Transcript Philosophy & Religion in China

Philosophy &
Religion in China
Chinese
Folk Religion
Taoism
Confucianism
Religion in Asia

In China and Japan philosophy and
religion are not two separate pursuits
– People are more than one religion without
any conflicts
– Oriental religions are complementary
– A person might be both Buddhist and
Confucian or Taoist and Confucian or all
three, each serving a different function in
one’s life.
China’s Concerns

China’s concerns are practical & down to earth
– Concerns are: How can we achieve longevity?
– How can we get along better in our relationships
with others?
– How should a good ruler lead the people?

Emphasis on harmony, social relationships and
practical application of underlying
metaphysical concepts
Chinese Folk Religion

Belief in spirits
– Polytheistic and animistic
Reverence for ancestors
 Yin and yang
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– Balance of the universe
Astrology
 Divination
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– Future telling
Chinese metaphysics is
about…
Energy
 Change
 Balance
 Harmony
 Inter-relationships

Chinese Metaphysics
Movement of cosmic energies:
Rising
Falling
Expanding
Contracting
Rotating
Represented by and expressed in
the “five elements” of nature…
The “Five Elements”
Productive cycle
Fire
Wood
Water
Earth
Metal
The “Five Elements”
Destructive cycle
X
X
Fire
Wood
X
Water
X
Earth
X
Metal
Chinese Metaphysics
Concepts
Chi – life force, life energy (“ultimate”)
 Yin-Yang

[
Tao – the “way” of the cosmos, of nature
Heaven (t’ien) and Earth
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“Mandate
of Heaven”
Practical applications: I-Ching and Feng Shui
Yin and Yang
YIN
 Negative force in
nature
 Dark, cool, damp
 Femaleness
 Earth, moon,
shadows
YANG
 Positive force
 Light, bright,
warmth, dryness
 Maleness
 Sun, Heaven
Everything (other than a few objects)
is a combination of both forces.
When they work in harmony, life is
perfect.
Taoism
Taoism:
The Way of Harmony with Nature
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
Very hard to define: can be described by
Chinese history or thru its effects on the
people, but not as a ‘religion’ with rituals
and doctrines
Originated in 6th century BCE China
Nature knows best
Founder
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Lao-tzu (or Laozi)
– 6th century BCE
– Means “Old Master” or “Old Boy”
—given by his disciples as title of respect
We know less about him than any other
founder of a world religion
 Lao-tzu wished to leave China but was
required to write down his teachings first.
He then left and was never seen again

– Truth of story has not been verified
Scripture
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Primary text: Tao Te Ching (the “Classic of
the Way and its Power or Virtue”)
– 81 short “chapters” containing the basic
philosophy of living in harmony and balance
– All human achievements are frivolous

Chuang Tzu (4th century BCE)
– Author of companion text: The Chuang Tzu
– Collection of stories exemplifying the wisdom
and nature of the Taoist sage
Taoist Teachings
1. The unity behind the universe is
mysterious, indefinable force calledTao
– The way of the universe or nature’s way
– Impossible to define: Best achievement in
life is to understand it
2. Life is the greatest of all possessions
– Fame, wealth, power, education are
illusions and distract from the Tao
Continued…
3. Life is to be lived simply
– Innocence is ideal state
– Focus on little govt and civilization
4. Pomp and glory are to be despised
– These cause strife & discord in life
The Problem for Humans

Problem: disharmony with the universe
– When humans depart from the simple,
natural way of the universe, they are
alienated from the Tao
– Suffering comes from trying to conquer
nature, altering the universe, & establishing
artificial human organizations
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Solution: simple life, live in harmony
The Secret to the Good Life
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Inaction is the secret of good life
– Trying to do good only leads to trouble
Live and let live
 By doing nothing, humans have a
positive influence on society
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Confucianism
Confucianism
A political and social philosophy seeking social
harmony on all levels:
Within the self
…the family
…the community
...the state
…the nation
…the world
…the cosmos
Learning from the past to improve the future
Confucianism vs. Taoism
Confucianism has influenced Chinese
society more than anything else
 Confucians disagree with some aspects of
Taoism

– Is govt really bad?
– Do social organizations really disrupt the
harmony of the universe?
– There can be exceptions to the principles
Confucius’ Life
Kung Fu-tzu or Kunfuzi “Master Kung”
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
551 - 479 BCE
Became an accountant to a family at age 17
– Opened his eyes to the system’s injustices—taxes
paid by the peasants to support the small wealthy
class
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Studied & loved art, literature, music…
Married and had a son
– Became a teacher for noble families
Life, cont…

