On the Similarities and Differences of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism

Western scholars have rated the "Three Great Saints of the East". The first is Laozi, the second is Confucius, and the third is the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. It represents the three religions of China: Confucianism represented by Confucius, Taoism represented by Laozi, and Chinese Buddhism represented by Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

The most important thing in Confucianism is one word: "Lun", which means ethics. In feudal society, due to the different social status and classes of people, everyone should settle in their own place. Confucianism believes that the world is a game of chess. Wherever God places you, and what rights, responsibilities, and obligations are given to you, then you must abide by and fulfill your responsibilities, rights, and justice, and you must be happy and accept your destiny. This is actually the earliest "screw theory."

The core of Taoism is "fate", which is both the "fate" of life and the "fate" of cultivation - it has a complete meaning. As a living person rather than a machine, with such a "fate" "Or life, you are the one who can live a valuable life. You have to cultivate a good life, a happy life, and a healthy life. Only then can you live a valuable life. Although Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" only has 5,000 words, he is the most influential philosopher in the world. Every sentence in the Tao Te Ching is "royal jelly". Maybe three or five words of Lao Tzu are enough for us to use for a lifetime. Nowadays, the most quoted saying "Great wisdom is like a fool" is actually not Laozi's core point of view. The core point is "Know the male and guard the female, which is the stream of the world. It is the stream of the world. The virtue is inseparable and returns to the baby. Know its whiteness." , To guard against humiliation is to be the valley of the world. To be the valley of the world, to have constant virtue is to return to simplicity. To know the whiteness and to keep the blackness is to be the style of the world. To be of constant virtue is to return to the infinite."

< p> and the like are what we often say: "Know the male and keep the female", "Know the white and keep the black" and "Be simple but not carved". This is not only Laozi's political proposition of "inaction", but also Laozi's academic proposition for personal cultivation.

Buddhism talks about "seeing one's nature". What is "sex"? It is "mind", which is cultivation. There are seven words in Buddhism: "Seeing the nature, saving the world, and understanding all things." Seeing your mind is called "introspection and inner illumination." It means that you have to think of a searchlight to illuminate you. You must first Being able to understand what kind of person you are is a very objective cultivation method. Buddhist practice basically has three steps, called "precepts, concentration, and wisdom." The precepts are to refrain from doing something, such as not telling lies, not killing, not doing bad things, etc. I must not be disturbed by anything, even if Mount Tai collapses, I will not be moved. Where is Hui? Starting from precepts and concentration, wisdom will gradually emerge, which is the so-called "double cultivation of concentration and wisdom." Without concentration, wisdom cannot be produced. Once you have wisdom, you can enter concentration better. Buddhism is a very profound classical philosophy, and Buddhism is a very strict religious form. In this way, "Buddha" includes three things: Buddhism, Buddhism, and Buddhism. Family, learning, and teaching are all included. The form is The most complete. What are the main things in Buddhism? It can be summarized in the words of Qianlong. A note written by Qianlong to the Five Pagoda Temple in Beijing said this: "Pagoda, marking the meaning; Sutra, marking the mouth; Buddha, marking the body." This means that in the Buddhist temple, The pagoda represents the lofty and upward meaning of Buddhism; the Buddha statue represents the image of the Buddha, telling you what kind of person the Buddha is, and the Buddhist scriptures represent the mouth of the Buddha, telling you what he said - the first two The latter is the external form, and its essence lies in the "scriptural meaning". Buddhist scriptures (including the "Tan Jing" by Huineng, a great Chinese religionist) are similar to the Confucian "Four Books and Five Classics" or the Taoist "Tao Te Ching" and "Tao Te Ching". Like Zhuangzi, it is a great treasure house of thought.

After a long period of evolution, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have penetrated and assimilated each other, and to a certain extent have become "three religions integrated into one". There is a place in Shaolin Temple dedicated to Sakyamuni, Confucius, and Laozi. The couplet is: "A hundred schools of thought contend, all laws are unified; the three religions are one, and the nine streams have the same origin." There is also a couplet in Shaoshi Mountain: "Talents distinguish heaven, earth, and man. "It all comes down to the same principle, teaching Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism ultimately leads to the same path." This summary is very accurate, which means that we can start from different directions, but in the end we can achieve the same goal.

From the perspective of personal cultivation, the three religions have different views, but the spirit of advising people to do good and to improve is the same: Confucianism is "cultivating oneself, governing the world, and bringing peace to the world." Taoism is "nurturing health." , escape from the world, and deprive all things.” Buddhism means “seeing nature, saving the world, and understanding all things.” These three sentences are my own summary, which may not be accurate, but I think it may be easier to remember.

We can also put it another way: Confucianism strives for the "human way", Buddhism pursues the "Buddhist way", and Taoism strives for the "way of heaven". "The way of humanity" and "the way of Buddhism" are relatively clear, but what is the "way of heaven"? The way of heaven should include many things, such as "heaven's secret, providence, and destiny." Its original meaning is not about superstition, but about the laws of "heaven" or the laws of nature, including laws we already know and laws we don't know yet.

Another comparison method can be used. Confucianism calls it "righteousness of mind", Buddhism emphasizes on "clear mind", and Taoism pursues "refining the mind". Behind this, Confucianism talks about "governing the world", Taoism talks about "governing the body", and Buddhism talks about "governing the mind".