The Question of Human Nature and Proper Governance in Religions of China - Essay Example

Questions and Answers – Religions of the East Part A The question of human nature and proper governance is central to the religions of China.  Write an essay exploring the positions of the Confucians and Taoists on this particular issue, highlighting the differences and their implications.  The texts we read from the Confucian and Taoist traditions are rich in images; these should be employed to provide vivid examples of the various positions. Firstly what are Confucian and Taoist beliefs, Confucianism is a system developed by Chinese Philosopher Confucius. It is based on five basic ideas of human behavior which are wisdom, trustworthiness, sobriety, righteousness and kindness Confucianism is a way of life sometimes considered a religion and sometimes spiritual philosophy. Taoist beliefs are a way of life including ways of your daily activities i.e. meditation, breathing, diet, use of natural materials. Taoism is all about staying aligned with the natural and basic way of life which the humans have gotten far away from, it’s about the natural cycle of our life system and planet. Both Taoist and Confucian beliefs share the same meaning, they have co-existed in China for over 2000 years. Both of these started as philosophies and turned into religious beliefs. The difference between Taoism and Confucianism is that one relates itself with the search of meaning and the other guides through social matters respectively. 2) Compare and contrast the four schools of Japanese Buddhism we examined in class (Pure Land of Honen and Shinran, Nichiren Buddhism, and Zen) with regard to the issue of self-power (jiriki) and other-power (tariki).  Discuss the implications of each schools position in relation to religious practice and attitude toward human possibilities in the age of mappo. Pure Land Buddhism is the concept of Honen, a religious reformer. Relating to the teachings of Buddha Honen derived a concept of saving oneself once fallen to the dark depths of life through following the pure land teachings which is a way to salvation and liberation. Pure land Buddhism is and easy path to follow with a few basic beliefs and revolving around discovering one’s inner strength to attain spiritual freedom. Pure land tells that people must use their inner strength in order to improve where as in Shinran beliefs it’s said to entrust oneself to Amida Buddha ( Tariki “other power” ) which triggers belief and faith and lets Buddha work in the believers mind. According to Shinran true religious state is when not human himself but spirituality i.e. faith heals his inner self. Nichiren is totally different from both of these as it is based on a set of simple practices. Nichiren was a priest and believed that all other Buddhist sects were no longer taught and practiced properly. Zen practices reject any kind of recitation or chanting and focus on meditation. Training in Zen has to be done under a master. It takes a long time to excel in Zen, they belief true liberation and salvation is achieved through using Jiriki i.e. inner power. Mappo is the age where Buddhism is dying out which is now, all these beliefs and practices revolve around Buddhas teachings, it just more research or fact based change that has created sects in Buddhism or else all of these four sects are based a few basic points. According to Zen we live in the universe and the universe within us which is also the teaching of Buddha. This explains that both the inner power and outer power are one force. 3) Taoism and Confucianism propose two radically different ideals of human perfection.  Write an essay explicating the differences and similarities you find.  Pay careful attention to any differences within each tradition.  What is the means of accomplishing the ideal of human perfection in each tradition?  And what does the ideal of human perfection in each of these two traditions tell us about the relationship between social order and divine reality as understood by each tradition?  Be sure to refer to specific texts from the course reader. Taoism And Confucianism propose different ways of human development. The very basic difference in them is that Tao is a way of life and behavior whereas Confucianism accounts ones ethics. Some major differences between them are followers of Tao believe in many different gods though in Confucianism they believe in one god but also worship their ancestors. In Taoism they believe in the three pure ones and their will and Confucius’s beliefs tell that Gods will is done. Taoism is most practiced in Zen, it is developing oneself using inner power through meditation and following a particular set of daily activities in order to achieve human perfection and in Confucianism human nature towards life acts to achieve human perfection. The similarity between both beliefs rather than individuality they focus on being a part of a bigger system and individual improvement for a larger benefit thus improving overall life. Both teach to attain peace and human perfection in both beliefs is to achieve liberation and thinking spiritually than looking at a limited spectrum Part B: 1) What is the relationship between individual salvation and communal well-being?  