Tao vs The Force

I'm not seeing much of a diference? Am I missing something?

He has ten thousand names, and each group call him with a name of their own.

No more than if you add God, Allah, or Zues....

Its man who seperates, not the divine....

I hope that helps...

Rickie, to say that tao/the Force would be "vs" something is a statement which has no sense. One could just as well be talking about whether a bag of apples is Labour or Conservative ...

It is really not very useful to look for a definition - hence even less so a difference. One can hardly compare the ineffable to the ineffable ...

Some call He . . . She

Some call He or She . . It

Some say God

Some say Eternal

Some say Infinite

Some say Divine

Some say Qi

Some say Tao

Some say Energetic Force

Some say it has no name but it can be experienced. . . it can be known

Some say Force

Regardless of the name . . . more and more are aware . . nameless, shapeless, infinite, unseen, and all inclusive

Some say Great Spirit

Alexandre Orion wrote: Rickie, to say that tao/the Force would be "vs" something is a statement which has no sense. ..

OK that came across a little challenging. My point is I don't see how they are different? Different words, same meaning or am I missing something.

No, Rickie, it wasn't challenging like that ...

It is just that one cannot say what it is ...

So if one cannot say what it is, one cannot say that it is or is not the same thing as whatever another word which one can't say what it means really is ....

Alexandre Orion wrote: No, Rickie, it wasn't challenging like that ...

It is just that one cannot say what it is ...

So if one cannot say what it is, one cannot say that it is or is not the same thing as whatever another word which one can't say what it means really is ....

Very Tao of you. They feel the same to me.

That which shall not be named either is or isn't the same as another unnameable that may or may not be a thing.

I don't think the two concepts are the same, but they can happily work together if viewed in certain ways.

For me the Force describes the "living" aspect of Tao, kind of a subset of the wider whole.

Or perhaps, Tao describes an aspect of the Force, I'm not sure.

A little like when Chuang Tzu pondered, am I a man dreaming I'm a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming I'm a man... am I the universe believing it's a man, or a man believing a universe into being?

What I can say is having spent time studying both, despite overlaps they're still separate, distinct ideas in my mind.

For me, it is the case that everything Alexandre posted here is true and good. It is also the case that for me this online Temple is the place where I find the most interesting people that discuss this sort of thing. My Jediism is syncretic including select aspects of both Daoism and Zen, but with less emphasis on the religious practices traditionally associated with these traditions. Personally, it would not be accurate to describe myself as a Daoist or a Zen Buddhist because I omit much of these traditions. But when describing the content of my Jediism, it sounds so much like a description of Daoism and Zen.

Jestor wrote: No more than if you add God, Allah, or Zues....

Its man who seperates, not the divine....

I hope that helps...

Yeah! Couldn't have said it better myself

tzb wrote: I don't think the two concepts are the same, but they can happily work together if viewed in certain ways.

For me the Force describes the "living" aspect of Tao, kind of a subset of the wider whole.

Or perhaps, Tao describes an aspect of the Force, I'm not sure.

A little like when Chuang Tzu pondered, am I a man dreaming I'm a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming I'm a man... am I the universe believing it's a man, or a man believing a universe into being?

What I can say is having spent time studying both, despite overlaps they're still separate, distinct ideas in my mind.

What Chuang Tzu is speaking to an "experience"

I see The Tao and The Force as synonymous for ENGERGY as already stated

And

I can understand the musing in terms of "is one a subset of the other?"

It seems that the question is birthing more so from a ponderance of which path has more usefulness to you for application in the world and personal growth? . . Is that what I am hearing?