Buddhism & Converting To Taoism

Because the philosophical and spiritual principles involved in Taoism emphasize harmony and creative quietude, I would not forsee any motley of radical or major dispute which might occur in my life if I became a Taoist tomorrow morning. Becoming a Taoist is not like becoming a member of an organise church where it is necessary to attend specific services adn functions and the impact of Taoism on integritys life is, to my understanding, rooted first in the personal and only secondarily in the public sphere. In fact, one might be a Taoist without nay one else even knowing the fact.The lack of tenet in Taoism means that it would never really be necessary to advocate or proselytize to anyone about your beliefs. In the Toa Te Ching, the verse which reads The tao that stand be described / is not the eternal Tao. (Tao) should be enough of a warning to any student of Taoism to remember that there is no one truth no one way and so, unlike some religions which stock preaching to othe rs, Taoism, as a philosophical belief would require null like this benevolent of dogma or witnessing. The changes which I would forebode and hope would happen in my life are based around the thought of giving up false ambitions and false self-images and allowing the natural ambitions and expressions of myself to emerge from where they give up been sleeping. In America we are taught no imposition, no gain and this is a kind of philosophical burden that we all carry which is in conflict with another idea most of us simultaneously carry with us that we want to be happy.The idea that we cannot gain unless we are in pain and that all gain is ultimately to create happiness is self-contradicting and it bears very piddling resemblance to the Taoist idea that Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery. /By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. (Tao) alone it is precisely this kind of resolution to the contradictory impulses in Western society that I would hope Taoism would lead me by dint of. The Taoist principles I would invoke, as mentioned, would be invoked primarily through action and not words.So, if someone found out that I much sought to be alone to meditate, or that I often followed mistrust quite a than logic in making decisions and that I sought to be emotionally and psychologically in touch with Darkness born from darkness. / The source of all understanding. (Tao), I expect I would be able to rationalise to them that my beliefs and practices were part of a larger, very ancient, philosophical system with roots in the easternmost and that through its tenants and practices I hoped to find harmony within myself and harmony with my milieu no more, no less.I think that practicing Taoist meditation and creative quietude would certainly result in a lessening of tension in my life. It would probably result in my having a more active complex quantity and dream-life, maybe a better sex life, and possibly even a better regi ment of diet and exercise. The danger with any religion of philosophy is to look at it as a cure all to expect a miracle to come out of it immediately and change everything you dont like about yourself or your life.Another danger is obsession or the inability to see anything else but the dogma of ones religion or philosophy. I believe that Taoism is so genuinely free of dogma that its basic ideas and practice would result in widening, rather than diminishing, my personality and personal disposition. I think I would find myself relaxed opus others were getting tense. I think I would start slow with the more esoteric practices of sutra and yoga but lean very heavily at forst on the ideas and spiritual wisdom available in Taoist thought.