Later worked for the govt (believed he could
influence social change)
– Political aspirations unfulfilled—rejected by many
– Experienced imprisonment and an assassination
attempt
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Eventually worked as an advisor and edited the
classic texts. Died 5 years later.
Now revered in China as the “greatest teacher
who ever lived”
– Although rejected in his own day, became the
model for Chinese culture for over 2000 years
Scripture/Texts
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The “Five Classics” (of the past, revised by
Confucius):
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I-Ching (Book of Changes)
The Book of History (Shu Ching)
The Book of Poems (Shih Ching)
The Spring and Autumn Annals (Ch’un Ch’iu)
The Book of Rituals (Li Chi)
The “Four Books” (Confucian teachings from
his disciples)
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–
–
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Analects (Lun Yu)
Doctrine of the Mean
The Great Learning
The Book of Mencius (Meng-Tzu)
Goal of Confucianism
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Humans are naturally good
– What happened?
– Must lead by example
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To develop one’s Ren/Jen: Humaneness
– the innate goodness of humanity, deep empathy, compassion

You can become a Junzi/chun-tzu: the model
person or “Gentle Man”
Jen is developed through intentional living by
Confucian virtues…
Confucian Virtues
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Li: principle of harmony that rules everything
– Rites/Ritual/the correct way to behave

The Five Relationships
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Parent & child
Husband & wife
Older & younger sibling
Older & younger friend
Ruler & subject
The partners of each
relationship are
unequal, but have
formal responsibilities
to each other
Symbol of harmony
More Confucian Virtues
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Rectification of names – a
person or thing should be true
to its name

Reciprocity (shu) – the
Golden Rule:
– “Do not do to others what
you would not want others
to do to you”
The Problem for Humans

Disharmony
– Comes when humans think of themselves
before others—sets a bad example and
harms society
– Forget their responsibilities to others
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The Solution?
– reciprocity
Confucianism as a Religion
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Deification of Confucius - statues
Confucian Temples – honoring Confucius
Veneration of the ancestors
Rituals within…
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the household
the village
the state
the nation
The I-Ching
“Book of Changes”
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Ancient divination technique (at least 3000
years old)
Intended to guide humans in decision making
Based on combinations of lines representing
the ever changing relationship between passive
(yin) and active (yang) energy flow of heaven,
human, and earth
= yin
= yang
The Tri-grams
Eight combinations of three lines each:
heaven
wind /
wood
lake
Fire
water
thunder
mountain
earth
Using the I-Ching Tool
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Symbolism of the lines:
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Upper line = energy state of heaven
Middle line = energy state of human
Lower line = energy state of earth
#31
Two sets of trigrams are divined to create a
hexagram
Use coins or sticks to divine one of 64 hexagrams
Use I-Ching text to discern meaning of the
hexagram and any additional meaning for
“changing lines” (energies on the verge of
changing)
A skilled interpreter is needed to apply the
generic meaning of the hexagram
Feng Shui
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The Chinese art of placement (geomancy)
Means “wind water”– symbolically, the constant
flow of wind and water that creates constant
change in the world also affects us
Uses the five elements and the eight directions
of the I-Ching as the Bagua tool
Seeks to maintain constant and balanced flow of
energies (chi) in a space for improved flow of
energy in the people who use the space
Learn more on the Web
Learn more about Yin-Yang and the Five Elements:
http://www.wisdommedia.com/data/library/html/feng_shui_y
inyang.asp
I-ching sites:
 I-Ching Resources includes history of the I-Ching and details
about the trigrams:
http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_resources
 How to use the I-ching: http://littlestcat.com/iching/
Feng Shui sites:
 Series of pages on Feng Shui theory and application:
http://www.wisdommedia.com/data/library/html/feng_shui_
what_is.asp
 Feng Shui products and tips from MJG Designs:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mjgdesigns/designtips.html
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Explore more on the Web
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Taoist sites:
– The True Tao Homepage: a pleasant place to visit and
learn more http://www.taoism.net/html.html
– Taoism and the Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: informative
on both origins and religious Taoism
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/taoism.html
– About the Tao: http://www.thetao.info/tao/index.htm
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Confucian sites:
– http://www.friesian.com/confuci.htm an academic review of
basic Confucian teachings
– The Lun Yu (Analects), an English translation online:
http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange.htm