...Chapter 8,9,& 10 1. Are Taoism and Confucianism truly religions argue both sides. Taoism and Confucianism are two very different religious traditions of ancient China. Both Taoism and Confucianism cannot clearly be explained as a religion with certain doctrines and rituals as other well –known religions. As religious and social forces, they have coexisted for centuries in China and have spread to other Asian regions. The name Taoism is taken from the title of the book called “Tao Te Ching, which translates to “the way of nature. Taoism is based on the ancient Chinese understanding of the universe. Historically, the origin of Taoist philosophy is unclear, but it is said that the founder of Taoism is Lao-tzu, who lived in the sixth century B.C.E. Taoism can be described in terms of its history and its effects on Chinese people, nut it cannot be clearly delineated as a religion with a certain body of doctrine and rituals of Chinese antiquity. Philosophically, for Taoism, the ideal life is one that is lived in harmony with the way of this shifting nature. By the early centuries of the Common Era, Taoism had been converted into a religion complete with gods, priests, temples and sacrifices. In the modern days, Taoism is mainly associated with charms, exorcisms and magical attempts to prolong life, in which there is a self-generating force called chi (rather than there being a Creator Deity). This force manifests two interplaying aspects: yin and yang. Yin is the dark...
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...medicine in Western nations follows the way of hypothetical deduction and the Eastern approach uses the inductive method. The Western approach clearly divides the health from the disease, yet the Eastern approach considers health as a balanced state versus disease as an unbalanced state. The Western approach tends to change the environment and the Eastern way is to prefer to adapt to the environment. There are numerous difficulties in comparing these two approaches. The same terminology may apply to entirely different facts, the teaching and learning methods are quite different, and the evaluation of the treatment is almost not comparable. In order to help understand the Eastern approach better, an understanding is needed of the basic Chinese concepts: the concept of a small universe living in a large universe; the duality concept of yin and yang; the concept of anatomy; the concept of physiology in Chinese medicine-the state of equilibrium expressed by the five elements; the concept of pathophysiology expressed by the external and internal insults; the concept of maintaining and promoting health expressed by the circulation of chi and hsieh; the therapeutic concept in Chinese medicine-the normalization or reestablishment of balance of the body function; the concept of preventive medicine. Two WESTERN STATES in the United States, Nevada and Hawaii, have regulated acupuncture as an independent practice not requiring medical referral or supervision.' Two other states have ruled that...
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... |Hsun Tzu | | | | | | |Chu Hsi | | | |CENTRAL BELIEFS |Henotheistic – Recognize a |Four Noble Truths – (a) all|Jen – Humanity, |Tao – Way or path. |Kinship – Family is seen as| | |single deity and view other|life involves suffering, |benevolence. | |the main mechanism by which| | |Gods and Goddesses as |(b) suffering originates | |Yin and Yang - Chinese |traditions are preserved. | | |manifestations or aspects |from our desires, there can|Li – Ceremonies, rituals, |philosophy representing the| | | |of that supreme God. |be an end to desire, (c) |and rules of conduct. |bright and dark (male and |Love of Nature – Sacred; to| | | |which in turn will end |...
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...19th century.The word 道, Tao (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme), roughly translates as, "path" or "way" (of life), although in Chinese folk religion and philosophy it carries more abstract meanings. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility, while Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the relationship between humanity and the cosmos (天人相应), health and longevity, and wu wei (action through inaction), which is thought to produce harmony with the Universe. Reverence for ancestor spirits and immortals is also common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view as debased. Chinese alchemy (including Neidan), astrology, cuisine, Zen Buddhism,several Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional medicine, feng shui, immortality, and many styles of qigong breath training disciplines have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history. Spelling and pronunciation In English, the words Daoism and Taoism are the subject of an ongoing controversy over the preferred romanization. The root Chinese word 道 "way, path" is romanized tao in the older Wade–Giles system and dào in the modern Pinyin system. In linguistic terminology, English Taoism/Daoism is a calque formed from the Chinese loanword tao/dao 道 "way; route; principle" and the native suffix -ism. The sometimes heated arguments over Taoism vs. Daoism involve sinology...
