Confucianism and Taoism

It's hard to say what the most important beliefs and practices are of Confucianism and Taoism. Since Confucianism promotes, in short, a code of "ethics" it's difficult to separate those that are more important than others. Each idea-ism works together and in turn, a person becomes whole; his or her balance is complete. The overall idea of Li, a moral behavior, and how life should be conducted, is filled with everyday concepts that make up this balance. One of the most important would be becoming educated. The more people know, the more knowledge they gain. The goal of the education is to become Junzi, a person who knows their role in society. Ruler Subject, parent child, husband wife, elder younger, and friend friend are all specific roles and relationships one may play out in his or her life. A subject must respect a ruler, and in turn a ruler must teach the subject. The same goes for Elder Younger and parent child. There are certain ethics each group must follow in order to find this balance. The Golden Rule, "never do to others what you would not like done to you" is one of these concepts that applies to all groups and relationships of people in order to reach attain Junzi. "In the presence of a good person, think all the time how you may equal her. In the presence of a bad person, turn your gaze within!" No matter the good or bad in a person, it is always wise to learn, not judge; always strive to do better.
The way to understand Taoism is difficult because it so philosophical; on the other hand it is not. picture if you will, ones life as a rich block of wood. As we get older, money, greed, a constant wanting, vanity, all these temptations chip away at this wood and piece by piece these shavings fall to the ground to die and the wood becomes the shape of a doll, or "wood" human. Taoism is about this constant energy and how to obtain it. The idea of ones Chi, a harnessed energy from nature, nutrients, and anything that makes one feel whole and at one with the universe is the concept of Taoism. Some way, any way, to find an inner peace for ones self while appreciating the world around is the essential idea of Taoism.


The two religions or belief systems are simple in a way, but very difficult to understand. I am reminded of Cape Cod on any given morning in the summer weeks at Nauset Beach. There are people sitting in the sand, 6am for some. Ages range from teenagers to middle aged men with their surf boards waiting for the perfect wave. These people have found their Chi, they are at one with the sand and the surf, they are at peace. After riding a wave or two, these people shower off and jump into their business suits, ready to go back into society where there are daily behaviors expected of them. Whether it be working hard for your boss, holding and running daily meetings for staff members, or holding open a door and saying thank you to the person you bought lunch from, they all involve past knowledge or further education with the goal to always better ones life. Taoism and Confucianism work in the same way. Both compliment each other and make an individual well rounded with the idea that the individual is always learning, whether it be from nature or human relationships.

Buddhism through Hinduism

The ideas of Castes, Samsara, and Asceticism help us understand the outline of Hinduism and for that matter, Buddhism. A caste is a class system that starts from the bottom and eventually ends at the top. In Hinduism, Shudras were the bottom class known as the laborers, followed by the artisans (Vaishyas), military or political class (Kshatriyas), and the top class known as the Brahmins, the priestly caste. In order to avoid Samsara, the constant cycle of birth, life, and death, the Brahmins had to reach Moksha, or liberation from Samsara. Unfortunately for the rest of the caste system, the Brahmins were the only ones that had a chance to reach Moksha. Some believed it was necessary to follow ascetic lives in order to become more self disciplined and eventually reach this liberation. Asceticism is a way of obedience and or training one puts themselves through. Fasting was a popular way of obedience in Hindu religion, but Asceticism can range from self inflicting pain, to abstinence in many forms.

There are some similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhism has taken beliefs from Hinduism and reformed them so all people may have a chance to attain Nirvana. For example, the Caste system. Brahmins were the only class that were able to gain the knowledge for liberation. Buddha made it possible for everyone, no matter what class, to attain Nirvana (Nirvana is the equivalent of Moksha). There were Hindu's that lived ascetic lives, but Buddha believed inward calm was needed for success; "inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished".

Though these two religions have subtle differences I believe they are closer to the same. The overall message of becoming one with the universe and yourself in order to break the cycle of Samsara is virtually the same. I feel that Buddha was more for the people in the sense that his purpose was to teach everyone the path to enlightenment, one could reach Nirvana if they were a laborer or priest, everyone was equal. Hinduism I feel, like most religions, has a certain spin to it in the fact that the Brahmins are favored to reach Moksha, and as it turns out, the Priestly caste were the ones who wrote the Upanishads. To parallel this concept, in the Christian Religion Eve is the one who took the apple from the tree. One could say that women are the reason why the world broke into sin; however men were the ones who wrote and edited the Bible. I wonder if this story would have been the same if the priests were female? This is not to say that Buddha did not write the Dhamma or at least, influence it to it's full potential, Buddha just had a better way of understanding people without prejudice.

How religion changes lives

My name is Derick Bussiere, I am 24 years old originally from Cape Cod MA and have been living in Boston for a total of 4 days so far. I have decided to go back to school after taking a 4 year break to work and I am very proud of that decision. I play drums in a band with 2 albums of original music released, and also enjoy baseball, football, soccer, fishing, and movies. I have responded to an article written by Eileen Flanagan titled How Religion Changes Lives.



How Religion Changes lives begins with an explanation about one of the authors Islamic friends who describes herself as a controlling type of person and a "money and germs" type of worrier. During Ramadan, this woman feels most at peace by fasting because she can put herself in the shoes of those less fortunate and in turn gains a deeper appreciation for her own life. Eileen then goes on to explain that even in spiritual religions that do not focus on a Deity there is still an underlying message of helping those less fortunate than yourself; if you will, a "treat others as you would like to be treated" philosophy no matter social, educational, or financial status. Eileen then goes on to give advice on how to change ones perception as her friend does, " know god, know peace." People change at different paces through many different ways. Prayer, scripture reading, community service, epiphanies, and tragic moments, no matter what the reasoning there is hope for all people to change. As long as one can be honest with ones self, accept the good and bad, and are willing, than change is imminent.



I believe Eileen has the right idea about change, everyone has the chance to do so it just depends on the person and if their willing to capitalize on it. There are many people who get countless chances to better themselves and fail to do so. For example, multiple convicted felons are incarcerated numerous amounts of times throughout their life and even though they know the consequence of their poor decision they still fail to keep themselves out of jail. I believe religion is an aid to helping a person see a different path than the one their on; exactly like a "self help" book for living. In the end it is the person (ones self) who is responsible for the outcome of their life. I always think of any one of the award shows that get heavy publicity ( Grammy's, Oscar's, etc.) and how many award winners thank first and foremost their lord and savior. To me this never made sense. First and foremost they wouldn't be standing where they are if it weren't for their mother, and secondly they wouldn't be standing there if they themselves did not put in the amount of work and effort it took to reach such a feat.


Religion is a self help book to guide people who do not have enough self confidence in themselves to make change. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, everyone at one point or another must ask questions and must be curious, and their are many ways to find those answers. In the end it is the individual who must take 100% percent of the credit for making change.