Taoism :: essays papers

TaoismIt is always present in you. You can use it anyway you want.Taoism is one of the two long philosophical and religious traditionsthat originated in China. The other philosophy native to China isConfucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the sametime, around the sixth century B.C. Chinas third great religion,Buddhism, came to China from India around the second century of thecommon era. Together, these three faiths have shaped Chinese life andthought for nearly twenty-five hundred years. whiz dominate concept inTaoism and Buddhism is the belief in some form of reincarnation. Theidea that life does not end when one dies is an integral part of thesereligions and the civilisation of the Chinese people. Although not acceptedby our beliefs, its representing helps build strength in our ownreligion. Reincarnation, life after death, beliefs are not standardized surrounded by the religions. Each religion has a different way of applyingthis concept to its beliefs . Ignorance of these beliefs is a sign ofweakness in the mind. To truly understand ones own religion, one must(prenominal)also understand those concepts of the other religions of the world.Hopefully this will be an enlightenment on the reincarnation concepts asthey apply to Taoism and Buddhism.The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to flummox the way. Tao is theultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formedand which continues to guide the world and everything in it. Tao issometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all(prenominal) things. Thatsource is not a god or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism isnot monotheistic. The focus is not to worship one god, solely instead oncoming into harmony with tao. Tao is the essence of everything that isright, and complications exist only because people choose to complicatetheir own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen ashindrances to a harmonic life. It is only when o ne rids himself ofall desires can tao be achieved. By shunning every earthly distraction,the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. The longstanding the oneslife, the closer to tao one is presumed to have become. Eventually thehope is to become immortal, to achieve tao, to have reached the deeperlife. This is the afterlife for a Taoist -- to be in harmony with theuniverse.To understand the relationship between life and the Taoism concept