Buddhism And Daoism Similarities

One of the most diverse regions in the world when it comes to religious beliefs is Eastern Asia. There are many different religions that are found in East Asia and some of them tend to be quite similar to other notable practices. For example, Daoism is not only very significant to the people of China, but it also has many similarities with religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. With that being said however, there are also multiple differences among these practices. The history of Daoism dates back to the early days of Chinese civilization, but there are some that would argue that it is not a religion. While much of the belief is philosophical, there are numerous rituals, customs and spiritual beings that help affirm its status as a religion. …show more content…
The religion of Daoism all began as a belief in indigenous China back around 400 B.C.E. It was founded by a man named Lao Tzu, who promoted the idea of self-preservation. An important text in the Chinese culture known as the Daodejing was thought to be a hallowed book for the Daoist belief and many presume that it was Lao Tzu who wrote it. A tradition within the religion is to be at one with the Dao, which means the way, and strive for transcendence or physical immortality. At the heart of their religion, they hold qi to be the most significant term in their perspective. Qi essentially means life or energy, and shares aspects of spirituality along with physicality. Daoism is not exclusive like other religions and people who are even only intrigued by the practice could consider themselves Daoist (Siegler, pars. 1 and 2). A glaring difference between the Hindu and Daoist beliefs are that one was founded and the other was not. There was no founder, doctrine or anything that promoted a unified belief system in Hinduism. It is seen here that Daoism does have a founder, and has doctrine set in place that brings awareness to its followers about how to live their lives. An interesting similarity is that the ideal Hindu way of life is told through stories, and their people get a sense of how to live through …show more content…
The Immortals are defined as spiritual beings that are faultless people, and have succeeded in obtaining immortality. They live with supernatural abilities and have many divine attributes. Chinese literature and art are very supportive of the Immortals, and it goes to show that Daoism is immensely intertwined with much of the Chinese culture. All of the Eight Immortals are distinct in their ways, each possessing their own costume and talisman. These beings provided Daoists with a proper example of how to comprehend the secrets of nature and learn the Dao. They also represent everything that is positive and pure, inducing overall happiness. Daoist texts and writings have incorporated the Eight Immortals as legends because of how hard they worked to achieve immortality, and their passionate desire to assist others in obtaining it as well (“Eight Immortals”). When comparing the Daoist belief to the perspective the Hindus are working with, the following analogy would likely be suitable: the Eight Immortals are to Daoism as the avatars of Vishnu are to Hindus. While the avatars of Vishnu and the Immortals are not exactly the same, there is a general concept that still applies. The Hindu people worship and look to the avatars of Vishnu, like Rama for example, and try to model their lives after what their stories proclaim. Daoist believers practically