Religions and Philosophies
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Religions and Philosophies
What is the function of religion?
What does it do for the people who believe?
Scientific – Explanation for natural phenomena in terms of supernatural causes. Often led to various forms of ritual sacrifice in order to placate the gods of the harvest, fertility, etc.
Moral – serves as a moral purpose by providing codes of conduct for appropriate behavior, which are usually punished through divine threats
Political – religion used to legitimize and consolidate their power. Used to be called the “divine right of kings” and the religiously privileged status of the upper-class
What message is this portrait trying to convey to the audience?
Military – political interests often use religion to further military aims; “God is on our side” propaganda
Ethnic – an ethnic group will identify themselves as a certain religion to foster group unity and to strengthen the group bonds
Economic – used to give an air of divine sanction and legitimacy to economically privileged groups; the wealthy have God’s blessing
Psychological – Freud thought that all religion was a form of mental illness; the individual will project parental qualities on God to feel unconditional love and protection
Emotional – purpose of religion is wish fulfillment and the belief that there is another world where all our dreams can come true and we will be happy and satisfied.
What is Hinduism?
• A philosophy and a way of life – focused both on this world and beyond
– Emphasis on individuals carrying out their obligations/duties
How did Hinduism begin?
• No particular founder
• Indus River Valley Civilization
What are the Sacred Texts?• Shruti (“heard”) – oldest, most
authoritative:– Upanishads - metaphysical speculation– Plus others
• Smriti (“remembered”) – the Great Indian Epics:– Ramayana– Mahabharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita)– Plus others
What do Hindus believe?• Ultimate goal of life (Moksha)
– True essence of life – Atman
– Reincarnation (Samsara)
– Karma – spiritual impurity due to actions keeps us bound to this world (good and bad)
How does Hinduism directlife in this world?
• Respect for all life – vegetarian; non-violent• Human life as supreme• Caste system – ensured spiritual purity & orderly
society• The Four Yogas
Symbolism in Hinduism
Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu
Pantheon
Brahma, the creator god
Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu
Pantheon
Vishnu, the preserver god
Incarnates as ten avatars (descents) including:Rama (featured in the Ramayana)Krishna (featured in the Mahabharata)
(Each shown with his consort, Sita and Radha, respectively)
Who do Hindus worship? – the major gods of the Hindu
PantheonShiva, god of constructive destruction(the transformer)
Appears as Shiva Nataraj,lord of the dance of creation…
and with his wife, Parvati, and son Ganesha
(the elephant headed remover of obstacles)
What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine
Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, consort ofBrahma
What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine
Lakshmi, goddess of good fortune, consortof Vishnu
What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine
Parvati, divine mother, wife ofShiva
What about the goddesses?Devi – the feminine divine
Durga, protectress
Kali, destroyer of demonsPlus about 330 million other deities
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes/functions) of the impersonal
Brahman
All these deities are but
Manifest forms (attributes/functions) of the impersonal
Brahman
And we too are manifest forms of God!
“We are not human beingshaving spiritual experiences;
We are spiritual beingshaving a human experience!”
“That art Thou”Hinduism is about recognizing the all pervasiveness
of the divine
Buddhism…
• The “middle way of wisdom and compassion”
• A philosophy, religion, and spiritual practice followed by more than 300 million people
Who was the Buddha?
• Born Siddhartha Gautama – of noble caste in India, 563 B.C.E.
• Became the Buddha, the “Awakened One”at the age of 35
• Spent the remaining 45 years of his life teaching others how to achieve the peace of mind he had achieved
What are some Buddhist texts?
• Tripitaka (the Pali Cannon) – the “Three Baskets”:– Vinaya (“discipline”) – rules for monastic
life– Sutta (“discourse”) – sermons of the
Buddha– Abhidhamma (metaphysical “teachings”)
• Dhammapada – collected sayings of the Buddha
• Other texts used by specific schools
What did the Buddha teach?
• Ultimate goal = Nirvana
• The Four Noble Truths:– To live is to suffer– The cause of suffering is self-
centered desire & attachments– The solution is to eliminate desire
and attachment, thus achieving Nirvana (“extinction”)
– The way to Nirvana is through the “Eight-Fold Path”
What is the Eightfold Path?
Wisdom:
•Right understanding
•Right motivation
Moral discipline:
•Right speech
•Right action
•Right livelihood
Mental discipline:
•Right effort
•Right mindfulness
•Right meditation
What do Buddhists believe?• Rebirth (reincarnation) results from
attachments (karma)• Nirvana is a peaceful, detached state of
mind• Achieving Nirvana means escape from the
cycle of rebirth
Once Gautama Buddha died, after 80 years of life in this world, having achieved Nirvana and teaching multitudes his way of life, he ceased to exist as a distinct being
• Buddhism is non-theistic: Buddha is not the Buddhist God – he is just a revered teacher
The Spread of Buddhism
• Within two centuries after the Buddha died, Buddhism began to spread north and east into Asia
• By 13th century Buddhism had disappeared from India
Theravada BuddhismThe “Way of the Elders” (a.k.a.: the
“small vehicle”)• Oldest school of Buddhism• Focus on wisdom and meditation• Goal is to become a Buddha
Mahayana BuddhismThe “Great Vehicle”• Lay Buddhism – Buddhism “for the
masses”• Focus on compassion• Goal is to become a bodhisattva and
assist others toward enlightenment (the “Bodhisattva Ideal”)
Tibetan BuddhismVajrayana – the “Diamond Vehicle”• A mix of Theravada & Mahayana• Bardo Thodol -Tibetan Book of
the Dead
Zen BuddhismThe “meditation” school:• Lay and monastic• Beauty, arts & aesthetics –
gardens, archery, the tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc.
