...Philosophy and Religion China’s history has been full of richness of culture, mainly due to how they progressed with philosophy and religion. Since the beginning of the Chinese’s civilization philosophy and religion has been at the forefront of Chinese culture. From the ancient oracle bones and bronze inscriptions to the development of different schools of thought, the Chinese have always been adept for the time period in philosophy and religion. And over the course of their history they have combined the two in a manner that suits their needs, through this evolution and combination of the two they have become a strong nation. Oracle bones were the corner stone of the early Chinese dynasties such as the Shang from around 1200-1050 B.C (Shang pg. 1). In one of the articles it attempts to explain the use of these bones by saying that the kings of the Shang Dynasty would “attempt to communicate with the spiritual forces that ruled their world by reading the stress cracks in cattle bones…” (Shang 1). These kings would apply a heated poker to the bones which would produce cracks that they would analyze based on the direction and deepness of the crack. Recently these bones and the records of the king’s analyzation were uncovered. An estimated 150,000 oracle bones were found, and have references to the god of the Shang, Di (Shang pg. 1). This type of analysis by the kings is an early form of a religion, and the building blocks for later philosophy and schools of thought in China’s...
Words: 1428 - Pages: 6
...the topic of religion in China. Right away it is told that the Chinese do not worship any one god, diety, or force. They are very spiritual but have no set predominant religion that most people worship. The Chinese culture can be said to be a mix between polytheistic, pantheistic, and atheistic. In the past some sinologists and sociologists such as Jan De Groot and C.K. Yang have sought to fully understand China’s religious position and have conducted many studies about Chinese spirituality and worship. Through time it was found that two types of religion exist in China, diffused and institutional. Diffused religion such as Confucianism is part of the country and its systems. It is within the families, education, and the state as a belief. Institutional religion exists as a separate entity of the systems and is in itself a system. Certain religions like Buddhism and Daoism can be said to be this because of their separate institutions and priesthoods. Before todays beliefs, however, existed many different cults and sects that practiced a variety of values and rituals. Way back in ancient times between 2000 and 1123 BC existed the ancient cults which included totemism, animism, and occultism. After that came the humanistic religions when the Zhou dynasty came into control between 1122 and 256 BC. Proceeding that came Confucianism and Daoism between 772 and 481 BC. This was followed by the introduction of foreign religions and their integration within China. Buddhism...
Words: 1061 - Pages: 5
...Religion in China was quite common for different areas of the country. The 3 religions were named Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. The different types of religions were important because of the different times in China. Each religion had a different meaning for that religion and time period. Taoism was founded during the Zhou Dynasty in the 6th century. Taoism people believed that one should be with nature and all living things to have a living flow throughout them. Taoist believers didn’t feel that the use of rules and government should be allowed and were very unique in this way. The second religion is Confucianism. Not long after Lao-Tzu found Taoism, Confucius was discovered in 551 BCE. Confucius came up with ways to how people should live...