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...Kong Qui, better known as Confucius, was born in 551 B.C. in the Lu state of China . Know also as a philosopher and creator of Confucianism who focused on creating moral models of family and public interaction, and setting educational standards in early China. Confucius expounded a system of social and political philosophy which he conveyed to a group of his students. His teachings and sayings were later collected by his students written in a book known as the Analects. In The Analects, Confucius describes the ideal person or otherwise known as the perfect gentleman. He talks about what it takes to become the perfect gentleman. Confucius describes the perfect gentlemen of being moral, but what does he really mean by saying moral , how...
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...The Most Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions Clarence Grant III Strayer University Humanities 111 Professor Greg Moore December 2, 2012 The Most Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions Early Chinese civilization invented numerous basic and vital necessities that are presently used around the world. Some of the most valuable ancient Chinese inventions include but are not limited to the following: silk, printing, paper, mathematics, Seismograph, the compass, gunpowder, bamboo and medicine (About.com, 2012). To me, of the four innovations listed I would select the following inventions: medicine, gunpowder, paper and printing. One of the Chinese culture’s first inventions was paper. During the 2nd century the earliest form of paper was made from hemp fibers. Even before the end of the ancient times, the Chinese had already acquired a level of expertise with papermaking. During the Qin (221-206 BC) and Western Han (206 BC -220 AD) dynasties, the art of making floss (rough silk) from inferior cocoon was greatly utilized. The basic process of making the floss (named Piao Xu) included continuous “thrashes” and “stamp crushing” (which involved a mill for crushing). Afterwards, the same procedure was used in papermaking. During ancient times, Chinese people used limewater or plant ash water to separate raw silk from the gum component. This system paved the way for future papermaking, which utilizes degumming vegetable fiber in the papermaking process (ChinaCulture.org...
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...Renminbi • Population: 1.35 billion • Government: Communist • Language: Mandarin HISTORY • Third largest country in the world in terms of area and population • Official Name: People’s Republic of China (Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo) • Republic was established in 1949 • The name CHINA is probably derived from the Qin (Ch’in) dynasty (206-221 BC) which first unified the nation • Chinese used the name Zhonggua (Chung-kuo) which means middle country with their belief that China is in the middle of the world • China is divided into 23 provinces and 5 autonomous regions • China’s written history began during the Shang Dynasty • In 1921. the long civil war between the ruling nationalists or Kuomintang, led by the Chiang Kaishek, and the communists led by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse –Tung) RELEVANT FACTS • One in every five people in the world is Chinese. China’s population is estimated to reach a whopping 1,338,612,968 by July 2009. China’s population is four times that of the United States. • Red symbolizes happiness for the Chinese and is commonly used at Chinese festivals and other happy occasions such as birthdays and weddings • China’s “one child” policy has contributed to female infanticide and has created a significant gender imbalance. There are currently 32 million more boys than girls in China. In the future, tens of millions of men will be unable to find wives, prompting some scholars to suggest that this imbalance could lead to a threat to world security...
