To compare and contrast the ideas about desire in Daoism and Buddhism, it is important to understand that neither theory encourages desire in its entirety. Daoists should naturally let go of all desire. Buddhists understand desires to be inevitable and therefore, we can and should train ourselves to resist them.
Daoism encourages people to live a simple life and relax into the dao (meaning, "the way"). I understand "the way" to simply be the way of life. To do this, one must not put effort into changing the world around them. The way to act is actually not to act at all. The purpose of non-desire is to allow people to be satisfied with the present moment.
Buddhism is a more concrete system with definite procedures. Buddhists attempt to rid themselves of desire to prevent suffering. To achieve non desire, Buddhists consciously resist acting with intent of the end result being delight. If they do not desire delight, they do not desire anything at all. Buddhists strive for enlightenment (nirvana). They utilize concepts such as the four noble truths, the eightfold path, and the seven basic virtues to achieve this goal. .
I disagree with both theories on desire. I see desire as what causes both suffering and happiness. Which one it causes lies within the person the desire belongs to. If a person desires only respect from others, they will act in a way deserving of respect. A rational person would demonstrate qualities such as ambition, kindness, intelligence, and good judgment. A person with this demeanor would cause happiness in their own life and in the lives of others. However, if a person desires only sexual gratification, they are likely to manipulate, lie, deceive, and perhaps even rape in order to receive the gratification they are seeking. This would surely cause others to suffer.
Because desire can have positive and negative consequences, I feel that people should choose their desires carefully and strive for only good desires.