Words: 472 - Pages: 2
...Buddhism Buddhism was introduced to China around the first century A.D. Since the fourth century A.D, it was widely spread and gradually became the most influential religion in China. Buddhism in China is divided into three branches according to varied language families, namely, Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Pali Buddhism and there are about 200 thousand Buddhist monks and nuns under these three branches. At present, there are more than 13 thousand Buddhist temples that are open to the public, 33 Buddhist colleges and nearly 50 types of Buddhist publications in China. As one branch of Buddhism in China, Tibetan Buddhism is mainly spread in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province with some 7 million believers from Tibetan, Mongolian, Yugu, Monba, Luoba and Tu nationalities. Pali Buddhism is popular in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture and Simao region in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province with over one million believers from Dai, Bulang, Achang and Va nationalities. The believers of Chinese Buddhism are mainly Han people, who live all over China. Taoism Taoism is a typically traditional religion in China with a history of more than 18 hundred years since the second century A.D. It advocates the worship of natural objects and ancestors as was practiced since time immemorial and had various factions in the history; later, it evolved into two major factions, namely...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...non-violence in all parts of life, speaking truth, sexual monogamy, and the detachment from material things. As part of the disciplined and non-violent lifestyle, Jains typically are strict vegetarians and often adhere to a quite arduous practice of non-violence, which restricts the sorts of occupations the may follow (no farming, for instance, since insects are inadvertently harmed in plowing). Read more: http://www.patheos.com/Library/Jainism.html#ixzz32xMJg98y In Buddhism there is not, as in most other religions, an Almighty God to be obeyed and feared. The Buddha does not believe in a cosmic ruler, omniscient and omnipresent. In Buddhism there are no divine revelations or divine messengers. A Buddhist is, therefore, not obediant to any higher supernatural power which controls his destinies and which arbitrarily rewards and punishes. Since Buddhists do not believe in revelations of a divine being Buddhism does not claim the monopoly of truth and does not condemn any other religion. In Buddhism, there is no savior. There’s no one who’s going to do it for us, no place we can hide out for safety. We have to face reality squarely, and we have to do it alone. Even when Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, what they’re really taking refuge in is the truth that there’s no...
Words: 1008 - Pages: 5
...Daoist is one of the most popular and long-life traditional Chinese religion which can be traced back to the Warring States period. It is a religion that derived from the classic Daoism philosophy which emphasizes the significance of “Dao”, which is the origin who created everything including the universe itself. Long-life is the ultimate goal that Daoist value most and their way to achieve it is through the continuous cultivation of more “Qi”, which is the basic element that sustains the essential human life. Art of bedchamber (“房中术”) in Daoist is one of the many ways that masters use in the religious practices to achieve their goals, as Goldin (2006) in his work “The cultural and religious background of sexual vampirism in ancient China” states that “Proponents of the bedchamber techniques theorized that if one could suck up the genetal fluids of one’s partner during sexual intercourse without releasing any fluids of one’s own, one would emerge from the encounter with an increased store of qi” (2)....
Words: 424 - Pages: 2
...EALC 275 Paper 2 Grace Chang The influence of the Three Teachings in Monkey Monkey is an abbreviated translation from the Chinese Classic novel: Xi You Ji (The Journey to the West) composed by Wu cheng’en. The whole book is narrating the story of Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty traveling west to India to get the scripture, which is considered a greater vehicle that can be the salvation to all beings. Although apparently the idea of Buddhism is shown as the major concept throughout the whole small talk, the other two Teachings including Confucianism and Daoism are also sufficiently blended in the whole master piece. As a matter of fact, Monkey blends Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism together, which form in Neo-Confucianism. Throughout the whole book, their characteristics and the experience they went through show the ritual and benevolence in Confucianism idea, adopt the natural way in Daoist philosophy, and explain the path to reach Nirvana in Buddhist belief. The backgrounds of the main characters can represent the influence by three Teachings. First of all, in the whole book, Tripitaka blended the Confucianism ritual and benevolence traits into Buddhism suffering Nirvana process, and eventually got the true meaning of Buddhism and became a Bodhisattva. Tripitaka, the core character of this west Journey, was the son of Chen O who received the first place at the final Court Examination and married the daughter of the minister. Civil Exam was an examination that adheres to Confucian...
Words: 1957 - Pages: 8
...the main stream of Buddhism. There are also dialogues between Mouzi and questioners arguing about the Buddhism’s potential effects on Chinese culture. Buddhism does not put much concentration on philosophical and metaphysical explanations of the Way like other schools of thoughts; neither did it intend to admonish rulers by concerning about political issues. Buddhism’s targeted audience would be those who want to achieve nirvana since it emphasizes a lot on humanity and regards teaching the idea of transmigration to commoners as their priority. The questioners’ suspect tones in Mouzi’s Disposing of Error reveal that most people at that time are suspicious about Buddhism because it is completely different from ideas proclaimed by former religion groups. However, it does not deviate from central ideas but brings more flexibility. Based on the belief that all things are transient, people and rules need to change with time. This is demonstrated by Buddhism beliefs that monks can injury themselves, do not need to marry and give birth to the next generation and even do not have to bow down before a king. Although it seems that Buddhism contradicts with Confucianism’s idea of filial piety as well as disregards Daoists’ desire for immortality, it actually brings humanity to the first place. Buddhism’s arguments are not as effective as Mohists’ or Legalists’ because it does not use logic to persuade people; whereas it has faith in its followers that they would abide by what Buddha said...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
...Compare and contrast Daoism (Taoism), Legalism, and Confucianism. Daoism, Legalism, and Confucianism share similarities as they worked together to form schools of thought that worked to exercised a deep influence in Chinese political and cultural traditions. They also worked to bring political and social stability to China during the years of the Zhou dynasty and the period of the warring states (Bently, Ziegler & Streets, p.100). The differences among the three is Confucian’s involved themselves in society by holding government positions and made concrete efforts to solve political and social problems while promoting harmony in public life. The Daoism’s believed that it would be pointless to focus on social activism. Instead they focused their time trying to understand the principles of living in harmony as they believed that someday there would be harmony to society as a whole (Bently et. al. p.103). The Legalists were unlike the other two. They did not concern themselves with ethics, morality or property nor did they care about the place of human beings in nature, instead, they placed their focus to the state, which they sought to strengthen and expand at all costs (Bently et. al. p.104). What did each system stress as most important? Daoists thought that they should withdraw from the world of politics and administration so that humans could not live in harmony (Bently et. al. p.103). Legalists’ sought to channel as many individuals as possible into...
Words: 452 - Pages: 2
...Lee Skinner ( Person # 37646847 ) World Civilization 1 William Newsome Ramya Sreenivasan The Treatment of Confucianism and Daoism The treatment of Confucianism and Daoism are seen abundantly throughout The Chinese Maize Murders. Many social values of Confucianism are portrayed through Judge Dee, the hero of the novel. The novel portrays the Confucians as having rulers with impeccable intellect and knowledge. The Daoist is viewed as people that do not value thought and education,” Knowledge is bad because it creates distinctions.”( Craig textbook, pg 54) This is supported by the Dragon and Worm analogy in the story. The novel ultimately endorses the values of Confucianism. This is exemplified through the main character Judge Dee and is supported by the fact that the three main conflicts of the story are solved by Confucian thinking and reasoning. The relationship between these two philosophies is seen as Confucianism learning from the thoughts of Daoism. Judge Dee is the ideal Confucian. He rules with rich morals and deeply thought out justice. The Confucian idea that the smartest men should rule is shown through Judge Dee. He is a brilliant man that uses his wit and knowledge to solve case after case. He uses violence when he has to but he prefers to outsmart his opposition to resolve conflict, just as the thoughts of Confucianism state. He demonstrates the Confucian ideas of proper conduct, compassion, generosity and righteousness. Throughout the story he holds up to these...
Words: 941 - Pages: 4
...the collapse of the Han dynasty around 200 C.E. Due to the chaos and violence in China; it discredited Confucianism and led the Chinese to see Buddhism as hope. However, not all Chinese agreed with the idea of Buddhism and were strongly against its practice and presence in China. Documents 2 and 3 were supportive of the religion, while documents 4 and 6 opposed it. Although documents 1 and 5 described Buddhism, it remained neutral in the controversy while it gave a reliable view on the religion. Even though these documents were helpful on understanding the different viewpoints on Buddhism around that time, it would be also beneficial to use a document from a female’s perspective. Documents 2 and 3 both viewed the increasing popularity of Buddhism in China to be positive. Document 2 briefly explained the many benefits of joining Buddhism, but its author, Zhi Dun, is an unreliable source. Zhi Dun was a Chinese scholar, indicating that he lived in an upper class life and may not have understood the struggles of the lower classes in China. In addition, Zhi...
