As people, all of the actions we take, and as a result, the benefits and consequences which occur, are rooted from our own beliefs. This is seen every day through the way we carry ourselves, the choices we make, how we treat others, etc. But, most notably, it is seen throughout history in the actions and culture of nations. China in particular is an area with many belief systems/ideologies which have developed over its long history; these include Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. With the previous statement, it is only logical to conclude that these belief systems have had a large impact on China’s development and culture.
Confucianism, one of the most renowned Chinese ideologies, was begun by Confucius, a Chinese scholar born in 551 B.C. At the time of his birth, there was crisis and violence occurring in China. In order to combat this problem, Confucius came up with the five relationships. Following these “relationships” (ex. Ruler and subject, older brother and younger brother) would help to establish harmony between all. The majority of these relationships pertained to family matters, which went hand in hand with Confucius’s stressing of filial piety, or respect shown by children for their parents and elders. This single value led to many changes in people’s daily life and attitudes.
“Filial piety …was an essential element in ancient religion and thus in ancient life in general,” says Donald Holzman, historian and writer of The Place of Filial Piety in ancient China. He states that it “came to be seen as having absolute value [in China].” One of the largest results of filial piety was that it was the main influence in China’s cultural phenomenon of ancestor worship, a statement which Holzman fully supports. Altho...
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...ssion surrounding them. Monks and nuns performed charitable acts to those around them as well. (Kleeman and Barrett 151) These operations strengthened the relationship between the foreign ruler and people.
In conclusion, it can clearly be seen through all of the examples posed that the belief systems of a nation can both directly and indirectly influence a nation’s people and culture. Whether it be negative, such as Legalism’s harsh rule causing revolts and Confucianism’s filial piety causing economic downfall, or positive, such as Buddhism reuniting the people of China and Daoism’s advancement in sciences, the correlation is clear. This influence has occurred in nearly every nation that existed, and likely every nation to come, as it all revolves around a single idea: all of the actions we take, and the products which sprout from them, are rooted from our beliefs.
Religion, in all its shades and forms, can arguably be seen as a way of life. The values of a religion can dictate or influence the values of its followers. With this in mind, it is not so troubling to imagine that what once was philosophy could morph into a system of faith as it did with Confucianism. Although it stems from the mental workings of one ancient man, Confucianism continues to impact China, having held authority over twenty percent of the world's populace for over the past two thousand years (Smith 147).
China has many different schools of thought, most of which build upon or agree with each other. One of the constant schools of thought is the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate is seen in many different dynasties throughout the history of China. It was created during the Zhou dynasty and is based on the ideology of Confucianism. It delivers the message that a ruler must follow the will of Tjan (god). If a ruler does not follow his will, the leader will be overthrown and a worthy ruler will be put in place. In addition to the Mandate of Heaven, multiple different schools of thought were created such as Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and Mohism. Confucianism is based on relationships. It emphasizes proper moral, social, political, and religious conduct. The five relationships that you must maintain, also to stay constant with the Mandate of Heaven are from ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend. Another philosophical thought, taking an entirely different approach to life from Confucianism is Taoism. It is based upon non-action. The basic belief of Taoism is human attempts to improve the world ultimately make it worse. Instead, we should base our lives upon softness and spontaneity. We should not worry ab...
Filial piety is as closely associated with Confucius teaching as it is one of the virtues of Confucianism. Confucius once said, “Among human practices, none is greater than xiao” (Chan, Alan Kam-Leung; Tan, Sor-hoon). There is no doubt that filial piety remained the important aspect of Chinese society, where as the philosophers such as Confucius strongly pushed forward the idea of filial piety. A ...
Neo-Confucianism, with a goal of keeping unobscured the inborn luminous Virtue [true goodness] of all men throughout the empire[1] and thus establishing a social harmony, was a complex ethical political system governing the society in late Ming China. Adopting the philosophy as their ideological legitimacy, Choson kingdom and Tokugawa shogunate applied it in different settings due to their structure of government and cultural background. However, they both inherited the main elements of the philosophy: the notion of universal principle encouraging people to behave well, five virtues[2], self-cultivation and five hierarchical relationships of society[3]. By means of traditions, rituals, laws, publications, educational institutions and many more, the philosophy was imbibed in the lives of Choson court and Tokugawa samurai. Yet, as it was in Ming China, the governments of these two realms could not always “control the interests of its people”[4] and make them adhere to the ideology.
Regarding religion, Chinese culture saw the emergence of Confucianism and Buddhism as the major influence. Confucianism stressed filial piety which meant respecting elders and superiors, ruling righteously, and obeying commands and orders. Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius. Buddhism was brought to China, but originated in India and was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Followers of Buddhism worshipped Buddh...
