Eastern thought, the foundation of Buddhism, Hindu, Taoism, Confucianism, etc. is very different than the ideas we come up with in the west. Eastern principals are often illustrated by the image of a snake in a circle, devouring itself.
A good way to contrast the difference between western (largely Christian or at least post-Christian) thought and eastern thought is this:
We might say that when St. George thrust his spear into the monster’s jaws, he broke in upon the solitude of the self-devouring serpent and gave it something to bite besides its own tail.
G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man, p.151