The Difference of Tao and Religion By Nick Chuang 1

Introduction After receiving the Tao, many members wondered if they have joined a new religion From a certain perspective, the temple community does appear like a religion However, there are great differences between Tao and religion Therefore, it is important to clarify these differences for a better understanding 2

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The Confucius classic of Doctrine of the Mean opened with “The life of Heaven is called Soul, following the Soul is called Tao, cultivating the Tao is called teaching (religion)” From this perspective, we see that there is a difference in the basic definition between Tao and Religion; however, there are also close relationships between the two 4

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Origins of Tao and Religion: – Tao: Tao came directly from God (Tao is God) and Tao is nothingness, nameless, formless, shapeless, hollow, zero, and yet infinite, all encompassing, and the creator of all things – Religion: Religion came from a founder (guided by God) and grow to become an organization and then became accepted by the local government then promoted to various other governments and finally accepted by everyone in the world 6

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Transmission of Tao and Religion: – Tao: the way, the path, the journey of restoration Tao is beyond language; is transmitted via the sacred ritual; heart to heart between holy spirit and us Only God can grant the Tao to the destined soul There is a time limitation on the transmission of Tao – Religion: the teaching, the doctrine, educating people on the subject of God and Spirituality Religion is transmitted through scriptures and writings Religion is a public organization and everyone can join Religion has no time limitation and is a part of society 8

The End Result of Tao and Religion – Tao: spiritual transformation Be enlightened and reawakening to one’s divinity Reach highest Heaven and reconnect back to God Becoming a divine agent to fulfill God’s will on Earth – Religion: faith and believe in the Teaching Become a strong believer in the religious teaching Withstand all tests and trials to hold on to the faith Become a teacher of the religious teaching 9

The Masters of Tao and Religion: – Tao: God is the Master God is in charge and we are the agents of God Spirit transmission during Dharma Meeting Members are taught the principle of “Wu-Way” – Religion: People are the Master Religious organizations are controlled by their boards The board establishes the rules and regulations The interests of the organization is in first place (i.e. Finance) 10

Even though there are a lot of differences between Tao and Religion, there are also close relationships between the two According to the definition from Confucius “Cultivating the Tao is called teaching (Religion)”, therefore the end result of the practice of religion is the receiving of Tao Another perspective on the sacredness of Tao 11

The major differences between Dao and Religion. The function of Dao vs. religion. Dao: receiving Dao before cultivation Religion: cultivation before receive Dao True story: The Elderly Monk in Thailand 12

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There are so many religions in the world, how can we presume that they will all accept the Tao as the end result of their endeavors? Here is where the concept of Unity comes in It is important to reveal that the Tao is already in the basic elements of all of the world religions and that God has placed these elements in secrecy to await for the destined ones’ discovery (Tao is the secrets of religions) 14

Buddhist Perspective: – Buddha of the Great Sun (God) – The First Mystery of Zen – The center of Buddha’s halo – Zen means revealing the One 15

Buddhist Perspective: Guan-Yin’s Purple Bamboo Garden 16

Taoist Perspective: – The One Tao (God) – The Death Aperture (1st treasure) – The immortal Spirit of the Valley – Many more revelations in Tao Te Ching The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth. 17

The Judaic/Christian Perspective: – The One God – Kabbalah – Messiah vs. (is) Maitreya – The Crucifixion of Jesus – The two bandits alongside Jesus (1st treasure) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 18

The Judaic/Christian Perspective: -Revelations in the Bible Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,” Matthew 6:22 (King James Bible) John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16 Jesus said, “You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” Matthew 7:13 19

Conclusion It is important to understand the differences and the relationships between Tao and Religion It is also important to understand the concept of Unity and that all religions are equal and have the same basic fundamental essence The prophecy of Maitreya Buddha is that he will unify the world with the teaching of Unity (not by conversion) 20

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