The Comparison between Zen Buddhism and Daoism-paper代写

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的paper代写范文- The Comparison between Zen Buddhism and Daoism，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了佛教与道教。在中国宗教文化中，佛教和道教的地位无疑是不可动摇的。道教倡导的是“天人合一”的思想，通过艰苦的修养和长期的实践，最终实现宁静、和平的生活。而佛教的修行方式则是静静地坐着打禅，体验一个美妙祥和的境界和环境。他们相信，他们可以从这种修行的方式中获得智慧，同时享受自由和舒适的生活。

As a country with a long history, China has a variety of religions which have achieved essential and prosperous development according to China’s growth and reforms. Religious belief, as an important part of culture, has been playing a significant role in Chinese cultural development all the time, which provides a peaceful and spiritual home for people who have conversions. In China, the overall religious condition is diverse and widespread and among Chinese religious field, Buddhism and Daoism, which have the most converts and highly reputation, are the largest and extensive portions of China’s religious area.

Spreading in China two thousand years ago, Buddhism had been widely accepted and even respected as the state religion once a time for the reason that the preachers adapted their clothes and lifestyle from Indian to Chinese so that Buddhism could be assimilated with Chinese culture. Daoism, originated in China, has remained dominating their spiritual life and to some degree, integrated in their lifestyle. This essay is to introduce Zen Buddhism and Daoism respectively and make a comparison of their ideas and the ways of practicing and cultivation. Both common features and differences would be stated briefly in the following.

Daoism in China

Although China has a number of mainstream religions to conform to spiritual and religious needs of different people, Daoism is the only local and traditional religion in the vast land. Since 1980, the revival of Daoist temples in China has been promoted and classified into two categories. One of it is the "official" temples which are managed by the Daoist Association which is an expression of the formal form of Daoism and, in the meantime offers a quantity of diverse religious services to its converts. On the other hand, community temples have enriched the religious life of ordinary people, which functions as a means of preaching (Goossaert and Fang 1). With Lao-tzu as the originator, the categories of Daoism are different from different scholars, remaining central in Chinese daily life. There exist various aspects of Daoism such as immortals, renewing life, meditation and liturgy (Lai 1). Daoism is a typical polytheism stating that there are different realms in the whole universe and human realm is only one of them. Lao-tzu says that there is something primordial and imperceptible in this universe and Steve Coutinho believes “an absolute and transcendent substance and the utterly unspeakable ground of all existence lies beyond the world of experience” (2). In addition to that, a number of Daoists hold the view that following the stereotyped path of ordinary lifestyle, a majority of people seem to have neglected a significant range of natural abilities which they are born with. Only by cultivating the potential and by practicing with what they are endowed by nature could them overcome those limitations (168).

Daoism has a relatively prosperous development and advocacy in China with an idea of harmony between the heaven and human and the essence of everything’s being consistent with the nature. Daoism has a incomparable influence on the feudal rule of emperors for the reason that the dominants especially the emperors convert to Daoism and respected Confucius and Lao-tzu as their permanent teacher and spiritual emperors. Daoism put forward the notion of confession of people’s former sins which Daoists consider could alleviate one’s sins so that one could get a better renewed life. In the Way of Great Peace in Taiping Dao, which is a branch of Daoism, under the leadership of Zhang Jue in the later Han, the formal confession of sins was practiced, which is expressed by knocking heads to the ground and, at the same time confessing their former sins. Daoists believe in a number of immortals as celestial beings, who have taken charge of different parts of the whole universe and have tremendous abilities to rule the world together.

The theory of Daoism is relatively complete, improved and systematic. Theoretically in Daoism, there exist thirty-six states of immortals and a hell for ghosts and if the man’s world is added, the main three parts constitute the whole universe including the supernatural part. The final dream of a Daoist is to become an immortal to enjoy a peaceful, quiet and harmonious life by hard self-cultivation and practice in a long time.

Zen Buddhism in China

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties in China, Master Dharma entered into such beautiful and harmonious land and subsequently became the first originator of Zen Buddhism in China. When the the essence of Zen Buddhism was handed down to the Sixth Zen Patriarch Huineng, the ways of self-cultivation of Zen Buddhism had been thriving and developed at a rapid rate.

Buddhism acknowledges the existence of six realms where besides the man’s world, the other section are divided into five parts: Heaven, Asura, Animals, Ghosts and Hell. Every one’s destiny is in the hand of himself for the reason that good deeds he has done will lead him to a better and even immortal renewed life while the bad things one has commit will cause punishments to himself. However, a number of Buddhists believe that Buddhism is not a religion essentially but a form of education which demonstrates and states the truth of universe and life and educates every life equally. It discourages people to convert to immortals and encourages them to believe in themselves because people take charge of their destinies by doing deeds or committing bad ones. As people are living in a fast-paced social environment under great pressure, they gradually hold desires for peace, emotional control, and spiritual wisdom which are precious traditions and qualities of Buddhism (Nelson 70).

