DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTION:
Daoism-Buddhism
Directions
The following question is based on the accompanying documents. (The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise). The question is designed to test your ability to work with and understand historical documents. Write an essay that:
• Has relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the documents.
• Uses all or all but one of the documents.
• Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible and does not simply summarize the documents individually.
• Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the authors’ points of view.
Essay Prompt
Analyze the similarities and
…show more content…
Yin and yang are not opposing forces (dualities), but complementary forces, unseen (hidden, feminine) and seen (manifest, masculine), that interact to form a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. Everything has both yin and yang aspects as light could not be understood if darkness didn't exist, and shadow cannot exist without light.
[pic]
Paul Carus, Buddha, the Gospel, 1909
All compound things shall be dissolved again, worlds will break to pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the words of Buddha will remain for ever.
The extinction of self is salvation; the annihilation of self is the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of self is Nirvana.
Major beliefs of Taoism
Major beliefs of Buddhism
Taoism has the same worldview as Confucianism or ancient Chinese folk religion. Its philosophy operates within the same paradigms. It celebrates man's association and interdependency with nature. Moving on to a wider plane, the relationship between religion and the universe takes the form of veneration, which lies beyond the confines of time and space, ancestor worship and belief in the sovereign. The principles on which the system thrives even today include Ch'i, Feng Shui, interdependency between life and death, the Eight Immortals and the Ultimate Reality.
Life exists in itself - there is no inherent meaning attached to life. However - as all human beings (and animals) wish for
The third Noble Truth, however, is that this chain can be broken, that suffering can cease. The Buddhists called this end of suffering nirvana and conceived of it as a cessation of rebirth, an escape from samsara.
It is evident that the two main largest classical empires were the Roman Empire and the Chinese Empire under the rule of the Han kings. These two empires had many social, political, and economic features in common, but likewise many of those features different from one another. A political feature that both classical empires shared was that both had powerful executive emperors who held absolute power. A second political feature that both empires had in common is that both empires had a central governmental body which maintained order, organized funds, collected taxes, and made executive decisions. Socially, the two empires also had features in common. The first similarity between the Roman social organization and the Han social organization
Takes into account the sources of the documents and analyzes the authors’ points of view.
DBQ Worksheet Write out the question: Evaluate the extent to which the French and Indian War altered relations between Britain and its American colonies. What time period is your answer to focus on? 1740-1766 Specifically, what things does the question ask you to examine? The document asks to examine Documents 1-7 and to evaluate the results of the French and Indian War a how it resulted in growing tension between the Mother country and her colonies.
Identifying the types of sources suited to historical inquiry and discussing why suitable sources might be different for other subjects (ACHASSI074)
The Roman empire was large and very vast. It encompassed many different cultures that fell under Roman political rule. Romanization or becoming a Roman is described by studying the changes in everyday life to include language and religious practices, and from drinking habits and personal names. The western provinces of the Roman empire had a long and trouble some experience throughout its history. Much of the Britain and Germanic Gaul’s history was destroyed by the Romanization process, so much so, that modern studies describe the history of those areas from a Roman perspective. While Tacticus was governor of Britain, Agricola, he practiced the civilizing mission or known as the Tacitean coda, which increased the number of temples, forums and villas being built in Britain. Tacticus also made sure that Latin was spoken more widely and that sons of native elites were educated in Roman ways. By the reign of Tiberius, the Roman town of Augustodunum in central Gaul was equipped with a school, where the elite youth of the Gallic provinces could receive a decent liberal, Greek and Latin education.
Accordingly, the religion emphasizes the union of the opposite and complementary forces of the universe. Taoism also stresses harmony with nature, immortality, self-improvement and trying to help I the world around them. The Tao is the ultimate creative energy of the universe, and it is also the organic universe or cosmos itself, as well as the way of nature and the world. Deities, along with everything in the universe rely on the Tao. Taoism has practices and believes are lots of times from other religions.
