Eastern Philosophies:Confucianism and Daoism

Brian Rohde, Alex Foyle, Erin O’Brien, Alyson Schrock

History

• Taoism’s beginnings started in the writing of the Tao Te Ching, which was in the 5th century BC but did not gain official status in China Until the Tang Dynasty, then lost popularity to Confucianism in the 18th century.

History, cont.

• Confucian tradition began in Chinese antiquity, long before the birth of Confucius, supposedly in the Yellow River Valley. It was propagated by Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor.

• Confucius, given the name Chi’u, was not born until 551 BCE in Qufu to a poor family. He served in government in the state of Lu, but later spent thirteen years traveling the country and asking various rulers if they would practice his philosophy. He was unsuccessful.

• He returned home and spent the years up to his death in 479 BCE teaching and working on the Five Classics.

Books

• Tao te Ching (Dao Da Jing) (The Way of Power or the Book of the Way) was written by Taoist monk Lao Tse in the 6th century BC

• Chuang tzu contains aditional teachings• Other books like the Taipingjing and Baopuzi

contain alchemical formulas that early Taoists thought could lead to an immortal life

• Some believe that reciting certain texts often enough will be rewarded with immorality.

Confucian Texts

• Classic of Changes (Yi Jing)-Represents the various combinations of yin and yang.

• Classic of Documents (Shu Jing)- historical events that provide lessons in moral behavior

• Classic of Poetry (Shi Jing)-Many of the 305 poems are read as allegories to government.

• The Record of Rites (Li Ji)- Holds protocol for the young, for royalty, and many philosophies.

• Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

Confucian Maxims

• “Harmony is the most valuable.”

• “If you do not consider the future, you will be in trouble when it comes near.”

• “Rule by moral force.”

Sacred People

• Fu Xi- the originator

• Huang Di

• Shen Nong

• Lao Tse

Sacred Spaces

• The Temple of Confucius at Qufu

• The Munmyo Shrine in Korea

• Taishan (Mount Tai) in China. It is the most important of five sacred mountains.

Confucian Beliefs

• The Mandate of Heaven• The Five Relationships• During the Shang Dynasty (1766-1050 BCE), the use of

oracle bones was promoted. • Yin and Yang-opposing forces (light and dark, man and

woman, etc.)• Li-the prescribed conduct for everyday life • Ren-goodness, humaneness, love, benevolence • Qi (Ch’i)-vital matter; material in which all things are

made. • Xiao- the virtue of filial piety• Taiji (T’ai-chi)- The Great Ultimate; the ordering principle

of the cosmos

Taoist Beliefs• Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through

all life. • Each believer's goal is to harmonize themselves with the Tao • The purpose of human life is to live in accordance to the Tao,

requiring passivity, calmness, non-striving, humility, and lack of planning (to plan is to go against the Tao).

• Yin and Yang• 5 Elements (metal, wood, fire, water, earth)• Physical immortality, alchemy, breath control, hygiene.• Deities, Lao Tzu one of three Supreme Ones’• Time is cyclical• Kind to others• Plan before taking action

The Afterlife• There is belief in a spirit world, where ancestors, gods, and ghosts

reside. • “Heaven”, so to speak, is the dwelling place of the gods and also a

vast bureaucracy. There is much intermingling between humans and the gods-mostly due to the fact that the gods are susceptible to bribes or favors.

• The Head of this Celestial Bureaucracy is known as the Jade Emperor. He is the spiritual counterpart to the mortal emperor.

• In China, it is believed a person has two souls: a yin qi soul and a yang qi soul.

• Offerings are left to dead ancestors to give unity, fertility, and good fortune to a family.

• Hell is also a bureaucracy and when in Hell, you must undo your karmic imbalance before you are reincarnated.

Facts

• Believe that there are continuous revelation in the form of Fuji

• Emphasis on wu wei (non-action), spontaneity, humanism, relativism, and emptiness

• Use Tai Chi to balance flow of energy• Tao means the flow of the universe, or force

behind the natural order– It can also be used to describe proper attitude or

lifestyle• Before Confucius, Confucianism was known as

rujia, or the School of Ru, ru meaning “weak” or “yielding.”

Works Cited

• http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/taoism.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism

• http://www.wadsworth.com/religion_d/special_features/popups/maps/matthews_world/content/map_91.html

• www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm