THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | RELIGION | TAOISM

BKolaczkowski: Zen Buddhism and Taoism are NOT the same

To: alt.magick.tyagi
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (mordred)
Subject: BKolaczkowski: Re: Zen Buddhism and Taoism are NOT the same
Date: 16 May 1995 12:18:41 -0700

[from alt.philosophy.taoism: Bryan Kolaczkowski ]

Actually, the Vedic Aryans who moved into northern India (conquered)
and spread what would become Hinduism and later, Buddhism, were
pushed into India by expanding Mongolian tribes settling in what
would be China.  Taoism could be seen as a cross-cultural exchange
between the Aryan (pre-buddhist) tradition and the Mongolian culture.
This is further witnessed by the fact that many Hindu and Buddhist
literature speaks of travelling scholars from the north who would
trade for religious literature that they would then translate and read
in China.  This account is supported by Indian governmental records.
We also have some evidence of Indian-Greek-Chinese trade during the time
when things like the Tao Te Ching and later commentaries would have
been being written, the latest manifestation of a long philosophical
herritage.
	I think there is sufficient evidence in all the literature
(Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist) to support the conclusion that each of
these philosophies were energetically interacting and molding
each other as they went along.  This is supported by the Taoist
trends of: 'bend and overcome' and 'acceptance of outside forces
as well as inside'.  Taoism would not be stiff and unchanging under
outside influence; that's not the Taoist philosophy.  There are
similar trends in Hinduism and Buddhism.  Neither of these philosophies
had a pantheon of deities when they were first written or preached, 
but one was developed due to interaction with other (South
Indian for one, or many, as there were a plethora of 'folk' religions
in India when the Aryans invaded) religious and philosophical
traditions.  Also, in the Taoist commentaries, one sees a drastic
movement from strict fableic parable to a more 'philosophical' metaphor
and then to an explanation in a formal language.  This parallels the
Greek movement from Homer to Socrates and Plato and then to Aristotle.
Same message, although transformed by numerous interactions and
cross-cultural exchanges.
	Not only does the separation of Buddhism from Taoism seem to 
fail to fit the historical documentation, I think that some of the
basic tennants of Taoism forbid such a separation.  To know ONLY
the way would not be to know the way at all.  We can know how the
way is separate and how it is universal, but this is not to know
the way.  Knowing the way consists in not knowing; and thus the
way is.

Response...
(see self reference)
--monk@unm.edu

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races