Contrasting Confucianism and Daoism
Introduction
The purpose of this essay is to contrast and analyze our story through the lenses of Confucianism and Daoism by using three fundamental aspects. The first involves the use of paradoxical language such as positive and negative articulation. The second aspect deals with the use of distinct expression of emotion; Confucianism suppresses emotion while Daoism aims for manifestation of Dao (Cosmic essence). The final feature is the distinct interpretations for the meaning of wuwei (Effortless action or non-action). Early Chinese history plays a significant role in informing that these two beliefs are different from the three approaches mentioned above. In relation to early Chinese history, there
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As seen in the story, the daughter-in-law obeyed those who were higher in the hierarchical structure than she was by constantly adapting her values, ethics and actions to the situation she found herself in. For instance, “The woman had to learn the customs and ritualized daily life of the house.” Zhengming highlights the value of honesty, humbleness, and politeness of the inner and outer self. As demonstrated in the story, the daughter-in-law practiced self-cultivation until she was perfect, both internally and externally in order to reach social harmony within the hierarchical society. Furthermore, the daughter concealed her emotions by suppressing signs of anger to achieve perfection internally, actualizing inner goodness externally and actualizing social harmony. In the Essential Analects, the master replies to Yan Hui saying that the restraining of oneself and the returning to the rites constitutes as goodness (Slingerland 34) Here we see Confucianism’s emphasis on cultivating and controlling one’s emotions internally and …show more content…
Dao is the sign of a river, which symbolizes the letting go of the mind and social relations. In the story, the daughter-in-law lets go of her relationship with her mother-in-law, realizing that imperfection is perfection. The daughter-in-law told the priest that after letting go, she felt liberated and free from the taunts of her mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law had finally reached a state of wuwei. This symbolizes the essence of Dao, which means to follow the flow of the river even though it is imperfect. “The Perfect Man uses his mind like a mirror – going after nothing, welcome nothing, responding but not storing. Therefore, he can win out over things and not hurt himself” (Zhuangzi 32). The conception of Dao is implicitly referred to as a reflection. We can see that Cook Ding gained his level of learning through practice and exercise. However, when Cook Ding got into a state of wuwei, he did his practice naturally, without thought of his previous training; this is the state of
Confucian and Daoist views were important for the shaping and development of mankind in the past. They were views that existed among the eastern Asian countries. They had both similarities and differences in the way they shaped out self-knowledge and self-cultivation. Also there was other outside forces that played a major role in their theories. Nature and art were said to have helped shape the human race as we know it.
This essay will illustrate the history of Confucianism and the background of Master Kong (Confucius) in the early beginnings of the religion. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the common characteristic of Confucianism with other eastern religions, the contemporary issues it faces, and the interaction between the modern world and Confucianism. Also the paper list the nine most common text of literature used by the religion and it includes the role of women and the five bonds also known as the five great relationships.
Daoism practices and studies health, long life, breathing and meditation. Laozi meaning “old master” or “old child” is traced back to be the founder of Daoism. Although all religion is said to have a founder, it still remains unknown to whether Laozi existed or not. Laozi was the first person to start recording his beliefs and ideas. Working as a librarian Laozi learned to read and write, so he was able to create records. After writing the Daodejing, Laozi went to travel and spread his belief around the world. Later, when Laozi returned from India, he was treated as a deity. The Daodejing is worship as one of the greatest book Not only to Daoist, but also every else. In 1972, archeologist have discovered two different books of the Daodejing. The book is written like how someone speaks and having no structure. One reference the Daodejing is Dao. Dao means the origin of everything. Dao is “nameless” meaning no can define what it is. Dao is something that is beyond our knowledge and intelligence. To achieve Dao one must forget and leave all desires behind. Almost seems like a person with no emotional attachment in
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism were the three political beliefs and institutions of Classical China. Confucianism was about the connection between personal virtue and a stable political life. It emphasizes having respect for other people, especially one’s social superiors. It taught people ethics and loyalty to their government. Daoism, on the other hand, was the belief in harmony and balance among people and the world around them. It embraces the idea of magic and the mystery of nature. Daoism greatly influenced science and art in China. Legalism was the harshest of these beliefs. Legalists promoted discipline and a state that ruled by force. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism are all different but each contributed to Classical Chinese philosophy.
