中国文化unit2.doc

Unit Two Religion & Philosophy China has an approximately 4100-year recorded history. ( From the endless primeval period, around 2,100 B.C.)Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the three great thoughts. Most social values are derived from Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. ConfucianismConfucianismis a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopherConfucius( Master Kong, 551478 BC). It is a complex system of moral, social, political,philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that influenced the culture and history of East Asia. It might be considered astate religionof some East Asian countries, because of state promotion of Confucian philosophies. Cultures and countries strongly influenced by Confucianism include mainlandChina,Taiwan, Korea,JapanandVietnam, as well as various territories settled predominantly byChinese people, such asSingapore.Principles of ConfucianismConfucianism had been regarded as an ethic-political system in ancient China. For more than thousand years it has moulded and shaped the civilization of China and exerted a profound influenced upon almost one fourth of the human race.Humanity is core in Confucianism. A simple way to appreciate Confucian thought is to consider it as being based on varying levels of honesty, and a simple way to understand Confucian thought is to examine the world by using the logic of humanity. In practice, the elements of Confucianism accumulated over time. There is classical Wuchang consisting of five elements:Ren(Humanity), Yi(Righteousness),Li(Ritual), Zhi (Knowledge), Xin (Integrity). Confucianism has left us a rich literary heritage knows as the Four Books and Five Classics:The Great Learning,The Mean,Analects, andMencius;Book of Change,Book of History,Book of Odes,Book of RitesandSpring and Autumn Annals. For six centuries these four texts became the elementary requirements of Chinese education in the feudal society and served as the basis of the civil service examination by which scholars were selected for official posts at various levels of the government. The ethical principle of Confucianism is its discovery of the ultimate in the moral character of human relationships in which Confucius offered the solution for the ills and evils of his day. Confucius central doctrine is that of the virtue of Ren. Ren is translated variously as goodness, benevolence, humanity, and human-heartedness. In short, Ren means affection and love.Essence of Confucianism Confucius is regarded as the “Great and Revered Teacher”, a teacher for all generations.From the dawn of civilization to the Revolution of 1911, he has so deeply influenced the daily life and thought of the Chinese people that he is respected as the moulder of the Chinese mind and character. His thoughts and teaching are taken as the symbol of traditional Chinese culture. What is our national spirit and national character? It can be summed up in eight words: loyalty and piety, affection and love, faithfulness and righteousness, peace and harmony, as pointed out by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.Influence of ConfucianismConfucianism, a philosophy rather than a religion, was a series of codes for Chinas population to abide by. It was hoped that by following such a conduct of benevolence the population would harmoniously live together under the traditional Chinese system, a feudal system of altruistic despotism. The populace were expected to obey their seniors (hierarchical paternalism), to be selfless and strive for the common good. Temperance was placed as a primary virtue. The emperor and those in positions of power were also expected to follow the Confucian Principles of Government, thereby lessening the Emperors claim to his divine right. Confucius suggested that the governors should rule the people with love and train people to learn good manners. Confucious dreamed that by so doing, the country would be as strong as his ideal, theWestern Zhou Dynasty when all orders were issued by the emperor. TaoismTaoism(orDaoism) is a philosophical, ethical, political and religious tradition of Chinese origin that emphasizes living in harmony with theTao(also romanized asDao). The termTaomeans way, path or principle, and can also be found in Chinese philosophies and religions other than Taoism. In Taoism, however,Taodenotes something that is both the source of, and the force behind, everything that exists.While Taoism drew its cosmological notions from the tenets of theSchool of Yin Yang, theTao Te Ching, a compact and ambiguous book containing teachings attributed toLaozi(Chinese:老子;pinyin:Loz;WadeGiles:Lao Tzu), is widely considered its keystone work. Together with thewritings of Zhuangzi, these two texts build the philosophical foundation of Taoism deriving from the 8 Hexagrams ofFu Xiin the 2700s BCE in China.Taoist propriety and ethics may vary depending on the particular school, but in general they tend to emphasizewu-wei(action through non-action), naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity, and theThree Treasures: compassion, moderation, and humility.Tao Te ChingTheTao Te ChingorDaodejingis widely considered the most influential Taoist text.According to legend, it was written byLaozi,and often the book is simply referred to as the Laozi. However, authorship, precise date of origin, and even unity of the text are still subject of debate,and will probably never be known with certainty. The earliest texts of theTao Te Chingthat have been excavated (written onbamboo tablets) date back to the late 4th century BCE.Throughout the history of religious Taoism, theTao Te Chinghas been used as a ritual text.The famous opening lines of theTao Te Chingare:道可道非常道 The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao名可名非常名 The name that can be named is not the eternal name.Wu-weiThe ambiguous termwu-wei(simplified Chinese:无为;traditional Chinese:無爲;pinyin:w wi) constitutes the leading ethical concept in Taoism.Weirefers to any intentional or deliberated action, whilewucarries the meaning of there is no . or lacking, without. Common translations are nonaction, effortless action or action without intent.The meaning is sometimes emphasized by using the paradoxical expression wei wu wei: action without action.In ancient Taoist texts, wu-wei is associated with water through its yielding nature.Taoist philosophy proposes that the universe works harmoniously according to its own ways. When someone exerts their will against the world, they disrupt that harmony. Taoism does not identify ones will as the root problem. Rather, it asserts that one must place their will in harmony with the natural universe.Thus, a potentially harmful interference must be avoided, and in this way, goals can be achieved effortlessly.By wu-wei, the sage seeks to come into harmony with the great Tao, which itself accomplishes by nonaction.NaturalnessNaturalness (Chinese:自然;pinyin:zrn;WadeGiles:tzu-jan; lit. self-such) is regarded as a central value in Taoism.It describes the primordial state of all thingsas well as a basic character of the Tao,and is usually associated with spontaneity and creativity.To attain naturalness, one has to identify with the Tao;this involves freeing oneself from selfishness and desire, and appreciating simplicity.An often cited metaphor for naturalness ispu(simplified Chinese:朴;traditional Chinese:樸;pinyin:p, p;WadeGiles:pu; lit. uncut wood), the uncarved block, which represents the original nature. prior to the imprint of culture of an individual.It is usually referred to as a state onereturnsto.I ChingTheI Ching,orYijing,was originally a divination system that had its origins around 1150 B.C.Although it predates the first mentions of Tao as a philosophical term, this classic Chinese augury was later adopted as a meditative text by Taoists.TheI Chingconsists of 64 combinations of 8 trigrams (calledhexagrams), traditionally chosen by throwing coins or yarrow sticks, to give the diviner some idea of the situation at hand and, through reading of the changing lines, some idea of what is developing.The 64 commentaries can also be read as a meditation on how change occurs, so it assists Taoists with managing yin and yang cycles as Laozi advocated in theTao Te Ching. As early as the 18th century, Taoist masterLiu Yimingadvocated this usage.The relationship between the five elements:The Generating Cycle：Wood feeds Fire; Fire creates Earth; Earth bears Metal; Metal carries Water; Water nourishes Wood. The Overcoming Cycle Wood part