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The Dao: The Sacred Asian Way

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There is a wide variety of religious beliefs that are practiced throughout Asia, as we have seen with Hinduism and Buddhism. However, as we look at religions further East towards China, there is a shift in the fundamental religious ideas. The concept of The Dao can be simply defined as the universal path, or the right natural way through life. This fundamental idea serves as a foundation for many East-Asian traditions (Robson, 86). It has also had a major contribution in the shaping of the culture and social structure throughout Asia. I found the intriguing elements of the Sacred Asian Ways discussed in the course to be the concept of Qi (chi) as the ever-moving energy flowing through everything, Confucian interactions with The Sacred, …show more content…
Qi is constantly moving, flowing, and transforming throughout the cosmos, creating a connection between everything in the universe. I particularly took an interest in this idea of Qi and its representation through Yin and Yang. The iconic circular Yin-Yang symbol can be used as a visual way to comprehend this idea of Qi. Yin embodies the passive, gentle, and docile energy, while Yang embodies the firm, active, and strong energy. The composition of the Yin-Yang symbol expresses that there is always a balance between the two. For every Yin, there is a Yang, or in other words, there is always a positive to a negative, and vice versa (Robson, 87-88). I relate this to my own life and personal beliefs about the universe because I apply this idea of finding a balance within every aspect of my life. Before reading about the ideology of Qi, I had never directly connected it to my own personal beliefs, that everything in the world both encompasses, and emits energy whether it be positive or negative. After learning about Qi, I realized how similar my views of energy were to Yin and Yang. When I find myself feeling discouraged or upset, I use this idea that there is always a positive that will come out of a negative, and it helps me keep an optimistic and positive …show more content…
Confucians also have strong beliefs in loyalty, or Zhong, to their family, as well as reciprocity and empathy, or Shu, which is the idea of treat others the way you would like to be treated. My favorite element of Confucianism is their belief that we live among our ancestors, spirits, and other supernatural beings. Part of the concept of Zhong is that family members have the responsibility of honoring and tending to their deceased ancestors by providing them gifts and sacrifices to show respect. They also may call upon their ancestors for help or guidance in times of distress (Robson, 94, 104). This practice in Confucianism was of particular interest to me because I too think that there is great importance in honoring one’s family, even the ones that have passed on. I enjoy this idea of never forgetting the loved ones that have died because their traditions have active rituals to honor the dead, whereas I feel that American culture has a much smaller focus on the deceased. Yes, American’s almost always have funerals to commemorate one’s memory, and a few holidays here and there to mark a day on the calendar to go put flowers on their grave, but overall, I feel that Western society does not pay much attention to the dead in comparison with Confucian traditions. Calling upon ancestors for

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