Taoism Vs Buddhism?

[Andrew Michaels]

I've been reading a book on Buddhist meditation, and it quotes several times from sources talking about Taoism, almost as if they were interchangeable. Is there a close connection between Buddhism and Taoism, or do they merely both suggest meditation, and so have some common ground in that area?

[openeyes]

To put it simply, there's quite a bit of overlap between the systems, although there are many different schools of thought within each, and not all have the same focus.

[maverickstruth]

Especially in areas like China, there's a huge amount of syncretism with Buddhism and Daoism. When Buddhism came into China, brought by traders travelling along the Silk Routes, it was greeted warmly by those who adhered to Daoist principles -- many of whom thought that Buddhism was just a foreign version of Daoism. The form of Buddhism that came to China -- Mahayana Buddhism -- is characterized in part by its acceptance of fluidity with regard to both myth and ritual, and so it's not a surprise that the Buddhists were able to adapt to Daoism, and vice versa. That's also the reason that whenever there are surveys of people's religions in East Asia, the total adds up to more than the total population -- it's not uncommon for people to identify (in China) as Confucian, Buddhist and Daoist or (in Japan) as Buddhist and Shinto. It's strange for those of us most familiar with monotheistic religions to think that people can think of themselves as equally members of more than one religious tradition, without conflict, but it happens all the time, including between Buddhism and Daoism.

[dcaldwell]

There's lots of similarity in the meditations. But Taoism also places a significant amount of attention on what's happening in nature, and correct energy circulation throughout the body. Where Buddhists would work past the pain of a long meditation, accepting it as a consequence of being in this body, the Taoist would ask "why be uncomfortable?", then have some tea Circulating and transmuting energies while in meditation, as opposed to chanting and quiet contemplation, is most often done; but then, meditation is only a part of it. I like to say Taoists place just as much attention on what's happening in the body as the Buddhists place on the mind.