Taoism

In Lao Tzu’s ‘‘Thought from the Tao-te Ching’’and Machiavelli’s ‘‘The Quality of prince’’, they both develop how an outstanding ruler should be by striking a balance between the people and the ruler. Lao Tzu believes since human nature is a part of the holistic universe, all human beings should follow the Way in order to be original people. If the ruler is enlightened by the Way and Tao, he will not try to compete with others because the ruler realizes everything is ought to be moderate and…

Robert Frost talks about a divergent road in the yellow wood, referring to two different paths that one could take. The two paths that could lead into completely different ideas of the world. Much like the views of Lao-Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli, one believes in the power of love and the other the power of an iron first. Lao-Tzu takes the role of a classic Gandhi Complex. He almost seems to view the world by separating himself from the world. The defining concept of his ideas is to not be a…

Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism have many similarities and differences ranging from structure difference to ritual similarities. When these religions are broken down into subcategories, and their values are studied individually, it is easy to notice these similarities and differences. All religions are beautiful and deserve to be dissected and analyzed, so that they can be appreciated for what they actually are, and not what they have been viewed as. Starting off with Hinduism,…

While gods, ghosts, and ancestors are all former living persons who have “passed into one spirit status or another after death,” the living maintain different relationships with the spirits in those characters and the path from ancestor to ghost to god is long and varied. Ancestor worship is the central feature of Chinese popular religion. Ancestors were worshipped so that the succeeding generations would be protected from the ills of the world while receiving its rewards and benefits.…

1. Introduction Zhuangzi is a Chinese philosopher that was able to use the concept of relativism to push the limitations of words and its meanings. By pushing the boundaries of language, he was able to encourage a life that is free from society’s restrictive norms. Zhuangzi’s sage is a person that no longer lives according to ethical ideals but lives according to spiritual ideals. Once a person becomes a sage, his spirit is able to roam freely in Dao as his spirit is no longer restrained within…

Several countries have their own culture deeply rooted with history and tradition when they celebrate the cultural wedding. A marriage of Thailand and China also are extremely complicated ceremony celebrated with various processes since the beginning until the end. While some countries have practiced similar ceremonies, some other countries have practiced different and similar directions. In Thailand, 12% of the Thai people are Chinese or have some Chinese ancestors. The community is estimated…

The Dalai lama…a story of reputation “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing” these words of Abraham Lincoln describes how everyone could see a particular person in different points of view. In this essay, I am going to elaborate on the reputation of the Dalai Lama taking into consideration the issues involved in setting the Dalai Lama in his historical context, the Western and the Chinese’s views of him and how…

Throughout the course, there were significant amounts of arts that we observed and the fact we have to choose a top four is just inconceivable. Even though it was difficult finding my four choices, I was able to narrow them down in terms of significance and purpose. My four works of art that I will be discussing about are Mona Lisa (painting), The Colosseum (architecture), Everyman (theater), and Dao De Jing (philosophy). The Mona Lisa, obviously, was created by Leonardo Da Vinci between the…

Confucianism and the Han Chinese of 1450: Confucian ideology and beliefs played a major role in who the Han Chinese were as a people, specifically in the area of education through the civic examinations. The impact of Confucianism was far reaching with effects displayed in art, literature, social rank, and education. To do this I am going to first provide an insight into the Han Chinese culture as a whole during the Ming Dynasty, including a view point from Europe at the time; then I will…

In Watson’s depiction, “Zhuangzi’s: Basic Writings” Confucius and the followers of his religion, Confucianism, are depicted as fools in Zhuangzi’s perspective because their views contrast with those of Daoist traditions and customs. Confucius taught and spread the ideas of societal structure, rather than to be in tune with the Tao, and hence focused more so on oneself. Throughout Watson 's depiction, Zhuangzi illustrates Daoist traditions and how they are implemented, along with criticism of…