BUDDHISM, CONFUCIANISM &

DAOISM

MAIN IDEA

1. BUDDHISM, WHICH TEACHES PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN ESCPAE THE SUFFERING OF THE WORLD THROUGH THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS, DEVELOPED IN INDIA AND SPREAD TO OTHER PARTS OF ASIA AND THE WORLD.

2. WHAT NEW PHILOSOPHIES WERE INTRODUCED IN CHINA UNDER THE SHANG AND ZHOU DYNASTIES?

THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

• EARLY LIFE– Founder was Siddhartha

Gautama– Aged 29– Born a prince in the

500s BC– Lived a very sheltered

life, free from suffering and poverty

– Had a realization there was evil and bad in the world and wanted to find out how to overcome it

• BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT– Sought enlightenment, or

spiritual understanding, for six years

– Studied with teachers called gurus and with monks – non-enlightened

– Sat under a tree, determined to find a way to end human suffering

– Meditated all night, faced with temptations and storms, and when dawn came, he was transformed.

BODH GAYA – THE ENLIGHTENMENT

THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM

• The Four Noble Truths– Suffering is a part of

human life. No one can escape from suffering while alive.

– Suffering comes from people’s desires for pleasure and material goods.

– Overcoming these desires during life eventually brings sufferings to an end.

– Desires can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path

THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM

• The Eightfold Path– Right view, or accepting the

reality of the Four Noble Truths– Right attitude, or striving for

moderation in all things– Right speech, or avoiding lies,

boasts, and hurtful words– Right action, or treating others

fairly– Right livelihood, or avoiding jobs

that could bring harm to others– Right effort, or constantly trying

to improve oneself– Right mindfulness, or remaining

aware of the world around one– Right concentration, or ignoring

temptation and discomfort while meditating

THE EIGHTFOLD PATH

THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM

• Tripitaka is the “holy book”• Those who followed the

Eightfold Path could attain NIRVANA, a state of perfect peace in which the soul would be free from suffering forever.

• If NIRVANA is not attained, you will be reborn to live through the cycle of suffering until you get it.

• THE MIDDLE WAY– Live in moderation– Avoid extremes of either comfort

or discomfort in the search of nirvana

THE BUDDHASermon at Benares, c. 528 BC

• “There are two extremes…which he who has given up the world ought to avoid. What are these two extremes? A life given to pleasures, devoted to pleasures and lusts: this is degrading, sensual, vulgar, ignoble, and profitless; and a life given to mortifications: this is painful, ignoble and profitless.”

DIVISIONS OF BUDDHISM• THERAVADA

– The Way of the Elders– Based on the writings in the Pali

Canon– Become a monk or a nun

• MAHAYANA– Anyone can reach enlightenment with

help– No need to be a monk or nun– Bodhisattvas are those who have

received enlightenment but have not reached nirvana yet

• TIBETIAN BUDDHISM– They believe they can use special

techniques to harness spiritual energy and achieve nirvana in a single lifetime

THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM

• More than 350 million Buddhists today

• Emperor Ashoka, of India, helped spread Buddhism via missionaries

• Trade helped spread Buddhism

• Buddhism spread to China and blended with Chinese philosophies

• ZEN BUDDHISM– Emphasizes self-discipline

and meditation

NEW PHILOSOPHIES OF CHINA

• The conflicts of the late Zhou’s period led many Chinese thinkers to question the nature of society and of people’s roles in it.

• Philosophy: A way of looking at the world

• CONFUCIANISM and DAOISM

CONFUCIANISM• Based on the teachings of

Kongfuzi, aka Confucius• Born around 550 BC• Focuses on IMPROVING

SOCIETY• People should treat each other

humanely• Express love and respect for

others by practicing traditional manners and rituals– Honor ancestors

• The disappearance of love and respect causes violence

• Restoring respect for tradition would make society stable and orderly

THE ANALECTS• Confucius taught that rulers

should treat subjects fairly• In return, loyalty and respect

would be given• Respect members of the

family• Respect your elders• It is the duty of all educated

people to devote themselves to public service.

• A ruler should be advised by qualified, well-informed people– Merit over birth

• What is public service?

CONFUCIUS WISDOM…NOT CONFUSING WISDOM

1. LIFE IS REALLY SIMPLE, BUT WE INSIST ON MAKING IT COMPLICATED.2. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW SLOWLY YOU GO AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT

STOP.3. THE WILL TO WIN, THE DESIRE TO SUCCEED, THE URGE TO REACH YOUR

FULL POTENTIAL…THESE ARE THE KEYS THAT WILL UNLOCK THE DOOR TO PERSONAL EXCELLENCE.

4. OUR GREATEST GLORY IS NOT IN NEVER FALLING, BUT IN RISING EVERYTIME WE FALL.

5. BY THREE METHODS WE MAY LEARN WISDOM: FIRST, BY REFLECTION, WHICH IS NOBLEST; SECOND, BY IMITATION, WHICH IS EASIEST; AND THIRD, BY EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS THE BITTEREST.

6. CHOOSE A JOB YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.7. EVERYTHING HAS BEAUTY, BUT NOT EVERYONE SEES IT.8. WHEREVER YOU GO, GO WITH ALL YOUR HEART.9. WHEN IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE GOALS CANNOT BE REACHED, DON’T

ADJUST THE GOALS, ADJUST THE ACTION STEPS.10. I HEAR AND I FORGET. I SEE AND I REMEMBER. I DO AND I UNDERSTAND.

DAOISM• Encourages people to retreat

from the laws of society and yeld to the laws of nature

• Dao, the way, is the limitless force that is part of all creation

• By finding your dao, you can achieve harmony with the universe

• Embraces the Chinese concept of YIN and YANG– Opposites – Male and female; hot

and cold; dark and light– Cannot exist without the other

• Attributed to a Chinese philosopher: Laozi

• Daoist followers work to preserve and protect the environment

Nirvana: The soul’s attainment of perfect peace.

• BUDDHISM– Eightfold path– 4 Noble Truths– Buddha’s teaching of

true selflessness– Meditation– Every person could

reach nirvana– All people should

practice virtuous conduct, nonviolence & poverty

• HINDUISM– All things in the universe

are of the same essence as God (monism)

– Karma– Dharma– Reincarnation– Yoga– Meditation– Caste system– The world we see is an

illusion– Nirvana

RELIGION DISTRIBUTION IN THE WORLD

CONFUCIANISM, TAOISM & BUDDHISM

• COMMON GOAL TO ALL OF THESE IS TO ESTABLISH PEACE AND HARMONY

• CONFUCIANISM: PEOPLE SHOULD DEVELOP HARMONY AMONGST THEMSELVES

HOLY BOOKS• ISLAM

– The Qu’ran

• JUDAISM– The Torah & Talmud

• CHRISTIANITY– Old and New Testament

• HINDUISM– The Vedas– The Bhagavad Gita

• BUDDHISM– The Tripitaka

• CONFUCIANISM– Dialects of Confucius

• SO WHAT?– They are the most holy books of the world’s major religions– They are significant historical documents that helped shape and guide the

lives of various civilizations

SPREAD OF RELIGIONS

JUDAISM, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

• Each shares a belief in an ethical code of conduct and monotheism

-ISM

• MONOTHEISM– Belief in ONE god

• POLYTHEISM– Belief in MANY gods

• MONISM– Brahmin is an

example; every soul feeds into ONE

• ANIMISM– Inanimate objects

have souls