Post on 26-Dec-2015
transcript
World Religions, Sixth EditionWarren Matthews
Chapter Six:
China and Japan
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Early Chinese Dynasties
Xia Dynasty ~ 2000 BCE - 1500 BCE
Shang Dynasty 1500 BCE - 1027 BCE
Zhou Dynasty 1027 BCE - 256 BCE
Han Dynasty 206 BCE - 220 BCE
Sui Dynasty 589 - 618
Tang Dynasty 618 - 907
Sung (Song) Dynasty 960 - 279
Yuan Dynasty 1279 - 1369
Ming Dynasty 1369 - 1644
Affect of Confucianism and Daoism (China and Korea) on Shinto (Japan)
Two Sages Historically Honored by China
Laozi
Reflected in the lines of the cryptic classic the Dao De Jing (Tao
Te Ching)
Wrote at the time of the gurus of the Upanishads
Probably preceded Siddhartha’s enlightenment
Confucius
The more widely known sage
Thought to have been a contemporary of the Buddha
Yin-Yang
Everything can be described as both Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang
Are not mutually exclusive
Are interdependent
Can both be further subdivided into Yin and Yang
Consume and support each other, transform into one another
Are intertwined (part of Yin is in Yang, part of Yang is in Yin)
Involve forces that regain balance with yin-yang curves
Early Chinese Thought
Yin and Yang are fundamental, complementary principles evidenced
throughout the cosmos
The I Ching relies on notions of yin and yang
The I Ching is a practice that indicates ways of living and acting in
accordance with the cosmos
The Dao is the way of the universe
I Ching
The idea behind this system of divination is that the oracle will select
the appropriate answer regardless of the probabilities
The text of the ancient book, Yijing, or I Ching, is a set of predictions
represented by a set of sixty-four abstract line arrangements called
hexagrams
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
Lived 570-490 BCE in the capital of China
His life was mostly legendary, but tradition attributes the authorship of
the Dao De Jing to him
The story says he perceived that the kingdom's affairs were
disintegrating, was tired of living in society
He was about to travel West on a buffalo, when a gatekeeper
encouraged him to write to preserve his wisdom
He climbed down from his buffalo and wrote Dao De Jing
He was never heard from again
Dao De Jing
The Dao is “everything”
Laozi sometimes referred to the Dao as the “Mother” of all things
Underneath the visible, the universe is constantly changing
There is a constant flow of change
Interrupting this flow brings trouble
The natural flow of things is best
The Object in life is to live in harmony with the changing universe
Daoism (Taoism)
Societies must adapt to the Dao for survival
Most societies’ customs exist contrary to the universe
Trying to live as society leads most into trouble
People must learn to “go with the flow”
Wisdom comes with experience, age
Contemplation, meditation to learn nature of the universe
Wuwei
Lifestyle emphasizes quietism, avoids aggression
Compared to water
No shape, but wears out shapes
A sage acts without acting
Influencing without seeming to exert oneself
Ideal society is small village
Believes that government is best which governs least
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)
Zhuangzi (369-286 BCE)
Influential interpreter of the Dao De Jing
Reflected on the experience of dreaming
The uncertainty of knowing what is real or not
Do I dream the butterfly, or does the butterfly dream me?
Stressed the role of perspective in formulating one’s
understanding of the world
Sectarian Daoism
In the first century CE, Zhang Daoling founded a secret society
dedicated to faith healing and longevity: the “Celestial Masters” sect
In the fourth century CE, Ge Hong compiled the Baopuzi (Pao P´u-
tzu), a collection of alchemical formulas intended to impart
immortality
During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), Laozi became revered
as a deity in what became an increasingly elaborate pantheon of
celestial beings
Daoist Worldview
Ancestors could be transformed, becoming immortal or deified
Impersonal universe invisible but in harmony
Cannot be influenced though humans seek to discern it
What is natural to a person should be valued over social conventions
or proprieties
Acting without regard to the naturalness of the cosmos results in
suffering
Inaction is the secret of a good life
Daoist Worldview
Strategies for attaining immortality include:
Meditative practices
Alchemy
Sexual practices
Daoist priests trained to interact with:
Spirits
Ancestors
Deities
Confucius
Born around 551 BCE in Shantung Province
Early career as a teacher
Later served under the Duke of Lu as a government official
Became a traveling scholar in search of rulers who would heed
his advice on statesmanship
Attracted disciples who traveled with him
Seventeenth Century Chinese Scroll Painting of Confucius
Confucianism
Human beings are fundamentally good in nature
People learn best through example
The ideal male, refined in virtues, is the junzi, or “gentleman”
Li, the principle of harmony, should rule social life
Li should dictate ritual and formal ways of behavior
Yi is internalized li, the self becomes orderly
Confucianism
The Five Relationships:
Ruler vs. subject
Husband vs. wife
Elder brother vs. younger brother
Elder friend vs. younger friend
Father vs. son
Confucianism
Li – the principle of harmony in formal relationships
Should rule home, society, government
Can be learned by studying music and poetry
Junzi – the superior man
Ren – kindness, compassion
The state of being genuinely human
Learned by studying music and poetry
Junzi
Five virtues of the junzi:
Upright without regard to outward circumstances
Forgiving
Sincere in word and deed
Earnest
Generous
Jen, humanness, is not prescribed but internally directed
Confucianism is predominantly an ethical, rather than metaphysical,
philosophy
Other Teachings in the Time of Confucius – the Mohists
Mozi (Mo Tzu) lived between 479 and 381 BCE in Song or Lu
Taught jainai, or universal love
The Mohists believed that life should be lived on the basis of “share
