The other religion native to China is Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at

about the same time, around the sixth century B.C.E. China's third great religion, Buddhism,

came to China from India around the second century of the common era. Together, these three faiths have shaped Chinese life and thought for nearly twenty-five hundred years (Hartz 3).

One dominate concept in Taoism and Buddhism is the belief in some form of reincarnation. The idea that life does not end when one dies is an integral part of these religions and the culture of the Chinese people. Reincarnation, life after death, beliefs are not standardized. Each religion has a different way of applying this concept to its beliefs. This paper will describe the reincarnation concepts as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism, and then provide a comparison of the two.

The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence

that existed before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the world and

everything in it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all

Taoist believe the soul is not reborn, it "migrates to another life" (Head3 109). Buddhist also

also conveys the continuing course of the universe, the circle of heaven and earth. Finally, the

forsaking personal desires in life, by concentrating of the self, a longer life is prolonged.

One major difference between Taoism and Buddhism is the concept of karma to the

Buddhism's world of transmigration encompasses three stages. The first stage in concerned with

Nirvana. The path to Tao is individual, it comes from within. No one can define a path for the

5. Right Livelihood involves choosing an occupation that keeps an individual on the Path;

another life. This process, the Taoist version of reincarnation, is repeated until tao is achieved.

The goal in both Taoism and Buddhism is to reach the ultimate goal, to transcend life on

oneself of all external distractions and desires, only then can one achieve tao. In ancient days a

earth. Tao is formless, stands alone without change and reaches everywhere without harm. The

soul never dies, a person's soul is eternal. "You see death in contrast to life; and both are unreal -

2. Right Aspiration means a clear devotion to being on the Path toward Enlightenment.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2238
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)