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Philosophy & Religion in China Chinese Folk Religion Taoism Confucianism By Laura Ellen Shulman
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Philosophy & Religion in China

Jan 18, 2016

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Philosophy & Religion in China. Chinese Folk Religion Taoism Confucianism. By Laura Ellen Shulman. Chinese Folk Religion. Belief in spirits Reverence for ancestors Priests perform blessing rituals: purifying space Exorcising evil spirits (“hungry ghosts”) Astrology Divination. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Page 1: Philosophy & Religion in China

Philosophy & Religion in

China

Chinese Folk ReligionTaoismConfucianismBy Laura Ellen Shulman

Page 2: Philosophy & Religion in China

Chinese Folk Religion Belief in spirits Reverence for ancestors Priests perform blessing rituals:

– purifying space – Exorcising evil spirits (“hungry

ghosts”) Astrology Divination

Page 3: Philosophy & Religion in China

Chinese metaphysics is about…

Energy Change Balance Harmony Inter-relationships

Page 4: Philosophy & Religion in China

Chinese MetaphysicsMovement of cosmic energies:

Rising

Falling

Expanding

Contracting

RotatingRepresented by and expressed in the “five elements” of nature…

Page 5: Philosophy & Religion in China

The “Five Elements”

Wood

Water Metal

Earth

Productive cycle

Fire

Page 6: Philosophy & Religion in China

The “Five Elements”

Wood

Water Metal

Earth

Fire

Destructive cycle

Page 7: Philosophy & Religion in China

Chinese MetaphysicsConcepts

Chi – life force, life energy (“ultimate”) Yin-Yang – harmony of opposites

– Yin = passive state of energy– Yang = active state of energy

Tao – the “way” of the cosmos, of natureHeaven (t’ien) and Earth“Mandate of Heaven”Practical applications: I-Ching and Feng Shui

Page 8: Philosophy & Religion in China

The I-Ching“Book of Changes”

Ancient divination technique (at least 3000 years old)

Intended to guide humans in decision making

Based on combinations of lines representing the ever changing relationship between passive (yin) and active (yang) energy flow of heaven, human, and earth = yang

= yin

Page 9: Philosophy & Religion in China

The Tri-gramsEight combinations of three lines

each:

wind / wood

Fire

lake

earth

mountain

water

thunder

heaven

Page 10: Philosophy & Religion in China

Using the I-Ching Tool Symbolism of the lines:

– Upper line = energy state of heaven– Middle line = energy state of human– Lower line = energy state of earth

Two sets of trigrams are divined to create a hexagram

Use coins or sticks to divine one of 64 hexagrams Use I-Ching text to discern meaning of the

hexagram and any additional meaning for “changing lines” (energies on the verge of changing)

A skilled interpreter is needed to apply the generic meaning of the hexagram

#31

Page 11: Philosophy & Religion in China

Feng Shui The Chinese art of placement (geomancy) Means “wind water”– symbolically, the

constant flow of wind and water that creates constant change in the world also affects us

Uses the five elements and the eight directions of the I-Ching as the Bagua tool

Seeks to maintain constant and balanced flow of energies (chi) in a space for improved flow of energy in the people who use the space

Page 12: Philosophy & Religion in China

Learn more on the Web

Learn more about Yin-Yang and the Five Elements: http://www.wisdommedia.com/data/library/html/feng_shui_yinyang.asp

I-ching sites: I-Ching Resources includes history of the I-Ching and

details about the trigrams: http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_resources

How to use the I-ching: http://littlestcat.com/iching/ Feng Shui sites: Series of pages on Feng Shui theory and application:

http://www.wisdommedia.com/data/library/html/feng_shui_what_is.asp

Feng Shui products and tips from MJG Designs: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/mjgdesigns/designtips.html

Page 13: Philosophy & Religion in China

TaoismThe Way of Harmony with

Nature A philosophy

– Profound and paradoxical A way of life

– Playful and practical A religion

Originating in 6th century BCE China

Nature knows best

Page 14: Philosophy & Religion in China

TaoismOrigins and Texts

Legendary founder: Lao Tzu (6th century BCE)

