Why do monks advocate abstinence while Taoist priests are happy to be faithful in dispensing their desires?

There is a story about an old monk who took in a young disciple who was so isolated from the old monk that he hadn't seen anyone outside for a long time. One day, a woman came to the mountain, and he asked his master: what is this thing? The master told him, "This is a tiger, it will eat people. At night, after the woman left, the young disciple was staring at him, and his master felt that something was wrong with him, so he asked him, "What are you thinking about? The young apprentice said, I'm thinking about this tiger.

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In traditional Chinese culture, the solution to desire is all is to use direct abstinence. However, we can't help but face the reality that we are not saints, nor have we become real gods, and it is unavoidable that we will have seven emotions and six desires. We have to respect human nature and accept the handicaps and desires of human beings. As a common saying goes: "Floods should be removed rather than blocked," which is why Taoism suggests "removing their desires" rather than "prohibiting them. "Dispelling" and "forbidding" are two entirely different things. What is the meaning of "dispel"? It means to get rid of, to expel.

Taoism does not advocate abstinence, nor does monasticism require complete abstinence, but emphasizes the removal of desire. The key is how to get rid of them, how to control them, and how to keep them in check and not to be disturbed by them. Cultivation is to help us gradually get rid of bad desires. The pursuit of a better quality of life requires a corresponding price to pay, as long as the price to pay can be controlled, it can not be considered excessive desire

Speaking of the four words "abstinence asceticism", we may be the most first to think of is the "ascetic", the Oriental monks, and the "asceticism" is the most important thing. The first thing that comes to mind is "asceticism", the monks of the East. But in the region of Qumran, northwest of the Dead Sea, there is a community of Essenes who consider themselves to be the true descendants of Israel, and who faithfully and steadfastly keep the covenant between the Israelites and God, and who also live a life of abstinence and asceticism.

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In the 1st century B.C.E. the Essenes were known for their favor of the Messianic movement against the Maccabean dynasty were persecuted and fled to remote areas. Some of these believers came to the area of Qumran and lived a communal religious communal life.

Living in this relatively closed place by the Dead Sea, they also have their own unique way of life. It began with asceticism and included extensive fasting, frequent cleansing baths and secret practices.

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If there are any newcomers to this place, the have to be scrutinized and observed before they can be officially integrated into the group.

The famous Roman writer Pliny the Elder wrote about this in the 1st century AD;

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If new members come to this place, they are scrutinized and observed before being formally integrated into the group. limit_1/quality,q_85

"On the land on the western shore of the Dead Sea live the Essenes. They were lonely and solitary and never approached women. They eschewed all sexual desires; they had no money and took pleasure in the company of palm groves. They did not bear sons themselves, but they lived forever for thousands of generations. Today, their habitat has long since become deserted. It is not far from the Dead Sea. The borders of the Jews end here."

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Yet it was such an out-of-touch and passive The Jewish community, which avoided the world, did not escape from the iron hooves of the Roman conquerors, and finally disappeared into the vast sea of sand in the end.