Preface:
This article shares our personal perspective on some similarities and differences between Buddhism and other religions. The statements made here are not intended to refute or declare absolute right or wrong among different belief systems. The purpose is to offer a viewpoint for your reference and personal reflection. Everyone has their own religious freedom, and we deeply respect that.
We would like to share a bit more of our personal perspective on religion in general, and specifically on Taoism and Buddhism.
We believe each person has their own experiences and understanding, so it’s often difficult to exchange views on matters of personal faith like religion. However, we respectfully share our point of view — it may not resonate with you, but perhaps it will offer you another way of looking at the topic of religion.
1. Religious groups and the purpose of life
There are many religions in the world, but we temporarily divide them into three main groups:
Group 1 – Worship of God or gods (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.);
Group 2 – Teaching ethics and human relations (Taoism, Confucianism, Stoicism, etc.);
Group 3 – Guiding liberation (Buddhism).
In fact, Taoism also includes elements of liberation, but since it mainly focuses on teaching human interaction, we place it in Group 2.
We also wish to share the four purposes of human life according to the Vedas from India:
Pleasure (Kama), Livelihood (Artha), Righteousness (Dharma), and Liberation (Moksha).
The first three purposes align with the first two religious groups as guiding frameworks, while the final goal — liberation — requires the guidance of the third group. In fact, this third group is represented solely by Buddhism. Buddhism is the only religion whose core aim is to guide one out of the cycle of rebirth.
If your life’s purpose falls into the first three, you may not feel the need to explore Buddhist teachings. However, once you begin to understand the Dhamma, you will see that it actually encompasses the other two groups of religions.
We have not studied Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhism (the other two major schools of Buddhism) in depth, but from our limited exploration, we find that the teachings of Theravāda Buddhism align more closely with our personal view of truth. So please understand that when we refer to Buddhism or the Dhamma throughout this website, we are referring specifically to Theravāda Buddhism and the Pali Tipiṭaka.
2. Buddhism and Taoism
In the Pali Canon, you’ll come to understand that “God” is actually the first-born Great Brahma, not the creator of the Universe. You’ll also learn in concrete and detailed terms how the world arises and perishes — not just in abstract phrases like “Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two” or “Taiji gives birth to Yin and Yang.” The Dhamma helps us comprehend the existence of other realms within the Universe, allowing us to truly grasp its vastness, and in doing so, break free from the illusion of our own ego’s magnitude. We will provide links to the relevant suttas and articles on these topics via link RD2.
Taoism is correct in its teachings about Taiji and Yin-Yang, guiding people on how to live in balance with Yin and Yang, and even pointing toward liberation from Yin-Yang to return to Taiji through the path of Wu Wei (non-action).
The Dhamma also speaks of Wu Wei, but it goes further — it speaks of samsara and how to escape it. In the Pali Canon, the Buddha taught that Wu Wei is the cessation of greed, hatred, and delusion. (See reference at link RD2)
Compared to other religions, we hold Taoism in high regard because we feel it comes closest — after Buddhism — to reflecting the true nature of the Universe, according to our personal view. So, why do we say this?
Both aim to explain a matter as profound as Liberation. But imagine one teacher who speaks vaguely for three days and leaves you a 30-page handout to figure things out on your own — versus another teacher who devotes over 40 years of life to teaching, leaves behind nearly 40 volumes of detailed manuals, explains each step of the path, offers vivid examples and engaging stories, and later, when you learn about neuroscience, you compare those ancient teachings with modern scientific evidence and find astonishing alignment. Which set of teachings would you choose for your long journey?
In our view, Taiji represents Nibbāna, and Yin-Yang represents the cycle of rebirth. The means to return from Yin-Yang to Taiji, from samsara to Nibbāna, is through the Wu Wei of Taoism — or, in Buddhist terms, the “cessation of internal speech.” These are two different expressions by two great thinkers on the same profound topic — Liberation.
