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China’s Historic Teachings of Buddhism and Confucianism
Since the beginning of time the country of China, now known as the People's Republic of China has always been a remarkable civilization from its technologies to its philosophies. It has long been a host to a variety of fused religion/philosophical based traditions. Both the religions of Buddhism and Confucianism make up two of the three Chinese historic teachings. It is from these teachings which have had a significant role in shaping their culture, along with influencing other followers to the distance of the far west. Elements of these two belief systems are often incorporated into the traditional folk religions. For the purpose of this assignment I will briefly explain both of these teachings and then give examples of any similarities along with any contrasts.
Buddhism
The religion of Buddhism is the fourth ranking religion in the world. Its followers range well over 375 million. This religion’s original birthplace was in India, which sadly is now virtually extinct. However, it is very prevalent throughout China. Its primary founder was said to be a young prince named Siddhartha Gauthama, later to be known as Buddha or the “Enlightened One”. Buddha was born in the sixth century BCE. Legend has it because he was a prince he grew up living an extravagant lifestyle but one of total seclusion per his father’s wishes. Having never left the palace his mind begins to wander as to what lied beyond the walls. When he did venture out into the world he was shocked to discover the reality of the inevitable suffering of life. Soon after witnessing this at age twenty-nine, he left his kingdom leaving behind his wife and newborn son. His goal was to lead a life of self-discipline, ab...
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...they are considered to be the wisest. It is the elderly that receive the most respect and have the most authority.
The difference between these two teachings is Confucianism is mainly concerned with political ideas and social harmony. And Buddhism is primarily concerned with phycology and the nature of the mind. Each of these teachings also emphasized the opposite of its main focus. By way of Confucianism promoted social harmony by teaching about self-cultivation and Buddhism taught about mind by contrasting it with the material world of things and forms. Therefore a complete view of these teachings must include a balance view of these ideas. Another idea common to each of these teachings is was the concept of the Doa which means the way or path. This concept was an idea of living your life in accordance with a great natural way is common to both of these teaches.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
Buddhist popularity towards the Chinese grew following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E. It’s influence has continued to expand for several centuries. Between 220 C.E. and 220 C.E. and 570 C.E., China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. During this time, many of the Chinese, specifically scholars, sought for peace in Buddhism and approved of Buddhism. On the other hand, the strict confucianists and the government fought to end Buddhism and make people go against it.
It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men. Great men are leaders. They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society. Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men. Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres. But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man. When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common. This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas: conception and birth. In these two areas, one finds that the Buddha and Jesus share many similarities.
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.
Throughout the history of humankind, man has always searched to find answers to the many existential questions. Numerous different religions and denominations have developed around the world over time. Though, most wonder about the origin and purpose of our existence. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama about 2,600 years ago in India. After he had experienced that everyone was subject to “birth, sickness, death, and old age”, he tried to find a way to break from the cycle of rebirth (Bloom). Siddhartha Gautama experimented with a number of methods to find the cause of suffering which led him to what he called the Middle Way – a path between “licentiousness and extreme mortification” (Bloom). Once he achieved enlightenment, he turned into ‘the Buddha – the enlightened or awakened one’. Christianity is one of the largest and most prevailing religions of the world and largely based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians trust that Jesus was sent by God to save humanity. Therefore, the faith of the followers of the Christian belief is primarily based on the preaching of Jesus and later the spreading of those by his disciples. Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife.
They both express the same idea of promoting virtue into people’s lives and discovering something more than the essentials out of your time on Earth to reach something greater. While they share many similarities they also include many differences. This includes having different class systems, as well as books and scriptures which the religions were passed down and read from. They were both founded out of necessity and the need for further exploration into the philosophy of life. Overall Confucianism and Buddhism help people to discovered their purpose in life as well as help them to lead a better and morally happy existence in the physical
“Buddhism is the oldest worldwide religion. It is known to be a religion, a philosophy and a way of life.” The main idea, foundation and fundamentals of Buddhism were born 2,500 years ago in the foothills of India. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family and raised as a prince in the Gupta period. He was always confined to the palace and was sheltered from the real world. As time went on, Siddhartha wanted to find out the meaning of life and his experiences through his journey created the practice of Buddhism. His first teaching as a Buddha was based on the doctrine of the four noble truths and along with the principle of the middle way, the eight fold path. Through oral tra...
There is a similar bond between the Confucians and the Tao in the category rules and behavior. They both believe that you must act accordingly in some way. These two are different also in the sense that Tao believe the life is to be lived according to the Tao and Confucians believe to live it according to actions. Also, the Confucians believed you need to understand the relationship with family, and to follow the five goals of Confucianism. The Buddhists had a totally different idea for this though; they believe that you just need to follow behavior in the ways of the eightfold path and the nine precepts.
Confucianism is a major event in a person’s lives, it is a way of living, and it is a way of prospering. These teachings were made by Confucius a man who was very influential to his people, the main concerns as discussed in class were that of relationships, such as ...
As we discussed in class, the founder of Confucianism was Confucius (Kung Fu-Tsu) developed at the end of the Zhou/Warring States era. The key concepts of the Confucianism are education, the gentleman, the family and five relationships— ruler/subject, father/son, older/younger brother, husband/wife and friend/friend. Confucius emphasized the importance of harmony, order, and obedience and believed that the five basic relationships are what all of society would be. Ruler/subject relationship advocated the ruler had the responsibility to take care of his subjects, and subjects must obey the emperor. Father/son relationship promoted the father needed to take car...
Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113). Therefore, since the two religions grew up together, there are similarities, such as their views on humans, attempting to find harmony in life and in nature, and serve as guides for their followers through self-cultivation and improvement techniques. Confucianism believes that their congregation should have human conduct over the idea of God in their lives, whereas Taoism is formed on the belief that its congregation should create a relationship with nature. This is pointed out by Smith in Experiencing the World’s Religions, “Confucius represents the classical, Lao Tzu the romantic; Confucius stresses social responsibility, Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness; Confucius focus is on the human, Lao Tzu’s on what transcends the human” (Smith 218).
...ained a large following, with Buddhism competing directly against Confucianism (Taoism, due to it's similarities coexisted with Confucianism without much conflict). Eventually, Chinese political leaders came to believe that foreign religions (one of which was Buddhism) were eroding their traditional way of life, and this resulted in the persecution of many who followed these foreign religions, thus revitalizing Confucianism. In the past century, Confucianism has suffered greatly. due to industrialization and science, it has been seen as outdated and as abridging personal freedoms. Today it has finally began another resurgence. The current ideals of society have turned toward more spirituality and respect for other religions has once again breathed new life into this old philosophy.