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...Ang Konpusyanismo (Ingles: Confucianism; Tsino: 儒家; pinyin: rú jiā) ay isang sinaunang sistemang pang-etika at pampilosipiyang Tsino na unang pinaunlad mula sa mga turo ni Confucius, isang sinauang paham at pilosopong Tsino. Itinuturo nito ang tao ay sadyang itinulak ng tadhana upang makisalamuha sa kapwa tao sa lipunan. Kaya ang mga abnormal lamang at ang hindi "natural" na tao ang namumuhay sa labas ng mga pamayanan. Ang pakikisalamuha sa kapwa tao ang pinakamahalaga upang mabuhay sapagkat sa lipunan lamang malalaman ng tao sa lipunan ay tinatawag na "jen". Ipinaliwanag ang salitang ito bilang "pagiging mabuti at mapagbigay sa nangangailangan", "simpatya", "pusong makatao" at "makatuwid na kaugalian". Kasama sa jen ang "pagnanais na makatulong sa iba na maabot nila ang kanilang hangarin'. Dahil dito, ipinanukala na Konpusyanismo ang tamang aksyon na makikita sa pagtupad sa mga tungkulin sa lipunan: Pinuno at mga tagasunod; ama at anak; matandang kapatid at nakakabatang kapatid; asawang lalaki at asawang babae;at kaibigan sa kaibigan; at lahat ng relasyon maliban sa huli ay nangangahulugan ng pagkilala ng awtoridad ng isang tao sa nakabababa sa kanya. Subalit maisasakatuparan ng nagsabing awtoridad ng may responsibilidad at pagmamahal. Ang nakabababa ay may tungkulin sumunod nang may pagmamahal at katapatan sa nakakataas sa mantalang ang nakatataas ay may tungkuling magpakita ng responsibilidad ng may pagmamahal ng nakakababa sa kanya. Ang Konpusyanismo ay ang pamamalakad ng tao sa...
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...GetPedia.com History of China: Table of Contents q q Historical Setting The Ancient Dynasties r r r Dawn of History Zhou Period Hundred Schools of Thought q The Imperial Era r r r r r r First Imperial Period Era of Disunity Restoration of Empire Mongolian Interlude Chinese Regain Power Rise of the Manchus q Emergence Of Modern China r r r r r r Western Powers Arrive First Modern Period Opium War, 1839-42 Era of Disunity Taiping Rebellion, 1851-64 Self-Strengthening Movement Hundred Days' Reform and Aftermath Republican Revolution of 1911 q Republican China r r r Nationalism and Communism s Opposing the Warlords s Consolidation under the Guomindang s Rise of the Communists Anti-Japanese War Return to Civil War q People's Republic Of China r r Transition to Socialism, 1953-57 Great Leap Forward, 1958-60 r r r r r Readjustment and Recovery, 1961-65 Cultural Revolution Decade, 1966-76 s Militant Phase, 1966-68 s Ninth National Party Congress to the Demise of Lin Biao, 1969-71 s End of the Era of Mao Zedong, 1972-76 Post-Mao Period, 1976-78 China and the Four Modernizations, 1979-82 Reforms, 1980-88 q References for History of China [ History of China ] [ Timeline ] Historical Setting The History Of China, as documented in ancient writings, dates back some 3,300 years. Modern archaeological studies provide evidence of still more ancient origins in a culture that flourished between 2500 and 2000 B.C. in what is now...
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...asked regarding 2012. Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012. Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012. Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012? A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012. Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012? A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on...
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...1 ANCIENT CHINA 1 Introduction and General Remarks for Ancient China Ancient civilizations of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians have long disappeared, but Ancient Chinese civilization and its transformation to modern times has lasted as the largest and most enduring one in human history. This is even more remarkable when observing the numerous leitmotifs of the Chinese society that were inaugurated so long ago, and many of these themes still resonate today. Ancestral worship, the Mandate of Heaven, and the numerous philosophical ideas, especially of Confucius, have been practiced or used for thousands of years. Remote and mysterious are two adjectives that Western Society has applied to China until recently. China is the only civilization where western thought had no influence until modern times, and also practically the only large region in the world where western men never ruled. For westerners, Chinese customs seem reversed to theirs. White is the color of mourning for the Chinese not black, and for them the left side is one of honor not the right side. Writing is read vertically from the top right-hand corner downward. These few differences reveal that Chinese culture evolved independently of western influences. One can only marvel at the longevity of Chinese civilization. Influence of Geography 2 Geography has played an important role in Chinese History as in most ancient, medieval, and modern cultures. While 85% of China is arid or inaccessible steppes...
