Taoism pursues real life, while Buddhism abandons it. Taoism advocates taking life as truth and pursuing longevity and immortality. Taoism believes that human life is made up of vitality, and the body is the residence of the spirit. To live forever, we must cultivate both form and spirit, that is, "internal cultivation" and "external cultivation"

Contrary to Taoism, Buddhism advocates "no life" and thinks that reality is the suffering of all things. People can't do anything about reality, they can only endure it. To endure, we must give up all kinds of desires, pin our hopes on the afterlife, pursue the "sea of suffering" beyond the cycle of life and death, and enter the nirvana-like wood (the world of bliss without suffering).

It can be seen that Taoism advocates pursuing real life, while Buddhism advocates abandoning the pursuit of realistic material and paying attention to spiritual cultivation and yearning for the afterlife.

Extended information:

Buddhism flourished in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The social conditions of war, social unrest and people's poverty are often hotbeds of religion. People need religion to talk about their sense of powerlessness in reality. Buddhism, the spirit of promoting universal salvation and saving suffering, is especially suitable for this war-torn social situation.

Du Mu's poem "Four hundred and eighty halls in the Southern Dynasties, amidst misty rain" reflects the prosperity of Buddhism in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Even many emperors were loyal Buddhists, such as Liang Wudi Xiao Yan. This buddy went to become a monk before the emperor, and later asked the ministers to donate money to redeem him. The money was used to repair the temple.