By practising to end the inner chatter of the mind, we stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to release hormones that generate a sense of peace. With consistent practice, we can attain the four jhānas and then the three knowledges (tevijjā). Each level on this path is clearly laid out by the Buddha, enabling us to assess our own progress step by step. It is all very clear and specific. Resources on neuroscience, meditation, and the levels of practice are available at links RD1 and RD2.
3. Precepts and Discipline
The Dhamma curriculum is also tailored to suit different capacities and temperaments. Buddhism divides disciples into two groups: lay practitioners and monastic practitioners. For laypeople, the Buddha gave practical guidance on how to relate to different groups — parents, spouses, children, teachers, and so on. (You can refer to link BS1.) For the monastic group — the deeply committed practitioners, or Bhikkhus — the requirements are extremely strict, with an entire nine-volume Vinaya Pitaka dedicated to rules of conduct.
Laypeople are like part-time students: working by day, studying in the evenings, burdened with family obligations, and sometimes missing class. The monastic group, by contrast, is like full-time university students: focused on study during the day, and with no family distractions, they continue their training into the night. The standards for full-time students are higher, so their success rate is higher too; while the part-timers may have lower results, their progress is still far better than those who never study at all. Something like that.
At its core, the Dhamma is actually about precepts. When the precepts remain, the Dhamma remains; when the precepts are lost, the Dhamma collapses. The word “Vinaya” combines “limits” and “discipline.” You discipline yourself so as not to cross those limits. (See link WRA3.)
A few words about music and films. We used to be very passionate about music and cinema. But after reading the Vinaya and a book on neuroscience by Venerable Thích Thông Triệt, we realized that these seemingly “healthy” things are actually best avoided. We understood why the Buddha prohibited music, theatrical performances, etc. — because sound and visual stimuli are highly addictive. They create inner speech or rhythmic loops in the brain. And this inner speech is the root of hellfire — it activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers harmful hormones in the body.
In earlier times, before the frequencies were altered, music might still have held a healing quality at certain levels of awareness. But today, its essence has been tampered with — most music has been shifted from 432Hz to 440Hz, which could be dangerous. 432Hz is a healing frequency; 440Hz is a frequency of stimulation and suffering. This world is made of energy, and frequencies interact. So when you seek music to harmony with healing vibrations, you might unknowingly be resonating with the frequency of suffering. Be mindful of the kind of music you’re listening to. You may refer to link RD2.
4. The Law of Attraction
From a Buddhist perspective, there is no fixed, eternal soul. Therefore, you might want to be cautious with ideologies based on the concept of an immortal soul — which is essentially another form of ego — such as the Law of Attraction, or the idea of the soul dwelling forever beside God. In Theravāda Buddhism, the idea of an “eternal soul” may simply be a different expression of the ego continuing across lifetimes. However, if we understand the “soul” as merely another name for the stream of consciousness flowing from one life to the next, then it may not be something worth debating. We’ve proposed a Spiritual Dictionary at link WRS9, which maps common ego-based concepts (from New Age thought, modern psychology, etc.) into terms rooted in Theravāda Buddhism (Pali), or those that reflect non-self, insight, and practice, for your reference.
The Law of Attraction is an idea that should be applied with care. While it is based on a real cosmic phenomenon — that consciousness (viññāṇa) gives rise to form (rūpa) — it can also be used to fuel the ego and human desire, by cultivating more consciousness to generate more forms according to one’s will. The Law of Attraction may be correct in the sense that when we pour a great deal of consciousness into desiring something (for example, wanting to buy something), we are planting a seed (kamma). When the conditions (puñña – merit) ripen (such as having enough merit to acquire money), then sooner or later, when cause and condition are complete, the result (vipāka) will manifest — we’ll obtain what we wished for.
The key point is: having sufficient merit is crucial, but it’s often omitted by those who promote the Law of Attraction. Without merit, no matter how much you manifest, the wish will not become reality. It’s like a poor person eyeing an expensive item — no matter how badly they want it, if they don’t have the means, it will never be theirs.
What we want to highlight here is that most of the time, what we wish for comes from our own greed. The more we feel the Law of Attraction “works,” the more we use it, the more greed grows — and with that, the more suffering follows.