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...FOUNDATIONS OF TAOIST PRACTICE by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart When you try to define Taoism, you immediately run into trouble. The great Taoist philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, begins his first chapter with the warning words, The Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Thus Westerners are not the only ones who have a hard time defining Taoism; the Chinese have had difficulty time agreeing on just what Taoism is for millenia. Taoism is sometimes defined as a ritualistic religion, as a philosophy, as Chinese folk religion, as alchemy, as a system of magical lore, or as a series of health practices similar to yoga. The adherants of each school often look with disdain on the others as being heterodoxy, heresy, or simply incomplete portions of the great Tao. The Chinese word Tao (pronounced "dow") means "the way, the path." In the common sense it refers to the way of doing anything, or the pathway to some destination. In its higher meaning, Tao refers to the way of the universe, the way things are. As a spiritual system, Tao means the way to achieving a true understanding of the nature of mind and reality, to the way of living in harmony with the changes of Nature. Thus the Tao is the goal, the path and the journey all in one. A Taoist then, is "a follower of the Way," the same title by which the early Buddhists and Christians dubbed themselves. The earliest Taoists appeared at least four thousand years...
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...DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional sections contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D. Ph.D. Introduction Nichole Yalsovac Prophetic revelation, or Divination, dates back to the earliest known times of human existence. The oldest of all Chinese texts, the I Ching, is a divination system older than recorded history. James Legge says in his translation of I Ching: Book Of Changes (1996), “The desire to seek answers and to predict the future is as old as civilization itself.” Mankind has always had a desire to know what the future holds. Evidence shows that methods of divination, also known as fortune telling, were used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians and the Sumerians (who resided in what is now Iraq) as early as six‐thousand years ago. Divination was originally a device of royalty and has often been an essential part of religion and medicine. Significant leaders and royalty often employed priests, doctors, soothsayers and astrologers as advisers and consultants on what the future held. Every civilization has held a belief in at least some type of divination. The point of divination in the ancient world was to ascertain the will of the gods. In fact, divination is so called because it is assumed to be a gift of the divine, a gift from the gods. This gift of obtaining knowledge of the unknown uses a wide range of tools and an enormous variety of techniques...
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...Introduction to Chinese Literature China possesses one of the world's major literary traditions. Its texts have been preserved for over 3,000 years. Reverence for the past has influenced the preservation of these cultural sources, and may have influenced the invention of woodblock printing in the 9th century and moveable type printing in the 12th century. The practice of collecting and reproducing libraries has also played a major role in the transmission of literary tradition. Most important, China can boast an unbroken cultural tradition based on the Chinese script as a language — a written medium — independent of spoken dialectic difference. As literary language became increasingly removed from spoken language, it became less vital and literature took a natural turn toward imitation. Indeed, after the formative classical period that began with Confucius, the literary history of China becomes one of imitation-with-variations of different models. Literature also thus becomes more elitist, for an understanding or appreciation of a text may require familiarity with the models being alluded to. The principal genre of Chinese literature is poetry; early folk songs established the shi (shih) form that crystallized during the Han dynasty and dominated for the next 1,200 years. Beginning with the simple complaints and longings expressed in rhymed couplets of folk songs, this form gradually became more and more complex, or "regulated," until it took years of study to master its formal...
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...Topic: Traditional Chinese Medicine Title: Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Medical World: Ready For a New Remedy? Introduction/Rationale: According to China’s Natural Bureau of Statistics, “Traditional Chinese Medicine exports rose in 2011, with exports to the US alone jumping by 66.3% year on year.” The use and practice of TCM has expanded and spread to other countries, and is currently affecting many individuals. From this fact, this paper aims to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) because of its current and possible future situation. Its course of development, evolution, impact on society, and acceptance in the medical field will be thoroughly discussed and analyzed in this paper. There are two reasons as to why this study should be taken. The first is to find out if alternative medicine, specifically Traditional Chinese Medicine, can be considered another plausible treatment for diseases apart from pharmaceutical drugs. The second reason is because it is an ongoing practice that involves many people today, which is why its possible future should be predicted and studied. Contributions of the study: Chinese traditional medicine has contributed many things. It mainly helped in discoveries, studies, and developments. Chinese traditional medicine discovered the many medical uses of plants and animals. They discovered that Astragalus roots can be used to strengthen the heart and prevent heart disease. Schisandra, otherwise known as Magnolia vine,...
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