Rome was said to be founded by two brothers whose names were Romulus and Remus. Legend says they were raised by a wolf and ran off to a city they both wanted to rule but they killed each other over their lust for power. Romulus killed Remus and named the city Rome after his victory. Romulus’s story influenced many Romans but, what really happened was Romans were under Etruscan rule for many years as slaves until the Romans rebelled and overthrew their masters. Romans were discouraged by Greece thinking Rome would be easily swept away. Rome was attacked by many barbaric tribes including fighting a war with the Etruscans but triumphed again and again. Rome started with nothing and worked its way to the top, as nothing could break the Roman spirit, and their drive to dominate. After a tedious start, the Romans became the largest and most prosperous Empire the world has ever seen. The Roman Empire was an important building block to how we live today such as are architecture, concrete, government and war tactics, and if it had not been for great generals of Rome, it may have fallen before it ever had the chance to rise.
Lao Tzu is one of the founders of Taoism and he wrote the book, Tao Te Ching which contains 81 chapters on different ways to be moral “According to authoritative sources, the main text was written around 500 BCE by Lao Tzu who was a sage, teacher, and scribe who worked for the imperial court of Zhou. It is believed that the Tao Te Ching was originally written in a calligraphy style called zhuànshū, or “seal script,” which was mainly used for official royal seals” (Schuhmacher, 1989). One of the central themes of the Tao Te Ching is the nature of the relationship between the two principles that govern the universe which are Yin and Yang. Traditionally, Yin is associated with qualities like intuition, softness, water and the moon, and is passive, static and contracting. Yang is associated with qualities like intellect, hardness, physical matter and the sun, and is active, dynamic and expansive. Although it seems that they are opposites, in reality Yin and Yang are reverse aspects of the same thing. The two are inextricably one, and cannot exist apart from each other. Yin and Yang represent the perfect symmetry of the universe since everything needs a reverse. For example, without darkness there is no light and without hate, there is no love. To understand the principles of Yin and Yang is to understand the connections of all things, and to not see ourselves as separate and isolated, but as a part of a single
The Yin Yang is one of the primary principles of Taoist teachings. The concept of two forces present everywhere, completely opposite to each other yet balancing and enhancing each other. They cannot be separated because they exist together in comparison, and splitting one apart will only create the other anew. Although one force can take prevalence over the other for a short time, anything that is in a state of imbalance for long will cease to exist. The universe is composed of and held together by the tension of these two forces, and this concept is in Taoist writings on Abstraction. (A2)
Then identify the main themes/ideas being compared. E.g. Justice (and the idea) and the noble lie(and idea)
Throughout history, state power and religious influence have gone hand in hand. Rulers and their governmental bodies have used their power and influence in an attempt to spread their religious mantra to their populace. Asoka, of the Mauryan empire, wanted to use his religion in order to establish his empire as a stronghold of peace and prosperity. In stark contrast to that, Emperor Trajan of Rome wanted for Christians under his dominion to be persecuted in order to keep the status quo of the empire. Walking the line between acceptance and persecution, Emperor Constantine of Rome attempted to use persuasion in order to coax people to convert to Christianity. No matter the efforts used, the conversion methods that those rulers used, the conversion methods that those rulers undertook had a great effect on the populace that they controlled. The effects that this religious indoctrination had, however, is determined entirely by the qualities of the ruler, the culture that region adopted, and the characteristics of the religion that the ruler attempted to propagate
Buddhist afterlife is hand-in-hand with enlightenment and liberation. The ultimate purpose is to break free from Samsara and the suffering that come along with it. When enlightened, a person will have perfect knowledge and compassion in a place called Nirvana. Buddhism encourages us to find our own paths to enlightenment. A fundamental difference between Christianity and Buddhism is highlighted when regarding liberation, salvation and enlightenment. A more ‘humanistic’ view of life and the individual journey through it is evident in the lived practice of Buddhism, and Confucianism.
In Buddha’s view, impermanence, dissatisfactoriness, and selflessness are three characteristics of life, and understanding the nature of these three characteristics will lead to Awakening and Nirvana (Mitchell 34).
“Thus has it been said by the Buddha, the Enlightened One: It is through not understanding, not realizing four things, that I, Disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths. And what are these four things? They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin