A Comparative Study Of The "Inaction"of Buddhist And Lao Zi

The inaction founded by Buddha in Buddhism and the inaction proposed by Lao Tzu have many same and different ideas. Inaction in Buddhism advocates that taking action is like doing nothing, so called action inaction. This idea means that we try our best to achieve something without persistence and we drop it once we have finished it without asking for fame and reward. To some extent, inaction is the highest realm of Buddhism, called nirvana inaction. Nevertheless, to reach this realm and become enlightened, people should spend a long time and work hard. Yet comparing to the inaction of Taoism Lao Tzu, the inaction proposed in Buddhism has some differences. The purpose of this study is to contrast these two ideas of inaction proposed by Lao Tzu and Buddha.Lao Tzu’s idea of inaction mainly advocates "going with the flow" and alleged inaction is not "doing nothing" but never taking actions with instinct. According to Lao Tzu’s point of view, inaction is a noble virtue. The upper virtue is inaction which means doing one thing without any intention; the lower virtue refers to a person doing many things and expecting something in return.Because the idea of inaction is not so easy to understand, less researchers have investigated on it. However, it can bring benefits to individual life and the development of modern society if we probe into inaction deeply. To this end, this paper firstly explains the connotation of inaction, then studies the "Tao" thought represented by Lao Tzu,"Shih" thought and the relationship between these two thoughts.From this comparison, we then get a further understanding of the connotation of Buddha’s and Lao Tzu’s"inaction" thoughts. This paper is described from following aspects. Firstly, we briefly introduce the historical background of Shih thought and how the cultural influence generates the enlightenment of this doctrine. Secondly, we discuss and analyze deeply the connotation of Taoism’s and Shih’s inaction. Then, a clear comparison between Taoism’s and Shih’s inaction thoughts is discussed. Finally the value to modern society producing from inaction thoughts is considered, so as to contribute to the research on the Buddha and Lao Tzu.