However, Buddhism, which is a profound and great religion or, to some degree, education is classified into two categories: Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism according to the extent of wisdom and interpretation about the universe. Zen Buddhism belongs to the former category with perfect and essential ideas and notions about the world so that few people could understand the essence and core of Zen Buddhism which is too difficult for people to grasp. Zen Buddhism puts forward the point of view that the essence of everything, everyone and even the whole universe, visible or invisible, is emptiness and as a consequence individuals ought to not mind or give a rap to anything. The surroundings are always derive from one’s mind and actions so that everyone should change their environment by changing themselves not by changing outer situation. Even though a Zen Buddhist has awakened and understood the truth, that is the essence of emptiness, he should change and cultivate himself to quit bad habits and to own good qualities. The common way of Zen Buddhism is sitting quietly and meditation when Zen Buddhists could see and experience personally another splendid and peaceful state and environment. They believe they could acquire wisdom from such way of self-cultivation through which they could become a Buddha who is benevolent, solemn, wise, peaceful and sincere to benefit all lives equally and in the meantime, to enjoy a free and comfortable life. They hold the notion that beyond six realms, there exist four sacred realms which are much more splendid and glorious for more advanced and wiser lives to live in. Those four realms are Savaka, Yuanjue, Bodhisattva and Buddha. All of them are regarded sacred and solemn and therefore Buddhists aim to enter into and to have renewed lives in those four sacred realms by hard self-cultivation.

The comparison between Daoism and Buddhism

In the aspect of recognition of the whole universe, Daoism and Buddhism have something in common which is expressed that both of them acknowledge the existence of supernatural realms besides the man’s world. However, the difference is rather evident that Buddhism has a recognition of the universe which is much wider than Daoism’s. It could be showed that Buddhism has an idea that there exist invisible four more sacred realms beyond heaven while Daoism regards heaven as their final dream outcome of self-cultivation. It could be concluded that Buddhism has a more extensive and long-term vision about the universe.

In the aspect of individuals’ destinies, Daoism and Buddhism hold the common point of view that the destiny of one is in the hand of oneself through doing good deeds and committing harmful things to others. Both of them support the idea of cause and effect which encourages people to do beneficial deeds to serve others and the whole society, not for themselves. Through those practice, people could actually and essentially change their destinies and blessings and fortune would subsequently be endowed to them.

In the aspect of understanding about the essence of the universe, there is a tremendous and obvious difference between the two religions. Daoism considers the essence of the universe, whether visible or not, is a process of natural changing while Buddhism supports the view that the final essence of the universe is emptiness that everything derives from emptiness. As a consequence, an authentic Buddhist should not have affections or hatred on anything. On the contrary, due to the fact that everything in the world is no more than illusion, anything should not be on mind. The Daoists and Buddhists hold different values of world, universe and life.

Both Daoism and Buddhism are significant religions in China and have exerted important influence on religious and cultural development of China. There are some of common points they have in theory and ways of self-cultivation such as meditation, but in the meantime, the differences is also evidently expressed in the aspects of recognition of world and individuals’ destinies and the essence of things. Daoism regards that the essence of things is nature while Buddhism regards it to be emptiness. Another important difference could be showed that Buddhism has an idea that there exist invisible four more sacred realms beyond heaven while Daoism regards heaven as their final dreaming outcome of self-cultivation. Buddhism has a far more sight than Daoism has.

The common idea they have is that besides the man’s world, there exist supernatural and invisible worlds in the universe. When it comes to one’s destiny, they reached the consensus that the destiny is in the hand of oneself due to cause and effect. Although people are born with destined life, they could change their destinies through good deeds if they expect to obtain fortune as the saying goes that good will be rewarded with good, evil with evil. A number of classics of Daoism and Buddhism are handed down and preserved even though both of them took a hit in historical incidence like the Cultural Revolution. In spite of that, Daoism and Buddhism both have a prosperous and bright future in China because the stable and peaceful country would provide a solid environment for them to develop.

Reference

Chi-Tim, Lai. “Daoism in China Today, 1980-2002”. The China Quarterly 174 (2003): 413–427. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/20059001>

Coutinho, Steve. An Introduction to Daoist Philosophies. Columbia University Press, 2014. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/cout14338>

GOOSSAERT, VINCENT, and FANG LING. “Temples and Daoists in Urban China Since 1980”. China Perspectives 4 (80) (2009): 32–41. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/43393025>

Masaaki, Tsuchiya. “Confession of Sins and Awareness of Self in the Taiping Jing”. Daoist Identity: History, Lineage and Ritual. Ed. Livia Kohn and Harold D. Roth. University of Hawai'i Press, 2002. 39–57.

NELSON, JOHN K.. Experimental Buddhism: Innovation and Activism in Contemporary Japan. University of Hawai'i Press, 2013.

<http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wqjvs>

51due留学教育原创版权郑重声明：原创美国作业代写范文源自编辑创作，未经官方许可，网站谢绝转载。对于侵权行为，未经同意的情况下，51Due有权追究法律责任。主要业务assignment代写、essay代写、paper代写、澳洲代写服务。

51due为留学生提供最好的澳洲代写服务，亲们可以进入主页了解和获取更多，paper代写范文 提供澳洲代写服务，详情可以咨询我们的客服QQ：800020041。-ZR