Comparison between Buddhism and Taoism Taoism is a religion centered on the thoughts of Lao and Zhuang, coupled with belief in gods and popular folk beliefs, and is influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism. Although Taoism is based on the thoughts of Lao and Zhuang, there are still obvious differences - Pre-Qin Taoism focuses on "free life and death", while Taoism that emerged from the Eastern Han Dynasty focuses on "immortality"; Pre-Qin Taoism focuses on inner "moral" cultivation, Later Taoism focused on external "skills" cultivation... During its development, Taoism absorbed Buddhist concepts of karma, hell, and Confucian ethics. On the premise of belief in gods, it also included various folk beliefs in gods and spirits. Collect and then transform them, so the ancients' Taoism was "mixed and multifaceted." Here is an overview of the origin and development of Taoism, the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, the influence of Buddhism on Taoism, and the comparison between Buddhism and Taoism: The origin and development of Taoism Taoism began with Zhang Ling in the Eastern Han Dynasty, to his son Zhang Heng and his grandson Zhang Lunai A great collection. The teachings of Taoism are based on Taoism's reaction to Confucianism, that is, the worldview of "nothing". In addition, due to dissatisfaction with the politics of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it turned to religion to express its aspirations. Taoism has a strong folk color. In addition to various practices, it also establishes charity houses in various places to facilitate believers. As a result, it has gradually become a huge anti-Confucian and anti-Buddhist religion. However, it is undeniable that he absorbed many principles from Confucianism and Buddhism. By the time Kou Qianzhi of the Northern Wei Dynasty completed the rich and organized doctrinal system of Taoism, his followers also expanded to the upper class. Through the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism experienced mutual separation and integration; during this period, Taoism achieved balanced development in both theory and practice. During the Song Dynasty, Taoism and Buddhism had a great influence on Confucian philosophy. As for the development of Taoism, it originated from ancient witchcraft and the magical alchemy of the Qin and Han Dynasties. It integrated yin and yang, the five elements, prophecies, incantations, etc. to establish the Taoist ideological system and introduced Buddhist ideas to develop it. During the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (reigned from 125 to 144 AD), Zhang Ling advocated the Five Pecks of Rice Taoism, respected Laozi as its leader, and took "Laozi's Five Thousand Essays" as its main classic. So far, Taoism has gradually taken shape. During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty (reigned from 167 AD to 189 AD), Zhang Jiao's Taiping Taoism was another important sect of early Taoism. It regarded "Taiping Qingling Shu" as its main classic and taught its followers with "good ways". , and used Fu Shui to treat people's diseases, and had hundreds of thousands of followers throughout eight states including Qing and Xu. Together with Zhang Heng and Zhang Lu's Five Dou Rice Road, it became the basis of the peasant uprising at that time. Later, the "Laozi Transformed Hu Jing" appeared, advocating the "Laozi transformed Hu Hu theory" that Laozi traveled to the west and transformed Hu into Buddha, and the Buddha became a disciple of Taoism. In the first year of Jianwu in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 AD), Ge Hong wrote the inner chapter of "Baopuzi", which organized and elaborated on the theories of magical alchemy since the Warring States Period, systematized the ideological content of Taoism, and became the basic classics of Taoism. At the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sun En, Lu Xun and others also used the Five Dou Rice Road to organize peasant uprisings. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, during the reign of Zhenjun Taiping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 440-AD 450), Songshan Taoist Kou Qianzhi, with the support of Emperor Taiwu of Wei (reigned from AD 424-AD 451), claimed to follow " Taishang Laojun" purported to clean up Taoism, remove the "three false laws", formulate music with reference to Buddhist rituals, recite new laws, and establish the state religion of Taoism, which is called "Beitian Shidao", or "New The Way of the Heavenly Master". Not long after, Lu Xiujing, a Taoist priest from Lushan in the Southern Song Dynasty, Tao Hongjing from Liang Dynasty and others compiled scriptures and compiled fasting rituals. As a result, the theory and organizational form of Taoism became more and more complete, which was called "Southern Master Tao". By the Tang Dynasty, Taoism had become increasingly prosperous. Tao Hongjing's grandson Wang Yuanzhi integrated the Taoism of the Northern and Southern Heavenly Masters, which became an important foundation for the prosperity of Taoism in the Tang Dynasty. The monarchs of the Tang Dynasty widely built Laozi temples and Taoist temples, and included the "Tao Te Ching" as a subject in the imperial examinations. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637 AD), Emperor Taizong issued an edict to place Taoism above Buddhism. This policy of "Tao before Buddhism" became a consistent policy in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (reigned from 649 to 683 AD) regarded Laozi as the ancestor of the royal family of the Tang Dynasty, and gave him the title of "Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan", ordering each state to build a Taoist temple. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (reigned from 712 to 756 AD), he went a step further and ordered every household of the common people to have a copy of "Laozi". He praised metaphysics and included "Laozi", "Zhuangzi", "Liezi", etc. All classics are "true scriptures". In the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, Du Guangting devoted himself to compiling Taoist classics and collecting the complete collection of Taoist rituals. Lu Dongbin regarded "saving the world with compassion" as the path to enlightenment, and replaced the study of swordsmanship with eliminating greed, hatred, and ignorance. He had a great influence on the development of Taoist doctrine in the Northern Song Dynasty.
