Buddhism And Confucianism Similarities

Religion organizes society; it controls our daily life and can be the breaking or making point of a society. The three Philosophies of China consist of Legalism, Daoism, and Confucianism, but only one Philosophy surpasses all others, Confucianism.

Sometimes, life provides us with a challenge of either conforming to two ideologies or forgoing one and upholding the other. Being able to be both a Confucian and a Christian depends on how one weighs the similarities and differences of either part. It is well-acknowledged that both Confucianism and Christianity are significant. Their teachings have aided to form the value systems of Eastern and Western and cultures, which have navigated millions of people in behavior, spirit, mind, behavior, and relationships. Going through their doctrines, we can discover something in common. Nevertheless, if we take a direct look, we can see that the whole structures of their philosophies are completely different. The composition is aimed at

People very commonly confuse the Chinese culture for being the birthplace of Buddhism. When you walk into an Asian owned business and see a large statue of a bald Asian man, people typically assume that it is a shrine to Buddah but this is incorrect, India was the original birth place to Buddha. Chinese culture founded the Shang Dynasty which from that came the two most popular religions in that region, Confucianism and Daoism. Today I will be discussing the similarities and differences of Buddhism and Confucianism. They seem very similar from the outside but once you look a little deeper you find they are extremely different belief systems all together.

While they both have elements of philosophy and religion, Confucianism and Taoism seem to hold some opposites of each other. Confucianism is a philosophy originated by a Chinese Philosopher, Confucius. Confucianism has certain teachings to spread the beliefs of its religion; for example, “ the traditions of early Chinese culture is the best way to organize society.” The main idea of confucianism teachings are the sayings of confucius. Daoism on the other hand was started by a different philosopher, Lao Tzu. Lao had the idea to follow nature but although shown few concerns with the idea. Therefore, according to Daoism, Daoism teachings and beliefs is all about a person’s relationship with nature.

Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism affected modern day and historic China in many ways. They all contributed something to China's history and what they believe today. Back in ancient days, the people of China relied on the thoughts and teachings of these three philosophies to figure how they should live or what they should believe, but not only did this affect China it also affected the entire world by forming laws, religions or even political views to create a better institution. Religion at the time was a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of people. Religion today is one of the biggest topics to explore around the world. As you know, religion was created to provide explanations as to why humans are born and what is the purpose of our lives. Later on, we found out that it evolved into a way of teaching people of high moral values and how we should function in society. The three philosophies are Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism which were all incorporated into the Chinese society and government which all have similar and different impacts on Chinese history.

Indeed, social, economic, and political factors took significant roles in the development of different Chinese religions. In fact, the 800 years of the Western Zhou dynasty provided a favorable environment for Confucians to idealize the “Way of the Ancients”. This work was foundation in the Confucian classics. In the meanwhile, the political and economic stability of the dynasty played a crucial role in the establishment of the Confucian thinking and religion. In the era of Han dynasty rulers Chinese saw the entry of Buddhist principles in China. During the Han dynasty art and science were advanced. Persons started understanding eclipses through astronomy. History was studied systematically. In addition, Chinese people seem to have been in

Buddhism and Confucianism have many features that are alike and many features that are different. Confucianism and Buddhism had different importance and values. But, they both had many similar ideas.

Thesis- I think that Confucianism is good and bad things with it. I feel like Confucianism did a lot of good things. So out of the three beliefs I choose Confucianism.

their ancestors. Many followers of different religions at this point in time started to see

Back in the time of early civilizations, many of the civilizations worshiped mostly one religion entirely, such as Hinduism for India and Christianity for the Byzantine empire. In Asia, the rise of civilizations created religions and philosophies such as Buddhism and Confucianism, but how did they become popular? It was because these beliefs were created to combat a certain problem at the time and offer solutions to such problems, how it can help oneself and others, and how to come to terms with such situation; with Confucianism helping the early government in China while Buddhism provided a alternative religion to ease the growing problems of social classes in Indian societies.

China is a highly populated country in East Asia which consists of many religions ever since the ancient times. The major religions in China are Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity. People in China who are part of different confessional groups and culture are able to cope and live together because The Constitution in China allows people to freely practice any religion they believe in. In addition to that, the State Council also offers assistance to many religious groups. Chinese culture is broad and complex and is significantly influenced by Chinese religions. In China today, Buddhism and Taoism are most common and widespread. Buddhism is an old religion which was introduced in China 2,000 years ago. The religion consists of a few sects and is one of the driving forces of Chinese cultures. Likewise, Taoism is another well-known and widespread religion in China. Many other Chinese religions derive from Taoism. The religion was brought into China 1,700 years ago and is based on religious and philosophical teachings of particular historical Chinese doctrines. Buddhism and Taoism have a major impact on Chinese culture. Both share similarities, yet there are a different set of goals each possess.

One of the primary questions of religions is how to relieve suffering and the answers are vastly different depending on the history of the people and the place. In Asia, two religions that addressed this question were Buddhism and Confucianism. Buddhism was the result of the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu prince around the 6th century. Buddha thought that the cause of suffering was desire, not just physical desire but the desire for the unattainable things. (textbook, pg. 114)

There are two religions that draw similarities to each other one being form the Abrahamic faith and the other being from an Eastern religion. Both having the paths to righteousness within ones respected religious beliefs. Christianity and Buddhism are the two religions that have been to shown to have comparable story lines to one another, and an in depth analysis will show why.

Over the course of the past century, Chinese Buddhism, like most every religious tradition, has changed in a number of ways. Upon its arrival in China, the Buddhist tradition and its followers were faced with the challenge of synthesizing Buddhist values of individual enlightenment with the pre-existing Confucian and Taoist traditions that shaped Chinese government, spirituality, and culture. Due to this necessary adaptation, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism began to overlap and work together to influence the religious, social, and political traditions in pre-communist China.

The belief systems that have been given rise to in China are religions thought out for thousands of years. All of them are different from each other, but also interlaced. Many scholars and thinkers spent a whole life devoted to further developing a way of thinking. Certain religions a take small part from others, and in the case of Neo- Confucianism, it takes whole parts and fuses them together. Chinese people in history have shown their devotion to religion. They have also shown their lack of interest in corresponding with other nations. There are many reasons why they have chosen not to be influenced by the west, especially when it comes to religion. Even though Chinese people