Chinese philosophy

Qin Shi Huang Di ordered the construction of his mausoleum which included the Terracotta Army shortly after ascending to the throne. Over 700,000 labourers were involved, unfortunately this was halted amid revolts a year after Qin Shi Huang Di's death. Qin Shi Huang Di wanted the Terracotta Army built so that he can be protected by them in the afterlife. The Terracotta Army, and the other statues found in the Emperor's mausoleum indicates the beliefs of Ancient China had regarding death and…

In this week's discussion, I would like to discuss the concept and development of Li along with the Five Cardinal Relationships and Ren(Jen). I find it really interesting that at first the true meaning of Li was “sacrifice” from which this idea in relation to Confucianism became more of a way of holding sacrifices. Sacrifices became served in a specific way for it to be considered Li and overtime eventually became known as something similar to ceremonial code. When discussing Li the connection…

Indian and Chinese civilizations around 500 B.C.E. were similar regarding individualism in religion and strict societal rules yet differ due to power source. Chinese and Indian religions such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Hinduism all promoted individualism and considered afterlife. Confucianism, a Chinese based religion, stated that if a superior had a genuine concern for the inferior, the inferior would be motivated with deference and obedience. Each person would respect their…

Daoism dates back to 600 B.C., but that is not what makes it so interesting. What makes it interesting is that it is still strong in China, thus prompting me to ask: “What are the modern ritual practices of Daoism?” I pondered this question because in history class, we only study what happened in the past, and we do not dwell on the present, also, I have a curiosity for other religions because it is important to be able to respect all religion, and to be able to respect it, you must have general…

When I read the passage, I can see the conception of Lao-Tzu, his opinion about “Tao” and “Wu Wei”. The passage said that we need to have patience to wait the mud settle and water clear. The patience is waiting, waiting the thing become clear, this is just like the conception of “Wu Wei”. Wu Wei means people being peace and accept the flow that the river give us, and the passage said “have patience to wait” means people should stay peace and waiting for right time until everything clear. People…

The first step towards an ethical and virtuous life for Zhu Xi is by consciously making the choice to follow the Way. He acknowledges that the Way can be taught to anyone, but it can only be fully embraced by those who choose it. Gardner mentions “that is, for Zhu, although the proper path is clear and traversable, man must want to take it; he must actively decide to pursue it” (130). Once one has accepted the right path, one can begin the process of learning, which Zhu Xi emphasizes greatly in…

Reflections in Light The Coinherence of Opposites from the Tao Te Ching describes the balances between opposites in life through the Daoist (Taoist) religion. In the passage, Laozi begins on explaining that when something exists, it will always have an opposite (e.g. when people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly). In the text, Laozi informs the reader that these things are not just opposite, but they are connected and they work together in some manner, meaning without one,…

In the poem, "From the Dao de jing", the pictures in this poem pass on the possibility of the Dao as a unity of opposites are the: bowls, carts, windows and doors. Every one of these pictures demonstrate its immense and puzzling inventive potential. "A clay bowl is molded; but the use of the bowl will depend on the part of the bowl that is void (jing line 7)." The items that are made are relying upon the part that is void. The void speaks to an entire hollow space where potential "usefulness…

in 221 B.C.E., Lao-Tzu had written the Dao de Jing at the request of a gatekeeper and fled the kingdom (Bokenkamp, 2015). Little is known about Lao-Tzu following his departure, but his text fell into the hands of scholars, adherents of different Chinese religions, and nobility. Many translated, commented on, and otherwise…

Taoism is a religion most commonly seen in China. Taoism does share some similarities with two religions we have discussed previously, including Buddhism and Confucianism. This religion started with a man named Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu was born around 604 B.C and was known in the Taoism religion as “the Old Boy.” People were not very certain about Lao Tzu because there were different conspiracies about different parts of his life. Some legends about Lao Tzu included people believing he was in his…