Most all religions (outside of indigenous cultures), exist in the modern world to stand and represent the accepted beliefs and ritualistic practices of the cultures from which they have either; merged with, adapted to, or are currently adapting to. Most models of religion must accept and deal with the challenge of answering some of today’s most ethical questions; often, having sprouted out from yesterday’s past. The permissible modernization that takes place throughout religion expresses both; the sincerity and focus of the people that follow their particular faith. Though at times, the attention of so many people can be misguided from unseen disasters or terroristic control and such; it is not uncommon for communities of similar cultures (usually
The Buddhist brought with them the concept of multiple gods and Buddha’s “spiritual state to provide the power for humans to make the transition into death and the afterlife successfully” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). Confucianism brought the obedience of the child to the parent into Chinese mainstream life, plus the “social stratification and codes governing dress, actions and communication” (Corduan, 2012, p.409). Taoism introduced the balance of forces in harmony in spirits in the form of yin and yang, thus creating that balance of nature and humans (Corduan, 2012). Christianity influenced Chinese life both socially and economically by introducing the concepts of “love for one’s neighbor, self-discipline, and trust” (Lu, 2014, p.2) as both essential and beneficial (Lu, 2014). All of these together with the traditional Chinese religion, give the Chinese culture it’s popular religion
In conclusion, Chinese society more likely to increase in stability as Christianity expands in China. From a political standpoint, Christianity’s growth will work to improve the support of the Communist party in China. In terms of economics, Christianity’s expansion in China will spur both national economic growth and individual income improvement. Culturally, Christianity’s development in China will create a universal moral code that unifies the country and promotes parity. Christianity’s role in Chinese society is more important than the average observer would recognize. To the believer in China or abroad, the growth of Christianity in China needs to celebrated and its effects on societal stability seen as evidence of God’s grace in the redemption of all people.
After examining the key features of Chinese popular religion, learning about the role of traditional Chinese religion in their society, analyzing the growth of Christianity in China, and comprehending how Christians can enhance the interactions with the Chinese, it can be understood how more Chinese can become followers of Christ. If more Chinese accept Christ into their lives, then maybe this will have a dramatic impact on their culture. If this happens, China may accept more western schools of thought, reject its Communist roots, and supply its citizens with more freedom.
Confucianism is a moral and religious system of China. Its origins go back to the Analects, the sayings attributed to Confucius, and to ancient writings, including that of Mencius. Confucius was born a mandarin under the name Kongzi. It was developed around 550 B.C. In its earliest form Confucianism was primarily a system of ethical concepts for the control of society. It saw man as a social creature that is bound to his fellow men by jen, or “humanity.” Jen is expressed through the five relationships—sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, husband and wife, and friend and friend. Of these, the filial relation is most important.
Although Judaism and Confucianism appear to be on different realms of the religious spectrum, they have similar traditions deriving from dissimilar roots. The significance of family in Confucianism is strongly upheld by the filial piety rooted within all of the traditions and beliefs. Meanwhile, Judaism’s emphasis on God’s word as being the ultimate path for a righteous life is supported throughout the Jewish adherence to the special laws commanded by God. Whether the foundation of the religion is rooted from filial piety or God’s commandments, both Judaism and Confucianism reflect similar standards in family rituals, religious beliefs, and moral conduct.
Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the same time, its modern value is excavated by many countries in the world, and its international influence is also growing with the rise of China.
“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” This is a quote from Confucius, addressing the importance of teaching and the value of peace. Confucianism was not the only philosophy developed in ancient China. During the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States, chaos existed everywhere. In order to restore peace into the society, three different ideologies with distinct approaches for order emerged. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism would play a great role in politics, society, and the artistic and intellectual activities in China.
One of the widely read philosopher in the world is K'ung Ch'iu (Kong Qiu ) commonly known as Confucius. K'ung Ch'iu was not famous during his lifetime and traveled from state to state to gather a small group of disciples and became the first master. Confucius has an immense importance in Eastern culture and philosophy; however, there isn’t an abundance of reliable documents on the life of Confucius. The foundation of the Confucian tradition comes from concise accounts of his life and teachings in Lun Yu or The Analects. During his life Confucius never wrote any document containing his philosophies, however, the teachings of Confucius and his conversations with his disciples are recorded in The Analects by his followers hundred years after his death. The sayings and teaching of Confucius were The Philosophies and traditions of Confucius are extremely enduing and influential; however, there are many questions and contradiction in its text. The primary topics that The Analects discuss are; Filial Piety, virtue (Te), sense of appropriateness (YI), Heaven (Tian), The Way (Dao), Ritual or rites (Li), and benevolence (Ren). However, one characteristic that Confucius encourages is acceptance and establishment of social values and norms of behavior (li) in social interaction. According to Confucius all human relationships have defined set of role, norm, decorum, and mutual obligations; that one should be understood. Completing the social obligations lead to ren (humanness), ren is considered the source of all virtues. In order to understand the relationship between li and ren and their significance in finding the Dao, one has to understand what Confucius meant by these terms.
For many centuries, Confucianism has been widely revered by the Chinese for its emphasis on morality. Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BCE, is different to most philosophers in that he showed no interest questioning his existence, the possibility of a God, or the reality that he seemed to live in; instead he focused on the human relations side of philosophy as it was his belief that people should “give (themselves) earnestly to the duties due to men … (and) keep aloof from (spiritual beings)” (Confucius 195). By negating the metaphysical side of philosophy, he was able to devote himself to mold his disciples into ideal gentleman who were morally righteous, and were able to benefit society. He believed in the importance of individuals who knew their roles in an well-structured society, that was a feudal system. In his opinion, the ideal gentleman should be obedient to his elders, have humanness and be morally righteous. Through his teachings, he was able to reform an entire country; the Chinese found Confucianism to embody practices of humaneness that they could apply in their daily lives through his religion.