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).
Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this goal. Yet, instead of supporting each other, Mengzi and Xunzi have made contradictory arguments on human nature and cultivation of moral elites .
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.
“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...
During the Warring States period China was going through chaos. The teachings of Confucianism and Daoism were welcomed by society to bring order, stability and liberate people from the misery and oppression. The rulers were greedy and desirous of political power and their own agendas; however they were looking for a new way to unite their people. It is often said that Confucianism and Daoism are the yang and yin, respectively, of Chinese religion. That is, they are not rivals so much as complementary traditions, working together to produce an overall balance in the lives of the Chinese. This is not true because the two religious philosophies were different from one another. Confucius believed that the traditions and virtues that were studied and taught in the old days by the Ancients was the best way to organize society (trickle-down approach). Also followers of Confucius believed in education, a moral force and human goodness to advance and progress within society. Daoism on the other hand relies on human nature and a balance of good and evil (Yin-Yang) to bring about social order. It neglects education, virtue and cultural norms because it is said that people are born faultless.
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...
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)
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
In conclusion, Daoism and Confucianism seem to have a lot more in common than one might think. The two philosophies share the same viewpoints on the notions of filial piety and education. I believe, the principles and values that are taught in those philosophies could be of great benefit to our contemporary society.
During Han Dynasty period, they got what they need by absorbing and changing each other 's factor (Wang, 2011). Taoism theory complemented Confucianism 's shortage that lack metaphysics, and Confucianism theory made Taoism to pay attention to social problems (Renard, 2002). To analyze based on the establishment of culture, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are three ‘spiritual pillar’ in the Chinese ancient ideology and culture, shaping the mythology (Yang & Tamney, 2012, pp.27). Among these three, Confucianism plays a main role while Buddhism and Taoism play a supplementary role. Confucianism plays a critical role in making contribution to some important culture field such as philosophy, ethical and moral discipline, while Taoism made a huge contribution to universe theory and aesthetic as well as natural philosophy. In addition to ‘the co-existence between practice and faith’ (Sered, 2010, pp.21), Confucianism develops their faith and characteristic by practice; Taoism honors faith and characteristic by practice, which can be seen that their theory is
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
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...
Have you ever wondered about other religions and philosophies of the world? What it would be like to live in their world, state of mind, and culture. To experience life in their shoes with the drastic different believes and practices compared to your average day. In my compare and contrast I will be comparing two awesome philosophies called Buddhism & Confucianism. You most likely have heard of these but do you really know anything about them, most likely not. The definition of Confucianism by google definitions is “Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is an ethical and philosophical system, also described as a religion.” The definition of Buddhism by google definitions is “Buddhism is a nontheistic religion or a philosophy that encompasses
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.