COMMENTARY
Wisdom Quarterly
- All those who quote Lao Tzu and speak of the "Tao" are not teaching the historical Buddha's message of liberation from suffering and samsara
- Anyone who says "nirvana is samsara" speaks ill of the Buddha's message of liberation in this very life, in this body, in this world
- Syncretism (blending traditions) is beautiful, but it will not likely produce the result of either path. If the Tao is the "way," then the Eightfold Way (magga) the Buddha talked about is a very different use of the word
- If the true Tao is everything, then there is no sense in talking about it
- The Buddha defined the problem, defined the cause, assured is there is a solution, and pointed out the path, the Middle Way, to that solution: dukkha, samudaya, nirodha, magga
- The problem is disappointment (suffering)
- The cause is ignorance bound up with craving and aversion
- The extinction of suffering is the extinction of ignorance
- The path leading to this extinction has eight parts
- Buddhism and Taoism may blend beautifully like milk and water, but they are not the same
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