Transcript Cornell Notes 5-2 Taoism Buddhism Confucianism[1]

Cornell Notes 5.2
Taoism, Buddhism, and
Confucianism
December 13, 2011
Pages 93 and 95
Taoism
• Taoism (or Daoism) was founded by Laozi (Lao-Tzu)
sometime around 500 BC.
• Tao means “Way” in Chinese
• The main text that explains Laozi’s teachings is called
the Tao Te Ching, which means “Book of the Way.”
• The basic idea of the Tao Te Ching is that to be happy,
people should seek a state of harmony and calm
called wu wei – sort of like “Going with the flow…”
Yin and Yang
• One big idea in Taoism and other forms of
Asian spiritualism is the idea of Yin and Yang.
• Yang is the positive energetic masculine
“light” aspect of existence and Yin the
negative feminine “dark” aspect.
• Going back to the idea of harmony, Taoism
teaches that everything is best when Yin and
Yang are in balance.
Buddhism
• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (The
Buddha) around 500 BC in India
• Buddhism takes many concepts from Hinduism such as
karma and reincarnation
• From India, it spread throughout Asia and all over the
world, although it isn’t practiced in India too much
anymore.
• The two main branches of Buddhism are Mahayana
Buddhism (practiced in China, Korea, Japan and other
parts of East Asia) and Theravada Buddhism (practiced
in Thailand, Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia)
What’s Buddhism About?
• Buddhism teaches four basic ideas (called the
Four Noble Truths)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Life is suffering
Suffering is caused by wanting stuff
Suffering ends when you stop wanting stuff
You can accomplish this by following the
eightfold path – a method that involves clearing
the mind, living a moral life, and building mental
discipline
The Age of Buddhism saw major religious changes in China.
Buddhism was spreading quickly throughout the lands. It first came to China
during the Han dynasty around 200 BC.
During the troubled time of the Period of Disunion, many turned to Buddhism.
They took comfort in the teaching that people can escape suffering and achieve
a state of peace.
It influenced many aspects of Chinese culture, reaching it’s height in the early
Tang Dynasty. Wealthy people donated money to build temples. It also affected
art, literature, and architecture.
Buddhism came to an end there when the Tang emperor launched a campaign
against it, burning texts and destroying temples.
Great Buddhist Temples
• Buddhists built elaborate temples all over the
world. The most famous include:
– Angkor Wat, in Cambodia (there’s a palace there
too)
– Bagan (or Pagan), in Myanmar
– Jokhang, in Tibet
– Todaiji, in Japan
Confucianism
• The dominant philosophy in China was Confucianism,
based on the teachings of Confucius (Kong Fu Zi).
• Confucius lived around 500 BC. The main collection of his
teachings is known as The Analects.
• His teachings focused on proper behavior.
• Confucius taught that people should conduct their lives
according to two basic principles.
– One was ren, or concern for others.
– The other was li, or appropriate behavior.
Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism
• After his death, Confucius’s ideas were spread by his followers,
especially during the Han Dynasty. But as Buddhism became more
popular, Confucianism lost some influence.
• Buddhism stressed a more spiritual outlook that promised escape
from suffering.
• Neo-Confucianism developed due to a desire to improve Chinese
government and society.
• It was similar to the older philosophy but emphasized spiritual
matters.
• Neo-Confucianism became more influential under the Song, and
became official government teaching after the Song dynasty.
Confucianism and Chinese Society
• Officials joined the
bureaucracy by
passing civil service
examinations.
• Civil service means
service as a
government official.
These were a series of written
examinations that tested
students’ grasp of
Confucianism and related
ideas.
The tests were difficult, and
students spent years
preparing.
Passing the exam meant life as
a scholar-official, an
educated member of
government.
Scholar-Officials
• Scholar-officials (mandarins) were elite members of society
and were widely admired for their knowledge and ethics.
• They performed many important jobs in the government.
• Benefits included being respected and having reduced
penalties for breaking the law.
• Many became wealthy from gifts given by people seeking
their aid.
• This system helped the stability of the Song government.
• The system of scholar officials continued right through to
the start of the 20th Century.