5. Religions that Worship God
Regarding the belief that the soul dwells eternally beside God, we would like to offer our personal perspective. The soul dwelling with God may be true — but eternally? That part, perhaps not. Why? According to the Pali Canon mentioned earlier, you’ll come to understand that “God” (or the Lord, or any other name depending on the religion) is actually the first-born Great Brahma, who mistakenly believed he had created the Universe — and the beings born after him misunderstood it the same way.
Religions that worship deities often teach that if one lives a virtuous and pious life, they will be rewarded after death by ascending to the deity’s realm. This is true in essence. If we cultivate virtue and merit to a sufficient degree, our consciousness becomes aligned with that of the Brahma realm. Then in the next life, we can be reborn in that realm, and live in the same plane as the Great Brahma — or “God” as commonly referred to — enjoying what is known as Heaven or dwelling beside the Lord.
However, the point that is not quite accurate is the claim of it being “eternal.” Even though the lifespan of the Great Brahma is immensely long, it is still finite. Once our merit is exhausted, we may be reborn as humans again, or into another realm depending on our karmic conditions. The Brahma realm itself is also subject to the cosmic cycle of arising, existing, decaying, and vanishing.
Religions that worship God or deities deserve respect. Firstly, because Great Brahmas, Gods, and divine beings are themselves full of immense merit and worthy of veneration. Secondly, because these religions reflect a large portion of the truth about the universe. And third — most importantly — because they guide people toward goodness and away from evil. However, if you wish to go all the way to the ultimate truth, to be fully liberated from all suffering, then we believe Buddhism is where you’ll find the answers.
There is a key difference between religions that worship a supreme God and Buddhism — and it lies in the answer to the question:
Who decides your destiny?
In truth, the feeling of having a powerful being to entrust your life to can be much more comforting and easier to accept than having to take full responsibility and steer your life on your own.
In truth, whether you’re an employee or a business owner, if you still follow ethical standards, your life will be good no matter what position you hold. However, the mindset of someone dependent and someone in control is quite different.
If you believe that God determines your life, you might not understand why you live kindly yet still suffer punishment from God, or why you receive an unexpected reward even when you’ve done nothing — thinking that it’s just because God happens to favour you. You are always in a passive role, not knowing why things happen the way they do.
But once you realise that you — not God — are the true master of your life, your entire perspective shifts. God doesn’t punish you for being good right now — He responds to the mistakes you made in the past. And He doesn’t randomly give you gifts for no reason — He gives because you planted good seeds before. The Law of Cause and Effect is always fair: bad causes lead to bad results, good causes lead to good results. The only issue is the time delay, which makes many people misunderstand and question whether karma is fair. Everything takes time — and karma is no exception. Seeds need time to grow into fruit.
You are the one who plants the cause (kamma), while external elements — devas, other people, even demons — are merely conditions (paccaya). When causes meet conditions, results arise. For example, devas may decide the timing and method of how you receive a sum of money. But how much that money is depends on your own merit, not on their random favour. Devas manage the world based on the karmic merit of each person — just like a manager assigns jobs based on employee competence. If someone works hard to improve, they’ll be promoted and earn more. The manager only assigns roles — how much you earn depends on your ability.
Though we may be “employees”, and respect the manager, we also understand that our salary is ultimately based on our own capability. So we strive to improve ourselves rather than blame the manager.
When you realise that everything in your life operates based on your own karmic merit — that it is your consciousness (viññāṇa) that gives rise to form (rūpa) and creates your own life experiences — then you’ll understand that you are the true master of your life. You’ll become extremely mindful of your thoughts. And if you cannot yet reach the level of “no consciousness” (no internal speech), at least choose good consciousness (good inner speech), and avoid the bad one (negative internal thoughts).
6. Individual and Collective Consciousness
In the Buddha’s teachings, consciousness (viññāṇa) gives rise to form (rūpa). Therefore, the universe itself is a kind of form born from consciousness. This consciousness is not from a single being, but rather a collective composition of many streams of consciousness. That is why the Buddha explained in the scriptures that the universe was not created by a single Great Brahma (God). We can understand it this way: the form of this universe arises from the collective consciousness of all sentient beings, not from the singular consciousness of any one deity.