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)

– Author of companion text: The Chuang Tzu– Collection of stories exemplifying the

wisdom and nature of the Taoist sage

Page 15: Philosophy & Religion in China

Philosophical Taoism The 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

Page 16: Philosophy & Religion in China

More Taoist Concepts 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

Page 17: Philosophy & Religion in China

Taoism as a Way of Living

Seeking Health and Longevity: through diet, meditation, exercise, and a stress-free life

Alchemy: seeking the chemical “elixir of life”to achieve immortality

Meditation: “Inner Alchemy Meditation” – seeking spiritual rather than chemical transformation

Natural/holistic healing: herbal medicine, acupressure, acupuncture, exercise…

T’ai-Chi-Ch’uan (“grand ultimate boxing”)– A slow, graceful martial art stressing movement

in balance

Page 18: Philosophy & Religion in China

Religious Taoism Deification of Lao Tzu The Jade Emperor and the eight

“Immortals” Taoist temples with images of Lao Tzu

and other “immortals” Taoist Priests combine Taoist meditation

with purification rites of folk religion exorcism practices

Taoist sects develop beginning in 1st century, additional teachers and texts

Page 19: Philosophy & Religion in China

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

Page 20: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucianism - OriginsKung-Fu-tzu (Confucius) “Master Kung” 551 - 479 BCE Embraces the values of the past Political aspirations unfulfilled The “greatest teacher who ever lived” Rejected in his own day, but the model

for Chinese culture for over 2000 yearsMeng-Tzu (Mencius) (4th century) continues

to develop teachings of Confucius

Page 21: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucianism - Texts The “Five Classics” (of the past):

– I-Ching– The Book of History (Shu Ching)– The Book of Poems (Shih Ching)– The Spring and Autumn Annals (Ch’un Ch’iu)– The Book of Rituals (Li Chi)

The “Four Books” (Confucian)– Analects (Lun Yu)– Doctrine of the Mean– The Great Learning– The Book of Mencius (Meng-Tzu)

Page 22: Philosophy & Religion in China

Goal of ConfucianismTo develop one’s Jen: Human

Heartedness - the innate goodness of humanity

Thus becoming a Chun Tzu: the “Great Man” or “Gentle Man”

Jen is developed through intentional living by Confucian virtues…

Page 23: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucian VirtuesFilial Piety (Hsiao) - respect for the five

constant relationships:– Parent and child– Husband & wife– Older & younger sibling– Older & younger friend– Ruler & subject

Human-heartedness is developed only within the context of human relationships

Page 24: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucian Virtues Rectification of names – a person or

thing should be true to its name Recipricity (shu) – 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

Page 25: Philosophy & Religion in China

Neo-Confucianism Develops 11th – 16th century by Various

Confucian philosophers A metaphysical foundation for Confucian social

ethics Two main schools:

– School of Reason (more scientific) – through the “investigation of things” one can discover the underlying pattern (li) principle behind all reality (patterns and principles are manifest only within the material world)

– School of Mind (more mystical) – microcosmic-macrocosmic parallel between the human mind and the universe, reflecting an essential unity of all that is

Page 26: Philosophy & Religion in China

Confucianism as a Religion

Deification of Confucius - statues Confucian Temples – honoring

Confucius Veneration of the ancestors Rituals within…

– the household– the village– the state – the nation

Page 27: Philosophy & Religion in China

Explore more on the Web Taoist sites:

– The True Tao Homepage: a pleasant place to visit and learn more http://www.taoism.net/html.html

– Taoism and the Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan: informative on both origins and religious Taoism http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/taoism.html

– About the Tao: http://www.thetao.info/tao/index.htm Confucian sites:

– http://www.friesian.com/confuci.htm an academic review of basic Confucian teachings

– The Lun Yu (Analects), an English translation online: http://www.confucius.org/lunyu/lange.htm