Buddhism, Hinduism, Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism
The Philosophies of China
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?
BuddhismThe “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 sufferThe cause of suffering is self-
centered desire & attachmentsThe 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:•Right speech
•Right action
•Right livelihood
Mental discipline:•Right effort
•Right mindfulness
•Right meditation
What do Buddhist believe?Rebirth (reincarnation) results from
attachments (karma)Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state
of mindAchieving Nirvana means escape from
the cycle of rebirthSuffering 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 agoThe religion of the Indian peopleGave birth to BuddhismMany 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 godVishnu, the preserver godShiva, god of
constructive
destruction
All these deities are butManifest forms (attributesand functions) of theimpersonal Brahman
All these deities are butManifest forms (attributesand functions) of theimpersonal 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 ConfuciusBorn 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 ConfuciusTo reform corrupt governmentsBelieved anyone could learn, not just the
nobles Respect your eldersPractice 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 positionsBecause 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.
LegalismEstablished 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
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.
To escape the “social, political, & cultural traps” of life, one must escape by:
Masculine Active Light Warmth Strong Heaven; Sun
Feminine Passive Darkness Cold Weak Earth; Moon
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.