How do Buddhist disciples understand Taoist thought?

1. The difference between Buddhism and Chinese Taoism

First, the attitude towards life and death;

The goal pursued by Buddhism is "Nirvana" and escape from the cycle of life and death. . Buddhism believes that life is suffering. Life is suffering, death is suffering. And this kind of suffering has no end, it is in a cycle of life and death that never ends. Only by achieving Nirvana can one escape the cycle of life and death.

So how to achieve nirvana? It means that people need to "enlighten". Buddha is enlightenment. In the final analysis, it is the realization that life is suffering. Buddhism believes that when you truly realize that life is suffering, you will be "enlightened". This is the core idea of ​​Buddhism.

Taoism has a positive and positive attitude towards life in general. This is the biggest difference between Taoism and Buddhism and even other religions. For example, Christianity believes that people are born with original sin and must atone for their sins when they are born, while Buddhism believes that life is suffering. It is to achieve immortality and immortality through cultivation. There is a saying in the secret of Taoist practice, "To follow a human being and to become an immortal is to reverse the yin and yang." This is the Taoist method on how to obtain immortality. This sentence comes from the Chinese Five Elements Theory, which is the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Second, the biggest difference between Taoism and Buddhism is that "Tao talks about this life, and Buddha talks about the afterlife;"

Buddha talks about the afterlife and advises people to be patient. It is said that if you do evil in this life, you will pay for it in the next life. It is miserable, and you may not suffer in the next life. Simply put, its purpose is to place your hope in the next life.

Taoism is completely different. The so-called first step to successful cultivation is immortality. Taoism pays attention to this life. If you believe in the Tao, you will believe in eternal life. Things in the next life will be discussed in the next life. Anyway, the present life will be immortal.

A monk needs to be abstinent, have only Buddha in his heart, sit in the body after death, leave relics, and be reborn on a lotus throne; Taoist requirements. It is not so strict, but more practical, has a helpful belief, pays attention to cultivation, and finally ascends to heaven.

Third, the basic difference is that Taoism advocates taking life as reality, pursuing longevity and health, and becoming immortal physically. Taoism believes that human life is composed of vitality, and the body is the residence of the spirit. To live forever, one must nourish both body and soul, that is, there must be "internal cultivation" and "external cultivation". Contrary to Taoism, Buddhism advocates "no life". We believe that reality is a sea of ​​suffering for everything. People are powerless against reality, so they can only endure it. To endure it, they must give up all kinds of desires, place their hopes on the afterlife, and enter into the "sea of ​​suffering" in pursuit of transcending the cycle of life and death. Nirvana (the world of bliss without suffering). It can be seen that Taoism advocates the pursuit of real life, while Buddhism advocates abandoning the pursuit of real material and focusing on spiritual practice and yearning for the afterlife.

< p>Buddhism is admirable for its compassionate feelings, its dogma of abandoning evil and promoting good, and the law of cause and effect and reincarnation. It is also the vitality of Buddhism. Compared with Islam and Christianity, Buddhism is less barbaric and exclusive and more worldly. Buddhism is more like a delicate and delicate lotus.

Fourth, the origin of life should come from the Book of Changes and Hetu Luoshu. In Theravada Buddhism, the four-part law stipulates that Buddhist disciples, whether at home or not, should have their own destiny. Still a monk, you cannot do fortune telling, divination, feng shui, etc. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha also stipulated in the "Brahma Net Sutra" that you cannot do these things, which are called evil fortunes. But Buddhism in China has Chinese characteristics. People have always believed in destiny, and the I Ching originally came from divination, so Confucius said that no one can be a gentleman if he does not know destiny. China's thousands of years of culture is actually the Zhouyi culture, because among the Four Books and Five Classics, the I Ching is the most important. The beginning of the sutra.

There is a saying in Buddhism that as long as all sentient beings are advised to be good, all dharma is Buddhist dharma. When good people use evil dharma, evil dharma is also good, and when evil people use good dharma, good dharma is also evil. When there was the I Ching, there was no Taoism, so the Taoists classified the I Ching as their own theory, which was a bit of theft of ideology. As for the Tai Chi Diagram and the Yin and Yang Fish, they were all Taoists who used the ideas of the I Ching. It can be said that the Yijing is neither Buddhist nor Taoist. Confucianism developed the Yijing. It can be said that the Yijing is closer to Confucianism to a certain extent. There are many great Confucian scholars in the past who have annotated the Yijing. For example, Zhu Xi, Wang Anshi in the Song Dynasty, Yu Fan in the Three Kingdoms, Dong Zhongshu in the Han Dynasty, Yu Yue in modern times, etc. are the origins of national culture.

Fifth, Buddha breaks the troubles of ignorance from within with the wisdom of Prajna. The path to achieve Bodhi (enlightenment), so Buddha means enlightenment. Buddha is not omnipotent. Buddha cannot grant us liberation. He can only teach us. He cannot make us go to heaven, nor can he sentence us to hell.

A Buddha is a person who is consciously aware of others and has complete enlightenment and conduct. In other words, a Buddha is a person who has become enlightened himself and further helps other people to become enlightened as well. This kind of self-awareness and his work of awakening have reached the most perfect state at the same time. The monk is a representative figure in Buddhism. The Buddha we usually know is Shakyamuni Buddha. Tathagata Buddha. Guanyin Bodhisattva. Amitabha.

Sixth, Christianity is an inherent religion in China and one of the main religions in China. It was formed during the Eastern Han Dynasty and became popular during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of more than 1,800 years and has distinctive Chinese characteristics. Its teachings are closely connected with the local Chinese culture. The name of Taoism originates from, first, the ancient Shinto, and second, from "Laozi". Taoism regards Laozi as its ancestor. The earliest origin of its philosophical thoughts can be traced back to Laozi and Zhuangzi. It regards "Tao" as its highest belief and believes that "Tao" "It is the origin of all things in the universe. Taoism seeks immortality and the way to immortality. Taoist priests are representatives of Taoist monasticism. We are usually familiar with religious figures such as the Jade Emperor, Taishang Laojun, the Eight Immortals, the Yellow Emperor, Laozi, Zhuangzi, etc.

7. The difference between Buddhism and Taoism;

The two religions, Taoism and Buddhism, one is Chinese culture and the other is foreign culture, but they have different differences in the history of the development of Chinese philosophy and religion. Roughly the same rise and fall experience. Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Taoism also emerged at this time. Both of them developed through the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. This situation has always aroused people's strong interest. In particular, the mutual struggle and unwillingness between the two religions have attracted the attention and exploration of researchers. However, on the other side of mutual incompatibility is mutual integration. This is the main reason why the two can coexist and prosper. It is also a very important issue in the relationship between Taoism and Buddhism.