Confucianism & Daoism

“… Taoism & Confucianism represent the two indigenous poles of the Chinese character.”

“… Confucians argue that human beings become fully human by becoming social, Daoist say that we become fully human by becoming natural.”

“Daoism teaches that the only way to the unity is to follow natural law… Confucians believe that it is by self-cultivation and the instructions of sages that humans come into harmony with Heaven.”

CONFUCIANISM

Beginning of Confucianism

• opening of The Five Classics of Confucius: Confucius asks his student Zeng Zi the origin of the virtue and power by which the emperors of old brought peace and harmony to the world

• Confucius begins by telling Zeng Zi the first and last duty of a son: Rites, Relationships, and Right Conduct

  • RITES: does leave room for religion but focuses on the here and now

  • RELATIONSHIPS: centered around 5 key relationships- the relation of the father to the son being paramount

  • RIGHT CONDUCT: individuals are to act the right way at all times

  • GOAL: self-cultivation in the context of communal cultivation; you do not live for yourself; you are always connected to others

DAOISM

Beginning of Daoism

• Lao Tzu was compelled to stop by Yin Shi, who inquires of his wisdom

  • “The Tao is about returning to simplicity, not pursuing knowledge…”

  • “Such is the nature of desires and attachment. That which you desire tends to bind you; relinquishing or reducing the desire tends to free you.”

• Yin Shi prevails upon Lao Tzu to write his wisdom down, thus making the story of creation of the Tao Te Ching: the scriptures of Daoism

• This ‘way’ encompasses all existence: life, the universe, and everything… The Tao is simply the most generalized label imaginable, applicable to both perspectives

HISTORICAL ORIGINS

Pre-Origins

• (1751 → 1045 BC) Shang Dynasty, the oldest recorded dynasty in China

  • Shang religion well-developed notions of spirits and religious practices

  • Heaven and earth considered to be a continuum

  • Earth contained humans, heaven contained deities and human ancestors who were ruled by a supreme ancestor, “Shang Ti”

    • Shang Ti evolved into the Jade Emperor

  • humans sacrificed to dead ancestors

• Shang leaders ruled forcefully until the Zhou Dynasty takes over (1046 → 1043 BC)

• The land then split into feudal territories, leading into the Warring States Period (480 → 221 BC)

  • battles were chivalrous but then turned brutal

  • the Chinese were the first to use chemical warfare in the form of poisonous gas weapons

  • Confucianism and Daoism emerged from this period

Early Period

• Confucius (551 → 479 BC) lived right before the Warring States period

  • He desired to bring peace with China during the chaos that ensued during the Warring States Period

  • He was not successful in convincing leaders to follow his teachings, unfortunately

• A rival sage and contemporary of the 6th century BC was Lao Tzu

  • he believed that the best way to address the political turmoil was by not addressing it

  • the Tao Te Ching was a direct response and attack on Confucianism

  • When the Tao fades away, there is only benevolence and justice

  • fighting and struggling over man-made ideas was the source of all strife in the world

• Confucius’s agenda for order is referred to as the “rectification of names”

  • recognize what things are

  • call them accordingly

  • acting in accordance with names and roles

  • proper way to act in all situations

  • everyone plays their part

• e.g. student and teacher relationship

Medieval Period

• Han Dynasty (206 BC → 220 AD) to the Six Dynasties (316 → 589)

  • Confucianism became the official ideology

  • Taoism became the official religion

• In Confucianism, the creation of the first university and inauguration of the Confucian Temple (sacrifices were made to Confucius and his disciples)

• In Taoism, some groups began identifying the Old Man as Lord Lao (personification of cosmic harmony)

  • different schools also emerged:

    • the Way of Great Peace

    • the Celestial Matters

    • the Way of the Highest Clarity

    • the Way of Numinous Treasure

Modern Period

• great changes of thought between the Six Dynasties and the Qing Dynasty (1644 → 1911)

• Sung Dynasty (960 → 1279): Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism became into contact with each other

  • the Confucians faced difficulty with the different belief settings of Buddhists

  • the concepts of law of cause and effect, celibacy, and the notion that we do not exist contrasted highly with Confucian beliefs of marriage, having children, and the concept of chi

• Tang Dynasty (618 → 907): Taoism became the official religion of China as a reaction towards the influx of Buddhists coming from India

• Buddhist ideas persisted and some even intertwined with Taoist beliefs

Contemporary Period

• the most precarious stage of the history of Taoism and Confucianism

• the Republic of China was established in 1911

  • established by Mao Zedong

• the rise of the Communist Party in the middle of the 20th century brought end to the religions

• cultural revolution in the 1960s and 1970s: desecration of temples, killing/exiling sympathizers, destruction of books and statues

• by the time Mao died, these religions seemed to be completely dead

• Confucianism and Taoism survived

BELIEFS

Commonalities

• Confucianism and Taoism are the yin and yang of many East Asian countries

• Concept of chi: the supreme reality/ source of the universe; it is the primal energy that unites all human beings since we were created from it

• Holistic understanding of the relatedness of heaven and earth

Confucianism

• “If one sets his heart on humanness, one will be without evil.”

