For me, Taoism was the most influential tradition from the east. I encountered it very early in my development and it still speaks to me as I get older. Taoism hovers between being a philosophy and/or a religion. In fact, there are two distinct streams of Taoist thought, one philosophical, the other religious that one can follow. I chose the philosophical stream as I found it better suited to my inclinations.
I also discovered the Tao early, much earlier than I began to seek out a spiritual path of my own that didn't require blind faith in a paternal, punishing god (I was raised Catholic). A copy of the Tao te Ching found its way into my hands at my local public library while I was still in high school. A still retain a vision of where in the stacks it sat on the shelves!
The Idiot's Guide includes a chapter on the parallels between Christianity and Taoism. In my various explorations I have found that the same ideas about the transcendent are often expressed differently due to language and culture. The mountain peak is the still the peak regardless of which path gets there.
My exploration of the TAO lead me to ~ "The TAO Of Physics" which is what got me into Quantum Physics....
I also discovered the Tao early, much earlier than I began to seek out a spiritual path of my own that didn't require blind faith in a paternal, punishing god (I was raised Catholic). A copy of the Tao te Ching found its way into my hands at my local public library while I was still in high school. A still retain a vision of where in the stacks it sat on the shelves!
The Idiot's Guide includes a chapter on the parallels between Christianity and Taoism. In my various explorations I have found that the same ideas about the transcendent are often expressed differently due to language and culture. The mountain peak is the still the peak regardless of which path gets there.