Hinduism vs Taoism

Diffen › Philosophy › Religion › Hinduism

Hinduism, an Indian philosophy, is about understanding Brahma or existence from within their own Atman, roughly soul, whereas Taoism, a Chinese philosophy, is a way of living in which there were not many rules and believes in the dialectical of inaction.

In Hinduism, attaining the highest life is a process of removing the bodily distractions from life, allowing one to eventually understand the Brahma nature within.

Taoism emphasizes various themes of Daodejing and Zhuangzi, like naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, detachment from desires, and wu wei.

Comparison chart

Hinduism versus Taoism comparison chart
	Hinduism	Taoism

Use of statues and pictures	Common	They can be used as meditation objects, but they are not that common.
Place of origin	Indian Subcontinent	China
Founder	Not credited to a particular founder.	Lao Tzu
Belief of God	Many gods, but realize that they all come from Atman.	Tao literally means the Way, which indicates the movement of a dynamic existence that is composed of opposing forces. Taoists do not believe in a personal God.
Clergy	No official clergy. Gurus, Yogis, Rishis, Brahmins, Pundits, priests, priestesses, monks, and nuns.	Taoist clergies are led by the daoshis, masters of the Tao, and followed by daojiaotus, followers of Taoism who also support the clergy, although it is not common.
Literal Meaning	The followers of Vedas are called as Arya, noble person. Arya is not a dynasty, ethnicity or race. Anyone who follows the teachings of Vedas is considered Arya.	To follow the Tao.
Life after death	A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached.	If immortality isn't attained during life, the Tao will continue to evolve and manifest in different forms, in accordance with the entity's general conduct during a state of existence. This applies to all sentient and insentient beings.
Practices	Meditation, yoga, contemplation, yagna (communal worship), offerings in the temple.	Philosophical maturity, virtuous conduct, internal alchemy, and some sexual practices.
Scriptures	Vedas, Upanishad, Puranas, Gita. Smrti and Sruti are oral scriptures.	Daozang, a collection of 1400 texts organized in 3 sections which includes the Tao Te Ching, Zhuang Zi, I Ching, and some others.
Human Nature	Depends on sects.	If humans are in tune with the Tao, their sufferings will cease. Taoism teaches that humans are capable of experiencing immortality.
View of the Buddha	Some Hindu sects claim Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu. Others believe he was a holy man.	Some Taoists argue that the Buddha was a student of Lao Tzu, although there is no concrete evidence for it. Most Taoists respect and follow the Buddha's teachings.
Place of worship	Temple (Mandir)	Taoist monasteries, temples, shrines.
Followers	Hindus.	Taoists
Geographical distribution and predominance	Mainly in India, Nepal and Mauritius. Has significant population in Fiji, Bhutan, UAE, etc.	China, Korea, to lesser extent Vietnam and Japan.
Original Language(s)	Sanskrit	Old Chinese
View of other Dharmic religions	They believe that Buddhists, Jains, & Sikhs should reunite with Hinduism (which is the original Dharmic religion).	Taoism has many similarities with Buddhism. Taoists are neutral against other Dharmic religions.
Holy days/Official Holidays	Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc.	Chinese New Year, 3 Day Festival of the Dead, Ancestor Day.
Goal of religion	To break the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, and attain salvation.	To be one with the Tao.
Status of women	Women can become priestesses or nuns. Women are given equal rights as men.	No distinctions between men and women, as both are seen as manifestations of the Tao.
Goal of Philosophy	Salvation, freedom from the cycle of birth and reincarnation.	To gain balance in life.
Views on Other Religions	Believe all religions have some truth in them.	Taoism teaches that all religions are as anything else; manifestations of the impersonal Tao.
Principle	To follow dharma, i.e. eternal laws	The Tao is the only principle. The rest are its manifestations.
Marriage	Man may marry one woman. However, kings in mythology often married more than one woman.	A social bonding, applicable with clerics as well.
Means of salvation	Reaching enlightenment by the Path of Knowledge, the Path of devotion, or the Path of Good Deeds.	Following the Tao.
Time of origin	circa 3000 B.C.E	Approx. 550 B.C.E (Before Common Era)
Can atheists partake in this religion's practices?	Yes.	Yes.
Population	1 Billion.	30-40 million.
Confessing sins	Repentance for unintentional sins are prescribed, but intentional sins have to be repaid through karmic consequences.	Sin is not a Taoist concept.
Religious Law	Dharma shastras	The Tao.
Status of Vedas	Vedas are generally regarded as sacred in Hinduism. Post-Vedic texts like the Gita are also revered.	Foreign texts from the perspective of the Taoists.
Symbols	Om, Swastika, etc.	The Yin and Yang.
Use of statues, images	Common.	Permitted.
Concept of God	God is in everything and everything is God.	Numerous deities.
View of Oriental religions	Buddhism and Jainism were considered sister religions by traditional Hindu schools. Buddhists do not consider Buddha an avatar of Vishnu and believe that Hindu priests made that claim to stem the spread of Buddhism, which threatened Hinduism.	Taoists usually follow other Oriental religions too.

Hinduism vs. Taoism

Comparison chart

Further Reading

Related Comparisons

Comments: Hinduism vs Taoism