Complied during the Warring States Period, the Daodejing is widely known as one of China’s famous philosophy literature. This text reflects the general lament of a civilization that has been worn down from war and seeks to find peace by teaching people how to live by “the Way”. From a war-torn perspective, the Daodejing deems war and government corruption as evil and traces them back to greedy and power-hungry motives. As a successor to Confucius, it still carries some of his ethics. Because of its mystical overtones, it has acquired a large variety of interpretations. Its main teaching is if a person does nothing, then peace will be restored; it is the concept of non-action or 无为。When a person does not try to interfere and allows things to
Chinese has always been a confident nation most of the time. As they believe that China is the Celestial Empire of the world, Chinese rulers and scholars are reluctant to accept heterodox knowledge, especially religion. For hundreds of years, Confucianism had been the essence of Chinese Philosophy. However, By the middle of the second century A.D, the great Han Empire was on the edge of disintegration. “The upper level of Han socio-political order was riven by conflict
Confucianism and Daoism were two great Philosophical who had contrasting views while seeking the truth, in different ways. Confucianism ethic was seeking truth through a connection to society and believe that logic and reason could resolve any problems or supposition, Confucians believe if people follow the Chines philosophy it would help to unite society. On the other hand, Daoism seeks true through a more Mystical view he saw nature as living a good balance life, he seeks to teach and impart wisdom to mankind if mankind would observe. Because of the different outlooks it has cause a withdrawal from public life
The Daodejing is an ancient Chinese text written around the 6th century B.C.E., which encompasses eighty-one short chapters and involves the teachings of being in absolute harmony with the universe. According to tradition, a sage named Laozi wrote the Daodejing, however, certain scholars argue that this text is a collection of multiple sources over the course of a few centuries. The Daodejing is the fundamental text of Taoism, a philosophical and religious tradition of Chinese origin that accentuates existing with “the Way.” Tao, romanized as Dao, signifies ‘path’ or ‘way’, and expresses how life cannot be understood by simple conceptions, rather as a condition of an actual living experience. The Daodejing has influenced many schools of thought, including Chinese Buddhism, and continues to be a text that inspires readers globally. Agreeing with this highly influential, ancient text, there are certain issues that people must overcome and understand to fully be harmonized with “the Dao.” Taoists would insist that to be one with the Way, an individual must understand the motivations behind their desires, be in a state of “Wu Wei,” translated as non-action, or acting naturally, and realize that names polarize the true nature of their meaning.
Daoism means “Followers of the way”, although Dao does not means only “way”. According to the BBC religion, the word Dao or Tao can include several concepts such as “the source of creation”, “the ultimate”, “the unnameable” ,“the way of nature as a whole”, “the natural universe as a whole” and “the inexpressible and indefinable.” In Taoism they believe in way of living in which there were not many rules and believes in the philosophy of inaction. They say that you can find happiness through nature and harmony. Also this is where yin and yang come from. As we can see, there are major differences between Daoism and Confucianism, but one of them is very important, the life after death.
We have covered the general accounts of human nature found in Confucianism and Taoism in light of the historical backdrop of the Period of Warring States. Use your responses to the following general questions below as an opportunity to refer either to the Smith text and accompanying assigned scriptures(s), Smith video(s) on China, Confucianism, and Taoism, or any additional material covered in class. Look ahead to the next question on the chun tzu in order to plan on avoiding repetition of answers verbatim within each essay if there are areas of potential overlap.
In “The Daodejing,” Laozi, similar to many prominent Chinese philosophers before and after his time, discusses his unique perspective of the “Way.” There is much controversy, however, regarding whether Laozi was the actual author of this text or was even a real person, and “his” work is thought to have been a composite. (For the purpose of clarity, throughout this paper, the author(s) of “The Daodejing” will be mentioned as Laozi.) Laozi’s vision of the “Way” is exceptionally challenging to define using words because of its metaphysical nature. Although this term is somewhat difficult to envision, it is what mankind should aspire and take action to be aligned with. According to Laozi, in “readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy,” the “Way” (or dao) is the “source, sustenance, and ideal state of all things in the world” (Laozi 158). It can be best thought of as the underlying guiding force of all events that occur in the universe, and mankind is closer to the “Way” when they realize that all things are interconnected and have an effect on one another. As might be expected, this vague definition isn’t a foolproof depiction of the eighty-one chapters in the “Daodejing,” but one is able to grasp a basic understanding of Laozi’s ineffable doctrine. Although numerous chapters are meaningful and could provide substantial analysis, this paper will focus in on Chapter Twelve. Ultimately, this chapter adequately and efficaciously compresses the teachings of “The Daodejing” into
Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this
Confucianism and Daoism were two ancient religions that influenced traditional Chinese ink painting and calligraphy’s style, creation, and design. The Chinese worship their ancestors and came up with the idea of Confucianism similar to the idea of the Egyptian pharaohs whom believed in the afterlife. With great respect for tradition, innovation is not important; thereby painters often produced old artwork of an older master whom they admired. This reveals the concept of Confucianism: respect the past. For example, the painting Whispering Pines on a Mountain Path by Fan Kuan is showing both the idea of Daoistic Yin and Yang, and the Confucianistic idea of respect for the past. This Chinese landscape painting is an imaginative creation intended
Contrast Essay on Confucianism and Taoism Every individual has his or her own understanding of life. The understanding each individual possesses is occasionally expanded off of a religious belief or philosophy. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a philosophy is a "particular set of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life". Once people start reading about multiple philosophies, there is a high probability that the philosophical ideas will have similar or opposing views.
Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.