In the words of Robert Allinson, people are reminded of the generalized folk saying that every Chinese person is a Confucian, a Taoist, or a Buddhist. Confucius's teachings influenced later Chinese society on dramatic level. The Confucians used the term Tao in the sense of social order, and as a foundational ethical principle. Confucius used the term te to signify the virtue in the sense of correct living according to Tao, the right way. Wu‐wei is the ability to act with minimum effort by going …
Read moreIn the words of Robert Allinson, people are reminded of the generalized folk saying that every Chinese person is a Confucian, a Taoist, or a Buddhist. Confucius's teachings influenced later Chinese society on dramatic level. The Confucians used the term Tao in the sense of social order, and as a foundational ethical principle. Confucius used the term te to signify the virtue in the sense of correct living according to Tao, the right way. Wu‐wei is the ability to act with minimum effort by going with the natural flow of things, in short, being in tune with Tao and its expression as Te. Despite Buddhism having stricter discipline and more profound doctrines, in the eyes of the Han Chinese the points of contact were so numerous that Buddhism was but another sect of religious Taoism.
