The Enlighten Directory Project

What are the differences between Taoism and Buddhism?

I know they are both philosophies of China, not necessarily religions….
I’m doing a research paper on qi in feng shui. Do both philosophies contain the concept of qi? Which is more believed in? Are they compatible? like one can be both?

Buddhism originated in India and traveled to China. It is the belief that man is on a perpetual quest to achieve spiritual perfection. The original model for Buddhism is Buddha who was the son of a royal family and became enlightened to the idea of spiritual perfection. Concepts of the religion include the idea that the soul is reincarnated over and over so that it can advance towards perfection. As the soul moves up it will return into simpler lifeforms such as cows or trees.
Taoism is a religion (sort of) that is based on the writings of Lao Tsu. He was a follower of Confucius and a keeper or librarian of his works. At a late age, the story goes, La Tsu decided to leave China in retirement. On the way out across the Great Wall one of the guards implored him to leave a book of his wisdom behind. Lao Tsu complied and wrote a short book called the Tao Te Ching. This book became the basis of modern Taoism. One of the early disciples of Taoism, named Chwang Tsu followed on with writings of his own that further explained the original work. Taoism is a pretty esoteric belief that centers on the belief that there is an energy that flows through all things in the universe and that the individual must strive to understand and become one, or at peace with these natural forces.