Transcript Worlds of Wisdom

Worlds of Wisdom
What is the meaning of life? How can
I become my truest self? What is
justice? What is my place in the grand
scheme of things?
Philosophy
• Philosophy is the study of general and
fundamental problems concerning matters
such as existence, knowledge, truth,
beauty, law, justice, validity ...
Worlds of Wisdom
• Famous philosophers from around the
world have provided instruction and
guidance about how a person should live
his/her life.
• This unit will investigate this historical
literature
• The culture of each philosopher will be
studied
Elements of Literature/ 6th Course
• Parts of the following titles will be studied
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King James Bible – page 342
The Koran – page 350
Bhagavad-Gita – page 351
Zen Parables – page 353
The Analects of Confucius – page 355
Tao Te Ching – page 356
Taoist Anecdotes – page 357
Sayings of Saadi – page 358
African Proverbs – page 359
ORAL TRADITION
• Philosophers didn’t write their stories
down … they just told them to people
• Their disciples wrote them down for later
ages
Didactic
• Adj
• Instructional
• Wisdom literature serves a didactic
(instructional) purpose: it teaches people
how to live.
• Didactic literature can be sacred (holy) or
secular (not sacred/not having to do with
religion)
Sacred Context
• Many religions have written works telling
people how to relate to God and how to
live a moral life.
• These works are forms of “Wisdom
Literature” because they have their own
unique styles and messages which were
influenced by the eras and society in
which they were written.
Translated more than any other
books in the world:
• Tao Te Ching
• Bhagavad-Gita
• Bible
• Why? Partially because of the beauty of their
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expression: The sayings, poems, and stories
speak timeless truths in timeless voices.
Why? Partially because of the commonality of
human expression.
Judaism: Jews
• Main Entry: Ju·da·ism
• Pronunciation: \ˈjü-dē-ˌi-zəm, ˈjü-də-, ˈjü-(ˌ)dā-,
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British also ˈjü-ˌdi-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
• 1 : a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and
characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has
revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew
prophets and by a religious life in accordance with
Scriptures and rabbinic traditions
1000 B.C. – 100 B.C.
Hebrew Bible
(Torah/Old Testament)
The Middle East
Just like Jesus wrote no books,
• Taoist teachers: Laotzu 571 B.C.
• Confucious: Died 479 B.C.
• Masters of Zen Buddhism
571 B.C.
Laotzu is born.
Philosophical leader of Taoism.
Taoism: Taoist anecdotes created:
400 – 100 B.C.
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Main Entry: Tao·ism
Pronunciation: \-ˌi-zəm\
Variant(s): also Dao·ism \ˈdau̇-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Tao
Date: 1838
• 1 : a Chinese mystical philosophy traditionally founded by Lao-tzu in
the sixth century b.c. that teaches conformity to the Tao by
unassertive action and simplicity
Taoism
• Broadly defined: Taoism consists of the
joyful acceptance of life and a willingness
to yield to the natural world, becoming
one with it.
• Chinese people see Taoism and
Confucianism as complementary views.
Tao Te Ching
• Means “Classic Way of Power”
• Intended to provide guidance for rulers
which wished to govern according to Tao
or “The Way”
• Written in MAXIMS
• Uses parallel language
Anecdotes = brief stories
Refer to your text p.357 for
examples of Taoist anecdotes.
400 B.C. – 100 B.C.
• Taoist anecdotes are
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created
Tao Te Ching
“Classic of the
Way of Power”
Refer here to p.356 in your text to
read an example from the Tao Te
Ching.
Confucius
• Main Entry: Con·fu·cius
• Pronunciation: \kən-ˈfyü-shəs\
• Variant(s): Chinese K'ung–Fu–tzu \ˈku̇ŋˈfü-ˈdzü\ or K'ung–tzu \ku̇ŋ-ˈdzü\
• Function: biographical name
• 551–479 b.c. Chinese philosopher
479 B.C.
Confucious died.
The Analects
• Based on Confucius’ teachings
• Written as maxims
• Confucius believed that studying ancient
teachings enabled people to join the
continuous minds from the past to their
own time
Maxim
brief statement
chung-yung
“the golden mean’
the concept of universal and
moral social harmony
The Analects teach:
• Individuals how to achieve moderation in
all things through moral education,
• the building of a harmonious family life,
• and the development of virtues such as
loyalty, obedience, and integrity
The Analects emphasize:
• Filial piety
– The carrying out of basic obligations to one’s
living parents or dead ancestors
Analects of Confucius - review
• Died 479 B.C.
• Disciples wrote down his
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sayings after his death
Analects – selected
sayings
Maxims – brief sayings
Golden mean – ideal of
universal moral and social
harmony
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/21446-china-from-past-to-present-confucianism-video.htm
Refer to your text p.355 for
examples of maxims from
The Analects.
300 B.C. – 300 A.D.
The Hindu Bhagavad-Gita is written.
Translated: Bhagavad-Gita
means “Song of the Lord”
The Bhagavad-Gita is an episode of a
larger story called the Mahabharata (the
longest poem ever composed in any
language).
Also called The Gita.
Krishna
The Gita
• This ancient poem played a major role in
shaping the philosophy of:
– Mahatma Ghandi (the social reformer who
led India to independence from Britain in
1947)
– Martin Luther King, Jr. who was influenced by
Mahatma Ghandi’s philosophy of nonviolent
protest
didactic Verse
poetry meant to convey a
philosophy
Dharma = Sacred Duty
Refer to your text p.351 for an
excerpt from the Bhagavad- Gita.
651 A.D. – 652 A.D.
The Koran is written.
For an excerpt from the Koran,
refer to p.350 in the textbook.
Zen Buddhism
• Type of Buddhism
• Started in China really developed in Japan
• Objective: free the mind of everyday,
conventional logic through meditation
• Written in parables
1191 A.D.
Zen is introduced to Japan.
Where is Japan?
Zen Videos
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK_4Z
5DZcNM&feature=channel (intro)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rh8Fc
3ecd8&feature=channel (sitting)
Miniature Zen Garden
Zen Garden
parables
brief allegorical Stories that teach lessons or
morals about life
Refer to p.353 in your text for examples of
Zen parables
Who is this?
Refer to p.353 in your textbook
to see examples of Zen parables.
1213 A.D. – 1292 A.D.
Saadi lives.
Saadi
• Follower of a mystical sect of Islam
• Definition: mystical - with divine
meaning: having a divine meaning that is
beyond human understanding
• Believed in holiness of all creation
• Sufism = a philosophy & a way of life
• Persia’s best loved poet: witty, practical
sayings and lush lyrics
Sufism
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Withdraw from material world
Homeless
Beg for their living
Wander from place to place as they meditate God’s
love
– Not attached to belongings or places
– Not driven by concerns of time, money, or
achievement
– Concentrated on 1) the development of the human
mind 2) on reaching a higher plane of
understanding through a gradual process of thought
and practice
To see examples of Saadi’s
sayings, refer to p.358 in the
textbook.
proverbs
a short saying that expresses a
common truth or experience, usually
about human failings and the ways
that people interact with one another
allegory
a story in which the characters,
settings, and events stand for
abstract or moral concepts
Worlds of Wisdom
What kind of wisdom
can you
pass on to
future generations?