Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism are the “Trinity” of Chinese belief systems. Of those, Taoism is considered the oldest, followed by Confucianism and Buddhism*. Although sectarian debates exist among some of the less enlightened practitioners, those of attainment consider the three as one.
Taoism provides a cultivation path for Immortality, Confucianism for Sagehood, and Buddhism for Enlightenment. The names used vary, but the highest level of attainment of all three systems is equivalent. Many of our teachers practice all three.
What is this attainment for which they all strive? It is very simple, “Returning to the Tao.”
The cultivation path each system uses to attain Tao may be very different. Indeed each person will ultimately follow their own unique path of cultivation. A Taoist saying of note is, “There are 3000 doors to the Tao, and 72 more side doors.” To put this in modern terms you could say, “There are many paths to the mountain top. Find one that resonates with you and follow it.”
* The oral history of Taoism states it is the 5000 year old foundation of Chinese culture.
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[...] continue our tour by walking further up to another temple. This one is dedicated to all three philosophies – Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist. Many westerners find it unusual to combine different belief systems like the Chinese. Sometimes we [...]