Taoism And Confucianism

Up until the Communist revolution, Taoism was a very prominent religion within the nation. Originating in China about 2000 years ago, Taoism focuses on a theme known as “The Tao”. In English, this translates to “The Way”. The Tao is impossible to perceive but we are able to observe its effects on the world around us. People of the Taoist faith believe that all beings are unified or interconnected. As part of this faith, there is no worship of one divine being but, Taoism does permit many deities. However, the deities still remain connected to the universe and depend on The Tao. This aspect of Taoism contributes to one of the doctrines Taoism promotes, achieving harmony with nature. Another concept Taoism promotes is the concept of spiritual

From the Taoist point of view, life is not unpleasant unless you make it that way through over complication and unappreciation. Therefore, the self must apply a certain positive aspect onto life, and accept things in the world for how they

In the universe, good and evil intertwine to form the lives of people and the environment around them. Humans have, even from the beginning, thrived off systematic order of things, whether it be tribes coming together to survive the elements, or your new class schedule finally coming in the mail. One predominate thing we tend to prosper from is unified religion. One major religion, Taoism (all though more commonly known as Daoism), emphasizes a now universal theory of the Yin and Yang. This theory has established itself in all sorts of media, from books in the library to the songs heard on the radio.

Similar to Confucius, Laozi also sought out a solution to create harmony in a world full of chaos and fragmentation. But Laozi found the solution through Daosim. The three ideas, the Dao, wuwei and yin and yang, are three key concepts in Daoism that leads to the harmony that Laozi strived for. These ideas, although created hundreds of years ago, still deeply influence Chinese thinking and culture

The base layer of many cultures is their religion, or philosophy of how they should live. The religion, or beliefs of a culture or region, can shape and mold that society in many different ways, whether it is how they view society, nature, and civilization or how they treat one another. Both Daoism and Confucianism played a pivotal roll in the development of Asian cultures. Confucianism came from the early teachings of the Dao or the “way of life” which began “The classical period beginning in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou kingdoms, including the justly famous Warring States philosophers at the end of the Shou kingdom from (1700-221 BCE), while Daoism started after in 200 BCE. While Daoism started to develop in 200 BCE and on. Both Daoism and Confucianism believed in the power of the Dao or the “way of life”. Although, while the followers of Confucianism had much more leeway and had the freedom to create their own destiny, in Daoism, the people let the Dao determine what path their life would take.

t Comparing the Dao in Confucianism to the Dao in Daoism, similarities or differences Dao in Confucianism represents the entire normative human order. The Dao in Daoism antedates Tian and acts as the basis of the natural order. While in Confucian Dao they hold the ideal political-social-ethical order ordained by tian for the people. Confucianism encourages their perfectibility through self-effort the teaching of ethics and good movement. The primacy of the Confucian Dao requires superior human beings, sages and men of virtue to exert their highest effort to actualized its ideal design.

Religion in Classical China Since human’s earliest years, we have relied on religion to guide us in countless situations; it influences almost everything we do. During the Classical Period in China, religion played large roles in many significant decisions. The three most prominently displayed religions at the time were Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Though their unique teachings separated them from each other, each had equal impacts in the shaping of early Chinese civilization and culture.

Followers of Taoism believe that they will achieve prosperity and happiness through frequent prayer, connection to the Earth, and

The Tao is not a thing and it is not seen like a God because it is not worshipped, it is more of a system of guidance. It is best described as “developing oneself so as to live in complete conformity with the teaching of the Tao.” Daoism is a religion of opposites and unity. It is where yin and yang started and the principal of it is it sees the world as filled with complementary forces. Daoism practices include meditation, which is concentration or mindfulness or visualization.

Many people have mistaken Confucianism as a religion. However, it is a system of belief, a philosophy. This belief emphasizes on respect and harmony of relationships. Moreover, it pushed for a well-ordered society by accentuating human relationships, a righteous leader and a good education. Confucius, a philosopher and a teacher, founded Confucianism. He grew up in the period of warring states, a time of chaos and internal hostilities during the Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, Confucius’ ultimate goal was to transform the Chinese society into a state of unity and righteous. However, Confucianism did not flourish until the Han Dynasty. It also played a different role in the Song Dynasty.

The years of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty were a golden age for Chinese philosophy. Confucius lived during this era, teaching his ideals of duty to society, individual virtue, and tradition. Also in this period, a philosopher named Laozi founded Taoism, which emphasized passivity and social inaction to achieve individual peace. On the other hand, philosophers who advocated Legalism claimed that the state was much more important than the individual and that individuals had to conform completely to the decrees of their supreme rulers. Finally, Mohism was a philosophy that advocated equality for all people, as well as merit-based power and universal love.

In ancient china there were two widely different philosophes being so excepted within the same culture. The two philosophes were Confucianism and Legalism. Confucianism was during 55 B, in China. Legalism was during 475-221 BC, also in China. Confucianism is a belief or an idea. The purpose of this was to show people how to be in harmony with their place in life. Legalism is a ruling made by Shi Huangdi, who was a strict ruler in china. The purpose of this ruling was to get the people of china to follow the rule, and if they didn’t there was a very harsh punishment. Although confucianism and legalism have some similarities, but the differences between the two are amazingly clear.

From my reading of Smith 's book, I learn how different religions are varied in their worship and their view about nature. I also get an opportunity to understand religions which I have never heard before. Unless I observe the jewelry stores, I don’t have any clue about whether the symbol is religious or not. Taoism is one of them that impressed me the value it gives

Yin-Yang theory is the Chinese symbol of creation that explained the binary opposition and the balance between two opposites. According to the terms of yin and yang, women were yin and men were yang. “Yin was soft, yielding, receptive, passive, reflective, and tranquil, whereas yang was hard, active, assertive, and dominating. Day and night, winter and summer, birth and death.” (Ebrey, 2010).

It can be said that opposites attract as well as complement each other. Within the religions of Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto lay harmony, respect, and ethical behavior towards nature, ancestors, oneself, and others. Although Daoism and Confucianism are native to China and Shinto to Japan, East Asian cultures integrate these religions and practices with openness and acceptance. They are the light and dark without reference to good or bad as the opposites necessitate one another. (Fisher, 2014, 201) Instead the interwoven religions of Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto compliment each other in addition to having distinct differences.