Similarities and Differences between Taoist and Confucian Thoughts
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Sima Tan said in "A Summary of the Six Schools" that "Taoists absorb the merits of the Confucian and Mohist schools and extract the essentials of the Logicians and Legalists." Later generations also commented that Taoism was "complex and diverse", which precisely illustrates that Taoism has a strong inclusiveness and openness. What Taoism mainly absorbs from Confucianism is the thought of ethical principles. The core of these ethical principles is the "Three Cardinal Bonds and Five Constant Virtues". Although Taoist scriptures seldom mention the names of these ethical principles, they make great efforts to promote such ideas. In "Taiping Jing" (The Scripture of Great Peace), this kind of thought is clearly manifested. It holds that children's being unfilial to their parents, students' showing disrespect to their teachers, and officials' being disloyal to their monarchs are all acts that violate the "will of heaven and earth". Taoism's inheritance and development of the ethical principles of Confucianism are often combined with the thought of achieving immortality, and people are driven to follow them by the power of "gods".
The thought of "Interaction between Heaven and Man" in the Confucian thought of the Pre-Qin period and the theology of apocrypha and纬书 (weishu) were directly absorbed by Taoism. For example, "The River Chart Record of Life Talismans" says, "There are gods in heaven and earth who are in charge of punishing people's mistakes, and they will shorten people's lifespan according to the seriousness of the mistakes people have committed." "Apocrypha" is a kind of religious prophecy, that is, what is called "making cryptic remarks to predict good or bad fortune in advance". "纬书 (weishu)" is relative to the Confucian classics. It uses the viewpoints of apocrypha combined with Zou Yan's thought of yin-yang and the five elements to interpret the Confucian classics. The theology of apocrypha and纬书 (weishu) of Confucianism prevailed for a while in the Han Dynasty. After Confucian scholars and alchemists gradually merged, it greatly promoted Taoism's deification of "Huang-Lao" and played a significant role in the gestation and emergence of Taoism.
The thought of "Interaction between Heaven and Man" in the Confucian thought of the Pre-Qin period and the theology of apocrypha and纬书 (weishu) were directly absorbed by Taoism. For example, "The River Chart Record of Life Talismans" says, "There are gods in heaven and earth who are in charge of punishing people's mistakes, and they will shorten people's lifespan according to the seriousness of the mistakes people have committed." "Apocrypha" is a kind of religious prophecy, that is, what is called "making cryptic remarks to predict good or bad fortune in advance". "纬书 (weishu)" is relative to the Confucian classics. It uses the viewpoints of apocrypha combined with Zou Yan's thought of yin-yang and the five elements to interpret the Confucian classics. The theology of apocrypha and纬书 (weishu) of Confucianism prevailed for a while in the Han Dynasty. After Confucian scholars and alchemists gradually merged, it greatly promoted Taoism's deification of "Huang-Lao" and played a significant role in the gestation and emergence of Taoism.