How does Buddhism differ from Hinduism?
Buddhism rejects…• Authority of the ancient Vedic
texts• The Vedic caste system• The Vedic and Hindu deities• The efficacy of Vedic worship and
ritual• The concept of Brahman• The seeking of power
What is the difference between the Eastern
view of Karma and the Western view of Karma?
Review
ConfucianismA political and social philosophy seeking
social harmony on all levels:Within the self…the family…the community...the state…the nation…the world…the cosmos
Learning from the past to improve the future – hierarchical society to ensure social order
Confucianism - Founder
• Kung-Fu-tzu (Confucius) “Master Kung”– The “greatest teacher who ever lived”
• Meng-Tzu (Mencius) (4th century) continues to develop teachings of Confucius
Confucianism - Texts• The “Five Classics” (of the past):
– I-Ching– The Book of History – The Book of Poems – The Spring and Autumn Annals – The Book of Rituals
• The “Four Books” (Confucian)– Analects – Doctrine of the Mean– The Great Learning– The Book of Mencius
Ultimate Goal
To provide HARMONY IN SOCIETY & To develop one’s Jen (Human Heartedness - the innate goodness of humanity)
Jen is developed through intentionally living by Confucian virtues…
Confucian VirtuesRespect for the five constant/key
relationships:– Parent & child
– Husband & wife– Older & younger sibling
– Ruler & Subject– Friend & Friend
• Filial Piety is the most important duty
More Confucian Virtues
• Rectification of names – a person or thing should be true to its name
• Shu (Reciprocity) – the Golden Rule– “Do not do to others what you would not want
others to do to you”• Li (rites, ritual) – the inherent “pattern” in
things– For Confucius, Li is especially significant in a
social context – propriety or etiquette, the “pattern” of humane behavior
Confucianism Affects Society• Part of the Social Structure
• Government leaders should lead by virtue – lead a virtuous life thus becoming an example for people
Confucianism as a Religion?
• Confucian Temples – honoring Confucius, but it would be considered non-theistic
• Combined with Chinese folk religions– Veneration of the ancestors – ancestor worship– Rituals within…
• the household• the village• the state • the nation
Legalism• Utilitarian political philosophy that
does not serve the scientific function of religion or the ethnic function of religion
• What does that mean?
法家
Legalism - Founder• Hanfeizi
–“Nature of man is evil. His goodness is acquired.”
法家
Legalism(text, ultimate goal, how to achieve ultimate goal)
• Hanfeizi (Book)– To achieve order pass strict laws and
impose harsh punishments– POWER is revered – strength is a
leader’s greatest virtue• Popular among feudal lords and the
Qin dynasty, whom many believe fell from power because of their cruel behavior
法家
Legalism Affects Life• Sacrifice Personal freedom good of
state• Fearful of rulers weakness of Qin
• What would Machiavelli think of this?
• “Lead the people by laws and regulate them by punishments and the people will simply try to keep out of jail, but will have no sense of shame. Lead the people by virtue…and they will have a sense of shame and moreover will become good.”
• Do we live in a world like that?
•If you come to a stop sign in the middle of the desert and no one is coming and there is no sign of a police officer, do you stop?
• How would MVHS change to become a representation of a Confucian state?
• How would MVHS change to become a representation of a Legalist state?
MVHS
TAOISM/DAOISMThe Way of Harmony with
Nature• A philosophy
– Profound and paradoxical
• A way of life– Playful and practical
• A religion
Nature knows best
TaoismOrigins and Texts
• Lao Tzu - founder• Primary text: Tao Te Ching (the “Book of
the Way and the Power”)– 81 short “chapters” containing the basic
philosophy of living in harmony and balance
• Chuang Tzu (4th century BCE) – secondary founder & text– Collection of stories exemplifying the wisdom
and nature of the Taoist sage
Taoism: Goal & beliefs
• Ultimate Goal: HARMONY with NATURE• Tao (“path” or “way”)
– The “nameless”– The “Mother of ten=thousand things”– The “uncarved block”– All pervading within and beyond nature
• Te (“power” or “virtue”)– One’s natural ability brought to peak potential
through following the way• The Taoist Sage learns from observing the way
of nature (flowing water, wind) and letting nature guide his way through life.
More Taoist Beliefs• Wei-wu-wei (“active non-action”)
– Passive non-resistance to the natural forces of life
– Natural way to get things done with least effort and greatest success
– “Go with the flow,” yield to the natural way of things
– Applied in all walks of life
• Relativity: “good” and “bad” as a matter of perspective– The Taoist sage is non-judgmental
Taoism Affects Life
• Seeking Health and Longevity• Alchemy• Meditation• Natural/holistic healing• T’ai-Chi-Ch’uan (“grand ultimate boxing”)• BEST Government governs LEAST
“The Vinegar Tasters”
Confucius
Buddha
Laozi
If the vat of vinegar represents LIFE, then what is the meaning of this scroll? How can the reaction of tasting vinegar/life cause the expressions of each philosopher:
Confucius: Sour?
Buddha: Bitter?
Laozi: Smiling?
What do these reactions/expressions tell us about the philosophical viewpoints?
Let’s rewrite Cinderella…..
Cinderella assignment:• Rewrite the story and make it into a moral tale teaching the fundamental principles of:–Confucianism - Hinduism–Taoism - Legalism–Buddhism
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