuff of Buddhism and Daoism is "unorthodox" because most of it was tailored to make the east more appealing and accessible to the west. That, or there was cultural appropriation whereby the west appropriated philosophies of the east and turned them into commodities.

 

And, even with that, pretty much all religions have esoteric and exoteric aspects. You would need to be fairly well-established in the exoteric stuff before the more substantial, esoteric stuff would be made accessible. This was true in Catholicism (where promising Christians would receive special guidance for prayers and novenas and meditations), it is also true for Buddhism and Taoism (which had their share of external rituals and fairly well-hidden, potent methods).

 

In general, since there had been substantial disruption and damage done (from an increase in secularism) a lot of the powerful methods of different religions are actually more accessible now than in years past. It is a situation where there are not as many committed disciples and a great number of lineages and practitioners are in danger of having no proteges or people to maintain the  lineage and practices. So they have made a number of things public and even available for sale whereas , in the past, you would have needed to be a devoted disciple for a number of years to get the practices and transmissions.

 

But I don't know if I am getting the gist of the questions right. Your writing is kind of similar to mine when i had been thinking about things and zeroing in on particular relations but not really explaining the context of my thoughts.

 

Sometimes explaining something like using Qi Men Dun Jia is a very odd concept to people and some of the older writing reference peoples and ways that do not exist in a modern sense.  Even in America some do not exist.  In fact there are like nature seekers and the like that are like daoists but not.

For example I may know that in a location if I see people helping each other and Iam active and traveling that I could seek <this thing that is intentionally vague because I do not want to distract from the purpose>.

Thus the trouble of explaining patterns.

 

It is like being told that your lifelong profession will be Daoist and you have no idea what that means.  So, you are lef to trying to associate the different aspects.

 

 

Seems to me that only Theravada Buddhists are orthodox.

 

Yes, it sure seems that way.  Ill have to check the history and demographics of them when I get a chance.

 

I've read claims that theravada Buddhism was recently re-tailored to suit western expectations. Also, Mircea Eliade wrote about a pre-theravada tantric period in Sri Lanka. The Visuddhimagga itself was written to contrast the strong tantric ideas that were present.

 

It seems that nowadays you can't really find something more authentic than tantrism, but still the reconstructed orthodoxy of theravada has such a good format that makes it very practical and appealing to westerners.

 

I am looking for patterns in old suppliments to the Qi Men Dun Jia.  Naturally Taoists and Buddhists are not just in an of themselves but each religion has specific subsets and patterns.  Taoism relates to naturism more than buddhism might.  While buddhists are definately very orthodox.

 

Comparing this to a western perspectve devout Catholics seem to be very orthodox as well as some Hindus in my area that use mantras. So, to see different types of patterns in something else is a strange thing. We do have some things in America that have an energy and pattern all of itself.

[SeekerOfHealing]

Tantric Theravada is pretty common, very common.