Summary Buddhism & Confucianism (11/12)

Which of the four major Chinese religious traditions will the course focus on most (besides Chinese Buddhism)?

Confucianism, due to its importance in Chinese society.

What is the main characteristic of Chinese religion that Westerners often misunderstand?

That religion is very much about the here and now, focusing on practical effects and benefiting the individual, family, or community, rather than on abstract beliefs or the afterlife.

What is the meaning of syncretistic in the context of Chinese religion?

It means the bringing together (mixing and matching) of different ways of thinking and religion. Chinese people rarely identify with just one religion and may observe traditions from Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and popular Chinese religion.

What is the highest level of divine being in Chinese thinking, often translated as heaven?

Tian

What is the ambiguity about the nature of Tian?

It is sometimes spoken of as a personal god (like in Abrahamic religions), but most of the time it is viewed as an impersonal being—often identified with the impersonal laws of nature (like Dharma in Buddhism).

What are functional and local deities?

• Functional deities have a particular power (e.g., for healing, agriculture, protecting travelers).

• Local deities govern a certain territory (e.g., a city or village). Both are personal in character

Which two categories of supernatural beings do Chinese people tend to pay more attention to?

The ones at the bottom of the hierarchy: the spirits of the ancestors and the functional and local deities.

How do the Chinese pay respects to the spirits of the ancestors?

They are honored on their birthdays and other occasions, often with an altar in the home where gifts (like their favorite tobacco or food) are placed to please the spirits.

What happens to spirits of ancestors who have no descendants or have been forgotten?

They turn into unhappy, restless ghosts that cause problems and misfortune for the living.

In which Chinese dynasty did the period significant to Confucianism's origins begin?

The Zhou dynasty (c. 1100 BCE)

What event marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou dynasty?

The Zhou dynasty was attacked by northern foreigners in 771 BCE, killing the king. His survivors fled eastward, establishing the Eastern Zhou dynasty in a diminished form

What are the two main periods of the Eastern Zhou period?

• The Spring and Autumn period (722–481 BCE)

• the Warring States period (481–221 BCE).

Why did Chinese intellectuals blame the kings for the defeat of the Zhou dynasty in 771 BCE?

They were seen as morally deficient compared to the legendary wise kings of the ancient past and were thus punished by Tian (Heaven).

What was the main benefit of the chaos (wars and strife) during the Eastern Zhou periods?

It led to an intellectual blossoming of new ideas, with scholars discussing how to build a better and more peaceful China.

What is the Warring States period sometimes referred to, due to the number of emerging intellectual ideas?

The "100 schools of thought".

What were Confucius's dates?

551 to 479 BCE.

What is Confucius's name in Chinese, and what does it mean?

Kong Fuzi (Master Kong)

What is the Chinese name for Confucius's school of thought?

Rujiao (the school of the Ru).

What was Confucius's "Golden Age" that he wanted to return China to?

The period of the early Zhou dynasty (1100 to 771 BCE), when rulers and people lived virtuous lives and there was social harmony.

Why did Confucius ultimately turn to teaching?

He traveled from state to state sharing his vision but never succeeded in finding a ruler to appoint him to a position of authority. He hoped his students could succeed where he failed.

What is the single most important text of Confucius's teachings?

The Analects (Lunyu).

What are the Analects (sayings) like?

They are often disorderly and the sayings are succinct and pithy, making them not always easy to interpret.

What is the most basic virtue Confucius speaks about?

Filial piety (respect your parents)

What does the practice of filial piety include (both while alive and after death)?

Respecting parents while they are alive and after they die by giving them a proper burial and continuing to pay respect to their spirits in the afterlife.

What was Confucius's view on criticizing one's parents?

One could offer suggestions or criticisms as long as it was done very gently, but if the parents did not accept the advice, the child had to back off.

What are the five major relationships developed by later Confucian thinkers?

1. Child to parent (obedience/respect).

2. Subject/citizen to ruler (obedience).

3. Wife to husband (obedience).

4. Younger sibling to older sibling (obedience).

5. Friend to friend (mutual respect).

What are some of the general virtues Confucius believed people should cultivate?

• Honesty

• sincerity

• kindness, courage (standing up for what's right)

• sympathy (compassion)

• love of learning

What is the single word that can be practiced for one's whole life, according to Confucius's answer in the Analects?

Empathy or sympathy (the Golden Rule).

What is Confucius's negative formulation of the Golden Rule?

What you do not wish for yourself, do not do unto others. (Don't do to others what you would you would want to have done to you.).

What type of learning was especially important to Confucius and why?

Studying history (ancient societies and their social/political institutions) because he believed one could learn a lot about how to be virtuous and create a good society by studying the past.

What is the highest of all the virtues, encompassing all the others?

Ren (humaneness or humanity).

What is the meaning of Ren?

It is an elusive, ineffable quality that is a social virtue always practiced in relationship with others, but Confucius never provides a clear definition of it

What is the virtue of Li?

Often translated as ritual or ritual propriety, it refers to rules of behavior (ceremonies, rules of etiquette, custom) that have been handed down by tradition.

What are the three ways Li is used?

1. Proper behavior on religious occasions (performing rituals according to specifications).

2. Proper behavior in relationship to others (e.g., bowing to a superior).

3. Proper behavior in very ordinary activities (e.g., manners/etiquette like eating properly or dressing properly).

How do Li (behavior/manners) and Virtue relate to each other?

If one has true virtues, they will behave according to Li, and by going through the motions and behaving properly according to Li, one will eventually internalize the virtues

What was Confucius's view of good government often called?

Paternalistic, meaning it should look after the people as a parent disciplines and cares for a child.

What did Confucius believe was the primary way a ruler could govern and transform society?

By the ruler being virtuous, their virtue would radiate through a kind of moral charisma and inspire the people, so the government would lead by example.

What analogy did Confucius use to describe the relationship between the superior man's virtue and the ordinary person's virtue?

The virtue of a superior man is like the wind, and the virtue of an ordinary person is like grass; when the wind passes through the grass, the grass bends.

What does Confucius say about respecting ancestor spirits, and why is this ambiguous?

He says we should respect the ancestor spirits but "keep them at a distance".

(either taking the danger of the spirits literally or hinting that they do not really exist and should be ignored.)

What was Confucius's response when a student asked about death?

You don't understand life. How do you understand death?