Words: 680 - Pages: 3
...There are an abundant amount of religious and glorified explanations of how our world has become present day. Society refers to these narratives as myths or legends. Mythology spreads all across the world reaching different cultures, which in their own have ideologies to the present common rituals beliefs that have brought their culture to present form. Although there has been much development in the culture of Chinese mythology, this culture can be traced back 4,000 years to the oldest of myths (Willis 88). Mythology tries to answer the question of earth’s origin through beliefs and cultural myths. In Chinese mythology the earth is said to have formed when chaos ruled the universe, from this chaos a cosmic egg formed for 18,000 years. A divine beast formed within the egg creating a perfect balance known as Yin and Yang. The divine beast burst the egg apart and separated Yin from Yang to create earth and sky. The Yin or light parts formed the male skies while the opaque Yang parts formed the female earth. The beast Pan Gu then lies down and dies so that he may rise up to keep the earth and sky apart. His body parts then become sun, earth, moon, wind, water, and clouds. The symbolism of complementary opposition is a representation of their duality and oneness and is represented in Chinese culture through the Yin and Yang symbol and is a staple in Chinese culture. Mythology has a strong belief in deities and supernatural beings. Pan Gu is a supernatural divine creature...
Words: 889 - Pages: 4
...In the first century C.E, Buddhism came to China from India via trade. Political instability and disunity between 220 C.E and 570 C.E. are effects of the arrival of Buddhism in China because some people accepted the religion and others resisted it. Zong Mi believes that the teachings of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha, perform and reward good deeds and punish wicked deeds, synthesize the foundation for an orderly society (Doc 5). An anonymous Chinese scholar addresses speculation about the validity and the practices of the Buddhist religion, such as depriving themselves of certain luxuries of the world, i.e. marriage, children, and worldly wealth. This scholar claims that in order for a teaching to be acceptable it doesn’t need to be incorporated...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...Leonard Bilal Blacklock AC0325687 World Civilizations I (HS150) Lesson 6 Assignment 6 03/04/2015 Sui Dynasty (589 – 618 CE) was a short lived Imperial Chinese dynasty, preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It unified China for the first time after nearly four centuries of north-south division. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty. Founded by Emperor Wen of Sui, the capital was Chang’an. His reign saw the reunification of Southern and Northern China and the construction of the Grand Canal, connecting the Yellow and Yangtze River for easy trading. The canal was used to carry rice and other agricultural products. Wendi was the first emperor to build a centralized government, created legal codes (social security); Buddhism was also spread and encouraged throughout the empire, uniting varied peoples and cultures of China.(Refer to pages 277; Wikipedia,2015). The Sui dynasty which reunified China after nearly four centuries of political fragmentation during which the north and south had developed in different ways, played a part far more important than its short span would suggest. In the same way that the Qin rulers of the 3rd century BC had unified China after the Zhanguo (Warring States) period, so the Sui brought China together again and set up many institutions that were to be adopted by their successors, the Tang. Like the Qin, however, the Sui overstrained their resources and fell. And also as in the case of the Qin, traditional history has judged the...
Words: 667 - Pages: 3
...first movable type using clay fired characters that he made. In 868 the first printed book, using full page woodcuts, was produced. Bi Sheng developed typesetting techniques to print books, but his technology was not perfected until 1298. 4. Compass: The Chinese the lodestone compass in the 4th century BC. These compasses pointed south instead of north and were mostly used on land. Thermo-remanence needles were being produced for mariners by the year 1040, with common use recorded by 1119. 5. Gunpowder: Discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists that were searching for an elixir of immortality. Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du in the Song Dynasty have the earliest recordings of three formulas for making gunpowder. In ancient China, gunpowder and weapons the used gunpowder were invented and were commonly...
Words: 964 - Pages: 4