During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty (reigned from 997 AD to 1022 AD), he ordered Wang Qinruo, Zhang Junfang and others to compile the Taoist canon, among which the 122 volumes of "Yunji Qizhu" were the representative works. In addition, Taoist temples were also built on a large scale. Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (reigned 1100-1125 AD) once proclaimed himself the "Emperor of the Taoist Lord" and ordered the world to visit and seek the Taoist Immortal Scriptures. Doctors in subjects such as "Tao Te Ching", "Zhuang Zi", "Lieh Tzu" and so on made Taoism flourish at that time. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, the Northern and Southern Tianshi Tao gradually merged with the Shangqing, Lingbao, and Jingming sects, and by the Yuan Dynasty, they merged into the "Zhengyi Sect" dominated by Fulu. In the seventh year of Dading in the Jin Dynasty (1167 AD), Wang Chongyang founded the "Quanzhen Sect" in Ninghai, Shandong. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Liu Deren founded the "Dao Sect" (later called the Zhen Dao Sect), and Xiao Baozhen founded the "Quanzhen Sect". "Tai Dao" all traveled in Hebei, but it did not last long, but Quanzhen Sect was still very prosperous for a while. At that time, Quanzhen Sect and Tianshi Taoism were the two main mainstreams of Taoism. Wang Chongyang tried his best to harmonize the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, remove the elements of magic and superstition, and emphasize the teachings of Buddhism (especially Zen) and monasticism. His seven disciples are called the "Seven Immortals", among whom Qiu Chuji is especially important than Taizu of the Yuan Dynasty (reigned from 1206 to 1228 AD). During the reign of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty (reigned 1260-1294 AD), a fierce debate between Buddhism and Taoism was triggered by the "Laozi Hua Jing". Taoism failed, so in the 18th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1 AD) In 281), the edict banned Taoism. As a result, the development of Taoism was greatly affected, and the power of the religious order gradually declined. After that, Taoism was officially divided into two major sects: Zhengyi and Quanzhen. They continued to spread in the Ming Dynasty, but gradually declined in the Qing Dynasty. In the early days, when the power of Taoism was flourishing, religious organizations were often combined with state power, thus forming a religion of special classes and dedicated ascetics; when Taoism gradually declined, it turned to focus on the religious desires of the people, and affected people's lives and practices everywhere. It is based on daily ethics, so it is called "people's Taoism". At the same time, a large number of good books and treasure scrolls also came out. This is the so-called classic of people's Taoism. Taoism holds that the fundamental hope of mankind is to obtain luck, happiness, longevity, and prosperity in this world. To achieve this ideal, it actively encourages people to do good, and holds rituals such as removing disasters and attracting good fortune, praying for incantations, etc. Therefore, Taoist beliefs have a particularly popular flavor. As a result, not only does its adaptability and adaptability expand, but the class of believers also expands. Although there are many sects of Taoism, generally speaking, its basic beliefs and doctrines are still "Tao". It is believed that Tao is "the system of nothingness, the root of creation, the foundation of gods, and the origin of heaven and earth", and refers to the universe, yin and yang, and all things. All are born from "Tao". The highest god worshiped is the three pure gods personified by "Tao", among which the "moral god" is Laozi. However, popular Taoism after the Song Dynasty was either the deification of the natural stars or the deification of historical figures, such as Emperor Wenchang (the god of learning), Lu Zu, Emperor Guan Sheng, Beidou Shenjun (the deification of the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper), Xuan God of Heaven (the deification of the North Star), etc. The specific methods of Taoist practice include: taking bait (taking fairy medicine), Daoyin (a kind of soft gymnastics), fetal breathing (also known as taking Qi and moving Qi), which is a breathing method that inhales the vitality of the universe into the body in order to achieve immortality. ), talismans (secret texts of spells, etc.), Fangzhongshu (the method of collecting yin and replenishing yang), bigu (avoiding eating grains grown from impure gas), inner elixirs, outer elixirs, etc. Religious rituals include fasting, prayer, chanting, and repentance. The Controversy between Buddhism and Taoism Since the rise of Taoism and the arrival of Buddhism in the East, there was quite a bit of mutual use in the early days, because the two have the same meaning. However, when Taoism introduced Buddhism into China, the number of believers in it increased, and conflicts with Taoism continued throughout the Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties without declining.
The dispute between Buddhism and Taoism first appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Jia Shemateng argued with Taoist priests; during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Zhi wrote "Bian Dao Lun" to criticize the deception of the immortal theory; during the Western Jin Dynasty, Bo Yuan and Taoist Wang Fujian also had disputes over Buddhism and Taoism. During the dispute, Wang Fu Nai wrote "Laozi Transformed the Hu Jing", which became an important material for the debate in later generations. However, the debate became more intense after the Southern and Northern Dynasties. During the reign of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Kou Qianzhi created a new way of the Celestial Master, made it a national religion, and established the foundation of Taoism. Religious religious groups; Lu Xiujing of the Southern Song Dynasty and Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty systematized the preparation of teaching and the compilation of Taoist classics, and their influence on society increased relatively, which was enough to compete with Buddhism. The focus of their debates was centered on the "Yixia Theory" , arguing about the rights and wrongs of abandoning the inherent Chinese religion and believing in Buddhism; in the third year of Taishi (467 AD), the Ming Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Taoist Gu Huan wrote "Yi Xia Lun", which led to the Ming monk Shao's "Zheng Er Jiao Lun" and Huitong He wrote "Refutation of Taoist Yixia Lun" to refute it, and Zhang Rong wrote "Menlu", which advocated that Taoism and Buddhism are consistent, and took Taoism as the basis and Buddhism as the trace, and advocated the theory of original trace. However, the advantages and disadvantages of the two are different. In other words, Taoism has the upper hand. In the Northern Dynasties, in the first year of Zhengguang of Emperor Xiaoming (AD 520), there was also a debate between Buddhism and Taoism in the palace, that is, the Taoist Jiang Bin of Qing Taoist Temple and the monk Tan Wuzui of Rongjue Temple, because of the dispute between Laozi and Buddha. His birth was the subject of a debate. As a result of the debate, Jiang Bin was defeated and exiled to Mayi. Previously, Zhen Luan's "Laughter on the Way" and Dao'an's "Two Teachings" were important treatises on the debate about the merits of Buddhism and Taoism at that time. Both of these two books used strong arguments to vigorously argue about the inferiority of Buddhism and Taoism. . However, in the Northern Dynasties, the struggle between Buddhism and Taoism was not only a debate between the two sides, but also the oppression of the policies of those in power. This is the famous "Three Forces to Destroy Buddhism" in history, when Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed Buddhism. The three martial arts that destroyed Buddhas refer to the following: Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, who had the Taoist Kou Qian's teaching of quiet immortalization and the instigation of Situ Cui Hao, issued an edict to all states to trap ascetics and destroy all Buddha statues. Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty wanted to use the talisman to spread his fortune across the world. He listened to the words of Taoist priests Zhang Bin and Yuan Song and determined to destroy the Buddha. Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty favored the Taoist Zhao Guizhen, demolished more than 4,600 Buddhist temples, forced 265,000 monks and nuns to return to secular life, and taxed them as tax payers. It is a great catastrophe for Buddhists in history. The Sui Dynasty unified the north and the south, and the Tang Dynasty prospered under the Zuo Dynasty. Both Laozi and the Tang Dynasty were given the surname Li, and Taoism was given special courtesy. Taizong even stated that Taoism should be placed above Buddhism, and that Taoism should be placed before Buddhism. This became the consistent policy of the Tang Dynasty, and Taoism was Thrive. In the fourth year of Wude (621 AD), the Taoist priest Fu Yi presented eleven articles to Sha Tai monks and nuns. Fa Lin of Jifa Temple wrote "The Theory of Breaking Evils" to discuss the falsehood of Taoism. In terms of Taoism, Li Zhongqing wrote "Ten Variations and Nine Mysteries" and Liu Jinxi "Xian Zheng Lun" criticizes Buddhism and fiercely debates the issue of the order of seats for Buddhism and Taoism. In eight years, the order of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism was determined. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Taoist priests were superior to monks. Master Zhishi reported to the emperor and tried his best to criticize the inappropriateness of Taoism and Buddhism. The emperor ordered Prime Minister Cen Wen to issue an edict to condemn him, but the monk Zhishi resisted and refused the edict. The emperor was very angry and beat Master Zhishi with a staff in court, and ordered him to change into common people's clothes and exiled him to Lingnan. Some people ridiculed Master Zhishi for not knowing his own strength and not knowing the way forward and retreat. Master Zhishi sighed with emotion: "I know that the situation is unstoppable, so those who argue want future generations to know that there are monks in the Tang Dynasty!" Master Zhishi wants future generations to know. , even in the era of Buddhist suffering, there were still monks in the Tang Dynasty. In the third year of Emperor Xianqing's reign (658 AD), he convened three monks and Taoists for discussion in the inner hall. In the fifth year, monk Jingtai and Taoist priest Li Rong had another dispute over the "Laozi Hua Hu Jing". In the second and third years of Longshuo (AD 658), 662-663), the debate continued. As a result of these debates between Buddhism and Taoism, Taoism absorbed the teachings of Buddhist classics and created various classics to fight against Buddhism. Taoism was active in the Song Dynasty, and Wang Chongyang founded the Quanzhen Sect; in the Yuan Dynasty, Li Zhichang, a disciple of his fifth-generation leader Qiu Chuji, occupied Buddhist temples, destroyed Buddhist statues, and copied the "Tai Shang Hunyuan Shang De Emperor Ming Wei Hua Hu Cheng Buddhist Sutra" and " The "Eighty-One Transformations of Laozi" was published in a rigid manner. Fuyu of Shaolin Temple denounced it as hypocritical. In the fifth year of Xianzong (1255 AD), he ordered the two to discuss it. Their ambitions often failed, so the emperor ordered the "Tao Te Ching" to be burned. All apocryphal scriptures other than "Laozi's Transformation of Hu Jing", "Laozi's Eighty-one Transformation Pictures"; the dispute between the two religions continued in the future; in the eighteenth year of Yuan Dynasty (1281 AD), Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty issued an edict Quanzhen Sect was suppressed, and the disputes between Buddhism and Taoism since the Wei and Jin Dynasties subsided. The influence of Buddhism on Taoism. The early Taoist ideological system was "three-one as the sect", that is, "heaven, earth, and human beings are united into one to achieve peace", "jing, qi, and spirit are mixed into one to form gods." From here Concepts such as "immortality, ascension of the body, and transformation of the Qi into the Three Purities" have evolved, and the goals they pursue are "immortality" and "nurturing the spirit."
Taoism originally also had the doctrines of "retribution for good and evil" and "the responsibility of heaven." Later, some Taoist priests gradually absorbed Buddhist ideas of karma and retribution and the cycle of life and death to enrich and adjust Taoist theories. Wu Yun, a Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in "Xuan Gang Lun." Chapter 30 of "The Prestige of Immortality" says: "The reason Madam is deceased is the form. The immortality is the nature. The reason why the saint does not have the body is because he is the house of God and the embodiment of nature. What he values ????is the divine ear. If death is a fear and the body is true, it is a way of self-cultivation, not a wonderful way of self-cultivation. "He believes that the human body is subject to death, and we should pay attention to the cultivation of divinity. Later, Quanzhen Taoism paid more attention to the cultivation of mind and believed that the world of form is illusory. If you cannot realize this and insist on external objects as reality, you will be burdened by it and cannot be liberated. In Tao Zang, it is said that "all tangible things contain Tao nature", which is modeled on Buddhism's "all living beings have Buddha nature". It can be seen that Buddhism's theory of Buddha nature and Zen's theory of knowing one's mind and seeing nature, and Taoism's theory of Tao nature and cultivating one's mind The theory of sex has a profound influence. Taoist precepts include two types: "Tao precepts" and "fasting". If you don't follow the precepts in learning Taoism, you will not be able to ascend to immortality. There are many types of precepts, and there are three precepts: the precepts of taking refuge in one's body, the precepts of taking refuge in gods, and the precepts of taking refuge in one's life. Five precepts: no killing, no eating meat or wine, no duplicity, no stealing, no sexual misconduct. Eight Precepts: Do not kill for living, do not lust for pleasure, do not steal other things to provide for yourself, do not lie to think you are capable, do not get drunk for wanton purposes, do not lie down on a high and wide bed, do not use sesame oil as a decoration, do not indulge in singing and dancing To act as a tactic. In addition, there are the Ten Precepts, Laojun's Twenty-Seven Precepts, etc., which are generally modeled on Buddhist precepts. Taoism's discussion of heaven and hell, under the influence of Buddhist cosmology, has enriched its content. In "Yunji Qizhuan", there is a saying of "the four Brahma and the three realms and thirty-two days", that is: the six heavens of the desire realm, There