Comparison of Buddhism and Taoism Essay written by Lauren Taoism and Buddhism were born in the same century. Siddhartha reached enlightenment in approximately 535 B.C. and Lao Tzu’s teachings were recorded around 500 B.C. There are many similarities in the basics of these two religions. Some of the similarities can be seen clearly when examining the three meaning of Tao. The first definition of Tao is "the way of ultimate reality." This means that …showed first 75 words of 561 total…

…showed last 75 words of 561 total…Taoist passage above, the basic idea of Buddhist reincarnation is explained. In the idea of reincarnation lies the belief that a person will be born and reborn until he or she reaches Nirvana. Taoists also believe in that basic idea: "The Tao surrounds everyone and therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment." As you can see, although Taoism is more of a philosophy and less of a religion as Buddhism is, there are many similarities.