Summary:
Western culture has been exploring aspects of Eastern religion, adapting and adopting the philosophical ideals of the other side of the world, for decades. This article seeks to follow this vein as is describes Daoism, Jainism and Buddhism, then compares and contrasts their peaceful teachings with traditional Western religions.

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While it may come as a surprise to many Westerners, especially those adhering to the ´big three´ faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the most peaceful major religions still practiced today trace their origins further eastward.

From a global perspective, Buddhism and Jainism originated next door to the major Western religions, in India. Daoism originated further east, in China. All of these religions can be considered ultimately peaceful, and while some have been used in an attempt to justify war (for example, Buddhim was manipulated in World War II Japan), those searching their scriptures and basic teachings are hard pressed to find any justification of violence.

Daoism

Daoism is very abstract and mystical, but at the same time, isn´t steeped in the metaphysical: rather, it puts forward many of its ideas in linguistic puzzles which, while serving to undo unnecessary conceptions, can reveal truths in an ironic way.

Daoism sheds the grandeur of many other religions and adopts a more playful, relaxed philosophical perspective. A lot of Daoism´s focus rests on perceptions of balance, demonstrated by the popularized circular figure of yin and yang. Its teachings can be traced back to the "Daodejing," its central text. It also has a close relationship with "I Ching," a book centered around a systematic form of divination.

"Dao," roughly translated, means "way" or "path." Another important term to Daoism is "wu-wei," or "effortless action:" a goal of Daoism is to perform in a way that is without effort or difficulty, fitting into daily life with a simplistic perspective, avoiding unnecessary work and avoiding causing unnecessary work for others. To Daoism, there is no point in achieving self-aggrandizing power or fighting with the world: the world is the way it is, and there´s almost nothing you can do about it, so deal with it. While kindness is important, happiness is more important than perfection.

Several Western authors have found themselves inquisive about the meaning and nature of Daoist philosophy, and it´s relation to some of the less stringently categorized philosophies present in modern Western culture. For an introduction to Daoism, check out "The Tao of Pooh," a short but poigniant work explaining Daoist philosophy through the A. A. Milne´s famous characters: notably, Winnie the Pooh is an example of a Daoist. "The Tao of Physics" is a good one for more advanced readers. It compares the puzzling philosophies of Taoism to the even-more-puzzling aspects of quantum theory, and finds apparently remarkable similarities between the two.

Buddhism

The Buddha, having considered first a life of luxury, then dedication to asceticism, emerged finally from an enlightening meditation session with a "eureka!" and went on to gain followers and teach about the middle path (not too much, not too little), the nature of suffering, and how to be happy.

Buddhism credits suffering to the mind, and outlines its three causes: avoidance (wanting to get away from something; fear, anger and laziness fit here), attachment (wanting to get closer to something; desire and clinginess fit here), and ignorance (lacking knowledge; immaturity and impulsiveness fit here). These three things, in turn, are centered around the biggest problem: belief in the "self" or "sense of ´I´" as an actual legitimate thing in need of protection and appeasement.

The Buddha says there is no actual "self" - it is a persistent illusion, and dropping it, among other concepts, can lead to revolutionary realizations about living and suffering.

Buddhism seeks to explain why the desire to obtain a thing isn´t sated by obtaining the thing, and at its core, treats karma not as something attached to the soul (the Buddha preached "anatman" or "no soul"), but a predictable system of cause and effect. Enlightenment (and the cessation of suffering) necessitates the understanding both of karma and of the absence of the soul.

The eightfold path, which is a guide to attaining enlightenment, shows Buddhism´s followers how to minimize suffering not only for themselves, but for other beings, as living things are not fully (only conceptually) separate from one another. Buddhism encourages its followers to let go of attachment to conceptions about the world, which are only useful to a point, and can get in the way of enjoying life and growing enlightened.

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