Has anyone else noticed the surprising similarities between Tao, Zen and Sufism?

i believe these are the closest to the universal truth...

I don't know as much about Sufism as I'd like, but the similarity between Tao and Zen is hardly surprising since Zen Buddhism was adapted from Chan Buddhism, which arose when Buddhism encountered Taoism..

The reason why ALL religions have similarities is because they're all variations on the same theme of trying to explain things before humans discovered that the earth is not flat, the earth revolves around the sun, we evolved, things started with a big bang, etc. All religions are ancient, primitive, fairy tales!

if christian and any other religion born in china , we'll see all of them connected, life in harmony in elemental balance, side by side in an altar with our ancestor.

Rumi is a representative of Sufism that more deeply speaks of a connection with the Beloved that either Zen or Taoism


"The minute I heard my first love story

I started looking for you, not knowing

how blind that was.

Lovers don?t finally meet somewhere.

They?re in each other all along."

-Rumi

Western mysticism is more involved with relationships. Eastern mysticism is more involved with stripping away all the masks until what is is.

There are similarities and differences. one must jump in the water to learn how to swim. There are many lakes. Which one thrills your heart?
Freesongs

Of course.. these practices are called mysticism.

"Mysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or awareness. Mysticism may be dualistic, maintaining a distinction between the self and the divine, or may be non dualistic." --wipedUtee similarities, I believe that the training and fundamental beliefs are different.