Of the religious traditions we have studied, some emphasize the individuals duty to society, others suggest that the individual must escape society to be saved, and others try to harmonize individual and communal aspirations.  Discuss the relationship between individual and society in these four traditions:  Hinduism (focus on one or two particular varieties of Hinduism), Theravada Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The relationship between individual salvation and communal well being is very deep. Individual salvation is saving your from sins and the darkness of the world and communal well being is the benefit on the community on the whole. To achieve communal wellbeing individual salvation has to come first as individual human perfection is necessary for the larger benefit. Some Buddhist beliefs Zen part of Taoism in particular asks one to escape the society and discover oneself and heal with inner power where as some such as Confucianism teaches to act in a way to benefit and please others around you. Theravada Buddhism suggests staying away from the daily cycle and escaping the world in order to achieve salvation though later it accounts itself for the larger benefit in which more people can participate. Hinduism is a collection of teachings and focuses on all, meditation and ethics. It does not suggest only escaping the world but escaping the unwanted responsibilities and serving mankind for greater benefits and achieving human perfection. 2) We have studied a variety of conceptions of the problem of human existence in the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist traditions. Describe the human predicament as expressed by each of these four traditions, incorporating in your answer how the conception of the problem relates to the ultimate religious goal posited within these traditions. (You may choose a particular school of thought within any of these traditions, but if you do be sure to make clear to which school you are referring.) All these beliefs suggest a purpose for the human being in life. All religions suggest some basic purposes of life that are discovering your inner self, salvation, liberation, and satisfaction. The major purpose in Buddhism is to end suffering and not to attach oneself to things limited to time as once they are no more it just increases human suffering. Hindu Beliefs are very different as they consider to be born in god’s debt and their life is a chance to pay him off. They follow their Dharm to pay their gods off which is living morally and ethically throughout life to repay their gods. The highest purpose of their life is considered enlightment i.e. rebirth and union with God. Confucian and Taoist traditions suggest that human purpose is communal wellbeing achieved in different ways on both religions. One relates to ethical values and the other is through a way of life. 3) Throughout the semester we have examined some religious traditions that demand unnatural discipline in the religious life (i.e., radically change human nature), whereas others counsel the nurturance of natural human qualities (i.e., discover true human nature).  Compare and contrast the religious perspectives of Hindu yoga, Hsun Tzu, the Lotus Sutra, and Chaung Tzu on this particular issue.  What strikes you as the real issue in this central human dilemma? All the stated beliefs and religions are extensions of teachings of Buddha and are based on the same basic facts. Hindu Yoga is part of the Taoist beliefs and most practiced in Zen religion. This is meditation and balanced physical activity to achieve individual well being. Hsun Tzu (Xunzi) is related to the Confucian sect and teaches that human is born pure and learns imperfections from the surroundings so educating the human mind will make them achieve ultimate freedom and the power to think. He suggested to act in the Confucian suggested way for communal wellbeing triggering individual human perfection through observation education. The lotus sutra is part of the texts of Buddhism and is taught in Nicheren sect, it is all about devotion to this sutra and reciting related texts and devoting yourself empowers your inner self and helps achieve power and solve problems within your life. Chaung Tzu is part of Taoism also its second book. It follows al the basic Taoist beliefs but suggests life as a dream and rather than learning all it relates to only learning what is related a life is limited. The issue is that the ways of life have now transformed and following these beliefs is beneficial though extremely difficult as man today is always short of resources and is in a state of crisis, though these religions provide ways to pull one out of this chaos though man now is unable to understand this depth. He is neither able to escape life nor able to maintain Confucius beliefs living in his related environment. References Ludwig, M. Theodore. The Sacred Paths of the East. London: Pearson, 2005. Print. Read More