Ch. 8: Confucianism and Daoism

when did confucianism start?

during the axial age (551-479 BCE) in the Zhou dynasty.

facts about confucius

• name: kong fu zi

• zi = “master”

• orphaned at early age

• pursued political life, but never really succeeded

• chief of police for 7-8 years, but quit and started religious teachings

confucian ideals 

• to cultivate personal moral character 

• to create social harmony with others 

  • can’t become virtuous in isolation

the ideal person in confucianism

junzi = “noble man”

confucian virtues

1. ren - “two persons”; to think of the other; sympathy, empathy, benevolence, etc.

2. li - “propriety”; doing what is appropriate; conforming to social norms

3. shu - “reciprocity”; the principal of give and take; fairness (most important)

4. wen - “culture”; appreciation for art

5. xiao - “filial piety”; devotion to family

5 great relationships in confucianism

1. parent-child - the model for all relationships

2. elder brother-younger brother - elder brothers assume the responsibility of raising their younger siblings

3. husband-wife - the husband is an authoritative protector; the wife if a protected homemaker and mother 

4. elder-younger - younger people must show respect to those older than themselves and be open to their advice 

5. ruler-subject - a ruler assumes responsibility and care for the subjects 

what type of religion is confucianism

nontheistic

religious goal of confucianism

social harmony

problem of confucianism

social disharmony

solution in confucianism

education 

confucianism traits

• social order

• hierarchy

• conformity

• moral responibility

• pro-active

• education

• innate selfishness

daoism traits

• individualism

• equanimity

• non conformity

• freedom

• passive

• intuition

• innate goodness 

origins of daoism

• founder - laozi

• his mom was a virgin and saw a white comet

• born as “old man”

• traveled to far west of China of an ox

• wrote the Daodejing

• now treated as deity

• “lord lao” - the human incarnation of the Dao 

laozi

• curator of books in zhou dynasty

• contemporary with confucius and buddha

• humans are naturally good

• human nature is at its best when it is free to follow movements of dao

yin and yang

the universe expresses itself in opposite, yet complementary principals

• yang: (aggresive) positive forces, light, day, male, hot, sky, birth, sound, summer

• yin: (passive) absent forces: dark, night, female, cold, earth, winter, death, silence

represent nature, but doesn’t apply to good and evil, represents balance 

the daodejing

• “classical book about the Way and its power”

• or The Path and the Potency

• dao means “Way or Path”

• de means “virtue or potency”

• a practical guide for living in harmony with the universe

the dao

• the universe; nature; pantheism

• “nameless” - beyond any description 

• “the dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal dao”

• the origin of all things

• dao imagery - water, woman, child, valley, darkness

basic practices of daoism

• wu wei (solution) - the ideal of effortless action; “the absence of doing” or “no unnecessary action” 

• simplicity - appreciate the simple and ordinary things in life and avoid excess

• gentleness - the wise person loves peace and restraint and avoids all unnecessary violence 

• chi (qi) - vital energy, life force 

religious problem of daoism

human interference with nature

religious goal of daoism

harmony with nature

religious solution of daoism

wu wei - the idea of effortless action

what type of religion is daoism?

pantheistic