• ritual expanded in meaning to signify all the basic principles of the universe

• faithfulness is being truthful in all circumstances

• the key relationships and virtues provide structure and stability to society

• “When you understand something… recognize that you understand it; but when you do not understand something… recognize that you do not,”

Taoism

• living according to the Tao

• “going with the flow” and not going against nature

  • it does not mean to give up on life, but letting go of attempting to organize, strategize, strive and achieve

Yin and Yang

• represent fundamental elements of the universe

• Yin: earth, cold, wet, passive, dark, mysterious, and feminine

• Yang: heaven, hot, dry, active, bright, clear, and masculine

• considered to be complementary phases of chi

• CHI: vital energy that runs through all humans

• dissolution of chi leads to death

• acupuncture and massage therapy help to stimulate the flow of chi

• some martial art practices generate positive chi in the body

• these elements serve as checks and balances to keep the world in harmony

  • wood → fire

  • fire → earth

  • earth → metal

  • metal → water

  • water → wood

Celestial Masters and the Way of Complete Perfection

• centralize on the view that chi must be preserved and retained

• Celestial Masters were founded by Zhang Ling (2nd century AD)

  • priests make a living performing rituals to help people secure wealth, well-being and honor

• Way of Complete Perfection: 2 of the 8 Immortals appeared to Wang Zhe to initiate him into the cultivation of chi

Gods of Taoism

• most popular gods of Taoism are the 8 immortals

• fanciful stories of how they became immortals

• all people can achieve immortality

• whoever attains a perfect balance of chi may become immortal

RELIGIOUS WRITINGS

Confucian Texts

• five classics and the four books

Taoist Texts

• Tao Te Ching (Daodeching): the Tao is above defining and categorizing

• Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu): named for philosopher Zhuang Zhou; designed to free your mind from ordinary logic into spontaneous truth

WORSHIP PRACTICES

Confucianism

• ancestor worship/ ancestor veneration

• homes have altars or shrines to ancestors

• offering incense, burning of money/ paper versions of specific objects for the deceased, offering of food and drink, giving greeting and saying prayers and bowing down on the floor ceremonially

Taoism

• forms of divination: fortune tellers

• offerings and prayers to the gods at the temple for prosperity or any other issue you are facing

• ancestral tablets and home shrines; making offerings to the spirits of dead ancestors

• Fengshui: proper way of spacing and arranging things harmoniously. By observing fengshui, you can live in balance with chi

TRADITIONAL CHINESE HOLIDAYS

• Chinese New Year

  • occurs at the end of January and is associated with a new animal each year

  • emphasizes cleaning and renewal

  • on the eve, families worship gods, venerate ancestors

• Pure and Bright Festival

  • families clean and reorder the ancestors’ graves in preparation for spring

  • Early April

  • celebrates yang forces of nature

• Dragon Boat Festival

  • celebrates summer with boat races in June

  • high point of yang power and beginning of yin power

  • Taoists exorcise pestilent spirits

• All Souls’ Day

  • souls are released in a kind of purgatory, and families can make offerings to them in Late August

• Autumn Harvest Festival

  • Includes the reading of poetry and viewing the full moon in September

  • eat fresh fruits and sweet pastries called moon cakes

• Winter Holidays

  • Taoist holiday of the renewal of the universe (Chiao) on the winter solstice

  • celebrations of various heroes, gods, goddesses, saints

RELIGION IN CHINA TODAY

• throughout history, Chinese governments have attempted to control religion, making it both a source of authority but also a rebellion against authority

• Taiping Rebellion of 1851→1864

  • cult leader combined Christianity with traditional Chinese religion

  • 30 million people died

• Communist Revolution of 1949 dramatically changed religious practices

  • Maoists view religion as a vestige of feudal past

  • Taoism and Confucianism under great suspicion as superstitious and feudalist

  • Buddhism under suspicion as foreign import

  • Christianity suspect due to its ties with imperial west

  • Islam not suppressed to appease many ethnic minorities

  • Cultural Revolution August 1966→1969

• Post-Maoist China warms somewhat to religious practice

  • many churches reopen in 1977

  • government supports religious studies in universities

  • Chinese government pays to translate Bible

  • government strictly controls religion

  • Marxist attempts to build a non-religious society failing, as did similar attempts in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe