Hi Drewsky, just was reading thru' and saw this
If it weren't for the dualist aspects, such as spirits and reincarnation, I would be a Buddhist in a heartbeat.
Buddhism, in my opinion is a kind of blending of Taoism and another religion (Hinduism I think).
Some of Budhism doesn't make sense to me, and not in the traditional one-hand-clapping kind of way.
For example, the cause of all suffering is the Ego, which is basicly the enemy.
Enlightenment is the destruction of the Ego.
This precludes hell because at any point a person can destroy their Ego, and become immune to it.
Spirits, Ghosts and Gods are all acceptable, and yet individual existence is deemed
impossible which, when you think about it destroys any compatability with Christianity, yet you will surely hear Christians claim to have Buddhist beliefs.
The destruction of the Ego,
requires the rejection of material wealth, yet you will no doubt hear of millionaires who claim Buddhist beliefs.
Buddhism, has been reinterpreted (often fashionably) so many times that it's very difficult for a westerner to follow.
Taoism is similar to Buddhism in many ways, but harsher. It isn't really a religion it's a discipline.
To a Taoist reincarnation is an obvious every day occurence, but dead is dead. This seems like a paradox, but when asked for evidence of reincarnation they will point out that all life feeds on other life. Dead matter "reincarnated", but dead is still dead, and there's no way to argue with the logic.
This kind of logic, which at first looks like nonsense, is the basis for Taoism. There's no comfort attached to enlightenment here, other than the ability to cope with reality, in a meaningful way.
If you're interested pm me and I can probably get you some decent sources, but since I'm not too confident of my own understanding here, you could try googling LaoTze, who's kind of the Taoist Buddha