So never think of yourself as just a small individual, believing that your thoughts or your state of mind have no impact on the world. That’s simply not true. This universe is built from collective consciousness — and your consciousness is part of that collective. Therefore, you must take responsibility for your mind. When your consciousness is good, you are contributing to a more beautiful universe — and the opposite is equally true.
This also explains sayings like “clouds of the same level meet,” or “those of the same vibration attract each other.” Similar consciousnesses attract one another, forming a shared mental field or collective karma. We tend to draw in people who share similar states of mind with us. When we change our consciousness, those around us also change in one of two ways: either the old companions improve and rise with us, or they leave and new, more aligned people arrive. That’s why, if you want to change the world, you must start by changing yourself.
You cannot directly change someone else’s consciousness — but you can change your own. And through that, you may indirectly change others, and change the world around you.
7. The Soul and Consciousness
We also want to share a few thoughts on the subtle and precise logic of the Dhamma.
What we call the “soul” is essentially just a sack filled with seeds of consciousness accumulated over countless lifetimes. When consciousness dissolves, that sack of seeds also dissolves into emptiness — and that is the endpoint, known as Nibbāna.
So when does consciousness dissolve?
The logic of the Buddha’s teaching is:
Form gives rise to Feeling,
Feeling gives rise to Perception,
Perception gives rise to Mental Formation,
Mental Formation gives rise to Consciousness,
and Consciousness again gives rise to Form.
Form → Feeling → Perception → Formation → Consciousness → Form
A simplified mapping would be:
A form gives rise to sensation,
sensation leads to discrimination (right brain),
discrimination gives rise to thinking (left brain),
thinking forms recognition or fixed perception (habits, conditioning),
and that recognition then gives rise to new form
—for example, believing one must have a child leads to the creation of a child.
(See referenced suttas at the end of the article.)
Form → Sensation → Discrimination → Thought → Recognition → Form
So where does the first form arise from? From consciousness.
And where does the first consciousness come from? From form.
Thus, Consciousness and Form may be the dual pair — the Yin and Yang — that drive the cycle of suffering and rebirth. Yin gives rise to Yang, Yang gives rise to Yin — and so the cycle loops endlessly.
At a single moment, Yin and Yang arise together — and saṃsāra begins.
To escape saṃsāra, to go beyond the duality of Yin and Yang and return to the Taiji (ultimate origin), there is only one way: no Yin or Yang, no right brain or left brain, no discrimination, no thought, and ultimately, no more Consciousness.
“Internal speech” happens when we engage both the right and left brain to discriminate and to think.
Consciousness dissolves when we stop discriminating and thinking — when we cease using the right and left brain.
Consciousness dissolves when we return to Pure Awareness — the region behind the left hemisphere of the brain.
Consciousness dissolves when we stop the inner speech.
REFERENCES:
– Thought is Kamma: Pali Canon / Aṅguttara Nikāya / Book of the Sixes / Chapter V: The Great Chapter / (IX) (63) “A Single Way of Investigation”
- “Bhikkhus, one must understand what kamma is… and the path that leads to the cessation of kamma is explained in this way. Why is it said so?
Bhikkhus, I declare that thinking is kamma. After thinking, one engages in bodily, verbal, and mental actions.”
– A Mind That Thinks Is Harmful: Pali Canon / Dīgha Nikāya / Sutta 9: Potthapāda Sutta
17. “Furthermore, Potthapāda, when a bhikkhu here generates perceptions himself, he proceeds from one perception to another until he reaches the peak of perception. Standing at that peak, he might think: ‘A mind that still thinks is harmful to me; a mind free from thinking is better for me. If I continue thinking, when these perceptions fade away, other coarse perceptions may arise again. I shall not think.’ Due to non-thinking, those perceptions cease, and other coarse perceptions do not arise. He experiences the cessation. In this way, Potthapāda, one gradually realizes, through wisdom, the cessation of higher perceptions.”
thewaytotruehappiness.org 
Leave a comment