Laura likes Buddhism and I like Taoism. Although we agree that they are different paths to the same destination, we think that it’s important to choose the route that suits our personalities best.

I feel that Taoism leads to the One through love of the Many, while Buddhism teaches you to love the Many through union with the One. Make sense?

If not, check out this Taoist poem by Su Shih to see why Taoism is so much fun:

Families, when a son is born,

Want it to be intelligent.

I, through intelligence,

Having wrecked my whole life,

Only hope the child will prove

Ignorant and stupid.

Then he will crown a tranquil life

By becoming a Cabinet Minister.

Ha! I love it. You may also recall the poem I recently posted by Li Po. By living in the Tao, in the flow of the Universe, we can see the beauty in every aspect of life, including poking fun at Cabinet Ministers and getting drunk alone in a field.

Our existence in the Multiplicity, in the realm of matter, is the expression of the One, of the Tao. Buddhism seeks reunification with the One by dissolving the appearance of the Many. Taoism seeks harmony of the Many by channeling the One. It’s really just a difference of direction: Buddhism looks up, Taoism looks down. Buddhism transcends and embraces, Taoism descends and embraces.

For further reading on Taoism I recommend starting with Stephen Mitchell’s version of the Tao Te Ching. This is a controversial version as Mitchell did not translate it from the original Chinese text, but rather clarified other people’s translations. I recommend it to Western readers who are new to Taoism as it is very easy to understand. You can also read the Tao Te Ching online.

Next I recommend reading Taoism: The Way of the Mystic by J.C. Cooper. It is out of print, but you can buy it used at Amazon. I got my copy from BookMooch, which I highly encourage any avid reader to check out.