Taoism

Albert Einstein once said decades ago, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." In my eyes, this quote encapsulates who I am as a person, one who requires constant movement while maintaining structure. I am Christina Zhang, and my mandala emphasizes five different symbols, each coinciding to form one image--a yin yang sign. At first glance, one might notice the yin yang first- the big picture. This symbol, as many know, represents a balance in nature. It…

Both Japan and Korea were politically influenced by the Chinese through China’s system of the governing body of their nation, while also being culturally influenced by China through their religion, Buddhism and Confucianism. However, both Japan and Korea differed politically because the Korean’s followed Tributaries and the Japanese followed feudalism, and culturally because Japan followed the Zen branch of Buddhism and Korea followed the Chan branch. Korea and Japan were almost identical to…

In the East, particular within the great ancient Chinese civilizations, two very different kinds of point to view of being Human had come to flourish in the Chinese culture. Which till this very day influences the day by day tasks and challenges faced by many. On one side there is the world renowned teachings of Confucius (Kongzi) which talks of becoming the perfect society via men who become the perfect gentlemen that followed his teachings in his Analects. On the other side we have the life…

In prehistoric times, many new civilizations were starting to begin. Some of the most successful and advanced civilizations are found in the Middle East. These include Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, some places in Eastern Africa and Western Asia, and China. There are some requirements and goals that have to be met before a society can become a civilization and before that civilization can advance and become better. The several characteristics that a society must have in order to be…

Moral virtue and the purpose of life have been the theme of ancient philosophical writings and the center of life debates, with a diversity of perspectives that reflect time and culture. The earliest great thinkers include Kong Qiu 孔丘, who is more commonly referred to as Confucius; and Daoist sage, Lao Tzu 老子, commonly referred to as the Daodejing (Penny & Ryden, 2008). Here, intellect and logic combined to produce profound, guiding principles that have expanded beyond the Asian culture and…

Throughout history, philosophers, kings, and leaders have all had different, conflicting views on how empires and kingdoms run effectively. Countries fight entire wars over the chance to instill the “correct” way of governing onto another people. Arguably, Fidel Castro created one of the most successful socialist governments in world history, yet the United States disagreed with his ‘communist ways’ and ended his regime. In the mid-20th century, Germans elected a man who established stable…

Shinto has no established texts as well as a formalised system of beliefs, but instead Shinto is based off of four ancient books where ancient myths, religious teachings, beliefs and history originate from. These texts are an accumulation of oral teachings and ancient myth which have been put into words and documented. These books are not singularly compiled of Shinto beliefs. Due to these books being recorded in the 8th century there were many influences from Buddhism and Confucianism which…

One of the most extreme contemporary examples of syncretism is Caodaism. Caodaism was formed in Vietnam in 1926 (Fisher, 2014, p. 471). Various people believed that certain religious leaders such as Buddha, Confucius, Laozi, Moses, Yi King and Jesus had all been inspired by God to start a religion in their home countries (Fisher, 2014, p. 471). However, Dadaists, practiced a syncretistic religion which was formed from several world religions. These faiths included Christianity, Judaism,…

Confucianism is an ideology of order in which everything has its proper place. Confucianism idea of order especially the hierarchy of occupations was strictly enforced between samurai, peasants, artisan, and merchants. This influenced the layout of Kyoto. In Chapter 1, “Heian-kyō: The Ideal”, describes “how the city was meant to be, how it was planned, and how it was idealized.” Kyoto is laid out in a grid pattern with the emperor’s residence positioned on top. Everything else is based on…

Amber Tarka Summary In Encouraging Learning by Hsun Tzu, the argument Tzu provides is based on the very strict Confucius order. Confucius educated individuals to follow a given set of rules and not to venture away from the rules. Tzu’s main argument is to never discontinue your education, with education you can achieve the maximum form of yourself. He also stressed the importance of the people you surround yourself with. He says that people around you have a great influence on your…