In the study of comparative religion, a Taoic religion is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"; pinyin Dao, Korean/Japanese Do, Vietnamese Đạo). This forms a large group of religions including Taoism, Confucianism, Jeung San Do, Shinto, Yiguandao, Chondogyo, Chen Tao and Caodaism. Taoic religion as a world religion group is comparable to Abrahamic religion and dharmic religion. Taoic faiths claim over 400 million members worldwide.
Tao
editHere we should provide a brief overview of the central characteristic of this branch of world religion.
Taoic Faiths
editProvide a brief overview in subsections of major Taoic religions.
Taoism
editTaoism summary
Confucianism
editConfucianism summary
Buddhism
editBrief tie-in to Taoic influenced Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism
editChinese Buddhism summary
Japanese Buddhism
editJapanese Buddhism summary
Chan Buddhism
editChan Buddhism summary
Shinto
editShinto summary
Taoic influence and attribution
editComment.This needs to expand on the concept of Tao's social influence throughout East Asia.
The martial arts of Karate, Judo, Taekwondo and Hapkido use the term as well, but are not considered religions, though some branches of the martial arts are spiritually orientated. Confucianism is generally considered a Taoic religion, but is also known for its conflicts with Taoism. The native Japanese Shinto religion is animistic and shamanistic, but has absorbed and incorporated Taoic concepts. Chinese Buddhism is considered to be influenced by both Dharmic and Taoic traditions. Buddhism is sometimes called the "Fo Tao" ("The Way of Buddha") in areas highly influenced by Taoic faiths.
Interaction with Dharmic faiths
editTaoic faiths have long interacted with Dharmic faiths, East Asian Buddhism being the most prominent example. Provide some discussion of this.
Taoism and Confucianism
editThe similarities and conflict between the two faiths should be documented here. This comparison is central to the study of Tao based faiths.