INTRODUCTION

1. INTRODUCTION • Why study Buddhism and Taoism/Daoism? • Change and evolution of the two religions • Current status of the two religions • What can we learn/benefit from studying them? • Our approach to them

2. Why Study Buddhism and Taoism/Daoism • Cultural expressions like religions in other countries • Passages through which we can seek understanding of some aspects of Chinese culture • These two, along with Confucianism, are what make the Chinese people who and what they were/are in the past /present • Ethical theories fascinate modern people who care about the current state and future of human world

3. Change and Evolution • From Early Taoism/Daoism to Later Taoism/Daoism • From Hinayana Buddhism to Mahayana Buddhism • The synthesis of three teachings—the three teachings in one • Popular Buddhism and Taoism/Daoism • Buddhism and Taoism/Daoism in East Asian Countries

4. Current Status of the Two Religions • Two of the world’s 6-8 most important religions • Widely pervasive in East Asia • Now in Europe and the US • Continue to spread throughout the world • Result in a multiplicity of practices • Multiplicity due to different regional beliefs

5. What Benefits? • Correct understanding of them can guide us to live a wholesome and a meaning life • Help us see things in different perspectives and become objective and altruistic • Make yourself a much more open-minded person • Understand what other peoples think and the equal importance of other values

6. Our Approach to Them • Locate/trace their origins and understand their tenets • Recognize the importance of the scriptures/texts, spiritualties, faiths, and humanistic values that they teach • Correct the general misperceptions of the two religions • Define them as an integral part of Chinese culture • Question the validity and tenability of their views, theories, and how people practice them