are eighteen heavens in the form realm, four in the formless realm, and above the three realms there are four Brahma heavens. There are also thirty-six caves and seventy-two blessed lands, which are said to be places where God sent immortals to rule. Buddhism's view of heaven is "three realms and twenty-eight days": six heavens in the desire realm, eighteen heavens in the form realm, and four days in the formless realm. If you practice the ten good deeds and the three blessings of giving, observing the precepts, and meditating, you can be reborn in the heaven. Dongyue Mount Tai is "higher than the sky". During the Warring States Period, people regarded Mount Tai as the place where man and heaven communicated. Therefore, whenever the king settled the world, he would go to Mount Tai to report peace to heaven, that is, "sealing Mount Tai" and offering sacrifices. The power of the earth is "Zen Liangfu" (Liangfu is the master of the earth). Later, Mount Tai gradually took on the meaning of the underworld, as shown in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty." "The Story of Wuhuan" says: "When Chinese people die, their souls return to Mount Dai." Mount Dai is Mount Tai. After death, the soul returns to Mount Tai, which, combined with the Buddhist theory of hell, has become an important part of ancient Chinese religion. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Taoism absorbed Buddhist theories of retribution in hell and so on. The Buddhist scriptures say that there are eight hells and there is King Yama; Taoism says that King Yama serves as the "official of the underworld" and is appointed and dismissed by God. The Dao Zang of Taoism imitates the organization and classification of the "Twelve Parts of the Tripitaka" of Buddhism and consists of three caves (Dongzhen, Dongyuan and Dongshen) and four auxiliaries (Taiyuan, Taiping, Taiqing and Zhengyi). All in all, Taoism is influenced by Buddhism in many ways. Comparison between Buddhism and Taoism The Buddhist statues are golden in color, simple and unpretentious, with a solemn appearance and no beard, symbolizing that Buddhism is a religion full of youthful vitality. Taoist statues wear clothes and robes, gold and silver, and long beards. Buddhism talks about the Three Dharma Seals, the Four Noble Truths, the Twelve Causes and Conditions, and the Six Perfections. It is a religion that is both transcendent and worldly. Taoism, on the other hand, centers on the belief in gods and goddesses and pursues "immortality" and "cultivation to become a god." Therefore, it attaches great importance to alchemy, nourishing qi, the Five Elements and Bagua, and talismans. It is a transcendent heavenly religion. Buddhist monks and nuns shave off three thousand worries, wear "dung-sweeping clothes", Arhat shoes, three clothes and one bowl, and live a rigorous and simple life. Taoist priests have unkempt appearance, long beards and long hair, and their clothing was not customized before the Jin Dynasty. It was not until the Liu and Song Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties when Lu Xiujing began to institutionalize Taoist uniforms with certain specifications. For example, "Xianjian" said: "The title of the Taoist priest's clothes is named after the moon." The star scarf, the colorful sleeves, and the ten sacred flags are all worn here." In addition, Taoist ritual uniforms have five levels of order to distinguish between high and low. Different Taoist uniforms are worn for different ceremonies, and they are also customized. Today's Taoist clothing includes coats, robes, ordination garments, dharma garments, floral garments, crown scarves, etc., which can also be seen in its simple and conservative style. The places where Buddhist monks and nuns live are called temples, monasteries, lecture halls, etc. The instruments used daily include bells, chimes, wooden fish, clangs, hafniums, cymbals, etc. The places where Taoist priests practice are called palaces, temples or temples. Among the magical instruments they use, swords and mirrors are important magic weapons to eliminate evil and prevent disasters. There are three kinds of metal mirrors: the so-called three-yuan treasures, namely the sky, the earth, and the people. They have fixed sizes and must be cast according to the law.
Since Taoism was established in the Han Dynasty, it has never been able to break away from the "Chinese religion" and has not been able to become a world-wide religion. The reason is that it is too superstitious. In recent times, Taoism has only used fasting and ritual talismans to deal with folk superstitions, which shows its decline. In Taiwan's temples, there are temple officials, but it is difficult to find Taoist priests. Although the history and content of Taoism mostly involve hypocrisy and absurdity, it has also made contributions to health care, medicine, smelting and casting, and to encouraging people to do good. Therefore, while we study Taoism, we still have to look at it with respect.