and share alike”
This varied from the teachings of Confucius, who believed that doing
good was reserved for friends and not enemies
Other Teachings in the Time of Confucius – the Fajia (Legalists)
School of philosophy dating from the third century BCE
People are only responsive to harsh laws, therefore rulers should
instill fear
Han Feizi, a representative of the school, wrote that people were
untrustworthy
The Fajia thought all people are evil, unlike Confucius who thought
all people are good
Confucians and Daoists
Both appeal to a principle called the Dao, or Way
Daoists
Believe that human fulfillment means living in accordance with
nature
Are individualistic, without regard to social convention
Confucians
Believe that human fulfillment means acting out one’s social role
Keep a place appropriate to social life
Followers of Confucius
Mengzi
Believe that humanity’s natural inclination is toward good
Feel that virtue is the basis of good governance
Xunzi
Believe that humans are fundamentally evil
Hold that people can only become good through training
Later History of Confucianism
206-220 BCE – Confucian thinking adopted by Han dynasty rulers
as the norm for the Chinese empire
Confucius upheld as a deified teacher
1130-1200 CE – during the Song dynasty, Confucian thinker Zhuxi
creates neo-Confucianism
Revives centuries of Confucian thought
Stresses understanding of the Great Ultimate, or Taiji (Tai Chi)
Central teaching was the Doctrine of the Mean
Later History of Confucianism
618-907 CE – during the Tang dynasty, Confucianism was brought
from China to Korea
Neo-Confucian thought was also later established in Korea
Twentieth century – Confucianism in China was weakened
This began to occur with the rise of Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925)
Also later with the leadership of Mao Tsetung (1893–1976)
The Confucian “Four Books”
The details of Confucius’ teaching, as remembered by his disciples,
are contained in the Four Books:
The Analects (Lun Yu)
The Great Learning, Daxue (Ta Hsueh)
The Doctrine of the Mean, Zhongyong (Chung Yung)
The Book of Mencius, Mengzi (Meng- tze)
Temple of Heaven, Bejing
Chinese Folk Religion
A widespread, popular practice
Involved a wide panoply of deities, ghosts, and ancestors
Held that communication practices like divination were important
Believed that ancestors deserved attention
Warned that “hungry ghosts” could be a persistent problem if their
needs were not met
Confucian Worldview
Tianming, or mandate of heaven, is the sign of a legitimate ruler
World is fundamentally good
Although there is disagreement on human nature, all Confucians
believe that humans require education to become good
The problem for humans is disharmony that arises when humans
act at the expense of others
Shintoism
To be grateful for blessings of kami and the benefits of ancestors
To be diligent in the observance of the Shinto rites, applying oneself to them
with sincerity, brightness, and purity of heart
To be helpful to others and in the world at large, through deeds of service
without thought of reward
To seek the advancement of the world as one whose life mediates the will of
kami
To bind oneself with others in harmonious acknowledgement of the will of
the emperor, praying that the country may flourish and that people may live
in peace and prosperity
Shintoism
Shinto is the worship of kami
Kami are the spirits alive in particular sacred places
Places were marked with a rope, gateway (torii), or structure
People become kami and kami become people
Kami are to be respected and acknowledged
As with all spirits, kami may do good or bad for you
Most important kami is Amaterasu, the sun goddess
She is the physical ancestor of the royal family
She is the protector/guardian angel for the Japanese
Torii Gate, Marking a Sacred Place
Shinto, the Way of the Kami
Worship of the kami, or deities found in nature, is the earliest form of
Japanese religion
Spirits of sacred persons and places were honored
Places were marked as sacred by a rope, a gateway (torii), or a
small structure
With the arrival of Buddhism from Korea, worship of the kami
became more institutionalized
According to some Shinto accounts, Japan formed by two kami:
Izanami and Izanagi
Shinto Priest at a Wedding Ceremony in Japan
Shintoism
Kami and ancestors merged in a kami-dana in family house
Must cleans hands first
Use prayers, rice, and flowers
Kami honored in local shrines
Places to come for local help
Prosperity, healing, guidance
The Kami Amaterasu honored
State shrines and war memorials
The Emperor has specific Shinto duties as head of nation
A Kami-dana in a Home
Samurai
Developed during the Kamakura period (twelfth through fourteenth
centuries)
Roots in extreme patriotism, Daoism, and Zen Buddhism
Bushido code of honor included gratitude, courage, justice, and
fierce determination to succeed
Failure requires ritualized suicide, called hari-kari
Concern for purification
Shintoism in Japanese History
Prince Shotoku (574-622 CE) attempted to establish harmony in
Japan among Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintoism
In later periods of Japanese history, such as the Tokugawa regime,
Shintoism was suppressed
This came at the expense of Confucianism and Buddhism
Then Emperor Meiji ascended in the nineteenth century
A purified form of Shinto was established as the state religion,
abolishing other religious practices
State Shinto declined with the defeat of Japan in World War II
Shinto in Japanese History
Sectarian forms of Shinto survived from the nineteenth century
Healing groups
Tenrikyo
P. L. (Perfect Liberty) Kyodan
Miki Tokuchika
Seicho-no-le (House of Growth)
Shinto Worldview
Natural world revered as divine
Kami identified with or reside in natural phenomenon
Worship of the sun goddess Amaterasu-Omikami, who is partial to
the peoples of Japan
Concern not worldly but focused on the Japanese people
Ritual pollution and purification are very important
Integration into family and national life is central to ethics