Download The Philosophies of China

The Philosophies of China
Buddhism, Hinduism, Legalism, Confucianism, and
Daoism
What is philosophy?
 System by which people live their lives
 Looking to be a good person
 Many Asian religions mix philosophy and religion
 What is YOUR personal life philosophy?
Buddhism
The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
 A 2500 year old tradition that began in India and
spread and diversified throughout the Far East
 A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice
followed by more than 300 million people
 Based on the teachings of the Buddha
The “Three Jewels” of Buddhism
Buddha – the teacher
Dharma – the teachings
Sangha – the community
What did the Buddha teach?
The Four Noble Truths:
 To live is to suffer
 The cause of suffering is self-centered desire &
attachments
 The solution is to eliminate desire and
attachment, thus achieving Nirvana (“extinction”)
 The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold
Path”
What is the Eight-Fold Path?
Wisdom:
•Right understanding
•Right motivation
Moral
discipline: Mental
•Right speech
•Right action
discipline:
•Right effort
•Right mindfulness
•Right livelihood
•Right meditation
What do Buddhist believe?
 Rebirth (reincarnation) results from attachments
(karma)
Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of mind
 Achieving Nirvana means escape from the cycle of

rebirth
 Suffering is a state of mind – achieve a balanced,
peaceful, detached state of mind and suffering can
be extinguished (Nirvana)
What is Hinduism?
 The oldest religions of humanity—est. 5000
years ago
 The religion of the Indian people
 Gave birth to Buddhism
 Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate
Reality (meaning they appear to be polytheistic,
but are not!)
 No particular founder
Who do Hindus worship? –
the major gods of the Hindu Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes
and functions) of the
impersonal Brahman
What do Hindus believe?
Reincarnation – people are continually born into
this world lifetime after lifetime
Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps
us bound to this world (good and bad) aka what
goes around comes around!
Practice yoga to achieve greatest mediation state
Hold all parts of life scared and therefore are
vegetarians
Do not eat COWS because they are considered
scared

Four “stations” of life (Caste) - priests & teachers, nobles
& warriors, merchant class, servant class
Life of Confucius
 Born during the Zhou
dynasty in 551 BCE
 During his lifetime, there
was a lot of fighting among
the nobles in the feudal
system
 There was little peace and a
lot of corruption in the
government
Teachings of Confucius
 To reform corrupt governments
 Believed anyone could learn, not just the nobles
 Respect your elders
 Practice moral responsibility through rigid rules of behavior
 “The superior man blames himself. It is the inferior man
who blames others”
 “When a ruler behaves himself correctly, the people will
also.”
Impact of Confucianism
 His teachings opened the minds of ancient Chinese :
 No longer were only nobles allowed to hold government
positions
 Because of Confucius’ teachings, anyone who could pass an
examination could carry out CIVIL SERVICE
1. Human nature is naturally selfish.
2. Intellectualism and literacy is
discouraged.
3. Law is the supreme authority and
replaces morality.
4. The ruler must rule with a strong,
punishing hand.
5. War is the means of strengthening
a ruler’s power.
Legalism
 Established and enforced by Emperor Shi Huang Di
(Emperor Qin)
 Only ruled for 11 years but was able to build the largest part
of the GREAT WALL and the Terra Cotta Soldier Army
To escape the “social, political, & cultural
traps” of life, one must escape by:
1. Rejecting formal knowledge and
learning.
2. Relying on the senses and instincts.
3. Discovering the nature and
“rhythm” of the universe.
4. Ignoring political and social laws.
Feminine
Passive
Darkness
Cold
Weak
Earth;
Moon
Masculine
Active
Light
Warmth
Strong
Heaven;
Sun
How is a man to live in a world dominated by
chaos, suffering, and absurdity??
Confucianism --> Moral order in society.
Legalism --> Rule by harsh law & order.
Daoism --> Freedom for individuals and
less govt. to avoid
uniformity and conformity.