REL1300 Exam 5 Temoney Indicate possible short answer candidates Taoism 1 Lao zu Old Master or Old Boy is a title not an actual person s name There are legends about him and his life but he may not have actually existed 2 yin and yang Western concepts think it means good and evil In Asian cultures it refers to balance associated with dark and light negative and positive They are not referring to evil in the moral sense It refers to the simple balance where you can t have one without the other Yin negative force in nature seen as femaleness dampness darkness winter Yang is positive force in nature seen as maleness lightness brightness warmth dryness and the sun 3 Tao T Ching legend says Lao tzu wrote it but multiple people including women actually probably wrote it 5 000 words and 81 poetic chapters Theme foolishness of human achievements If you try to build human achievements Tao will destroy it Emphasis on Yin and wuwei Founded around the same time in history as Confucianism and could be written as a response 4 Wuwei the act of not doing and living in an effortless fashion by not forcing one s will on the forces of the universe 5 philosophical Taoism Life is the greatest possession Simple lifestyle w little government There is no doctrine of the afterlife and make the most of the life you are living in accordance with nature Condemnation of glory seeking People are good by nature and with little interference they ll be fine Self Cultivation is more about being a good person than doing good deeds It s important to go with the flow and not force will on things glory seeking 6 religious Taoism Taught that life is the most precious possession leading to the quest for immortality using alchemy and apotheosis Alchemy popular means of extending life by altering something s properties to make them something better Alchemy was used to make potions and elixirs to make someone live longer 7 Tao a unifying flowing force in the universe and is responsible for all created things Not a deity 8 apotheosis elevate to divine status A substance is applied to the stove god and what ever emerges out aids the quest to live longer The failure of the success of the potion depends on if the stove likes your potion or not The idea of a stove god brings a divine nature into this practice The first stove god s name was Tsao Chun and he became the first god of Taoism As apotheosis continued many Taoist gods were formed Began as a philosophy denying gods but eventually formed gods Confucianism 1 Confucius Was called Kung by his followers Was mainly a wandering scholar and held a few government positions While he was prime minister his form of government drastically dropped the crime rates but his enemies didn t like his success and he was forced to retire Goal was not to form a religion but an ordered society government after the fall of the Feudal system Greatly favored the Feudal system and incorporated that into his teachings 2 li and jen central themes that Confucius taught the people to live by that when combined form a superior human Li etiquette right conducts rites They way life was intended to go outward expression o When society moves by li it moves smoothly Men and women respect their elders proper rituals and ceremonies are performed and everything and everyone is in its proper place o Is ideally practiced under a feudalistic government Jen Ren love humaneness goodness inward expression o Only great sages of antiquity truly possess jen but it is a quality that all should seek to develop o People should love one another and practice respect and courtesy toward each other in their daily lives 3 five relationships Father to son kindness in father and filial piety in son Elder brother to younger brother there should be gentility in the elder brother and humility in the younger Husband to wife righteous behavior in the husband and obedience in the wife Elder to Junior there should be consideration among the elders and deference among the juniors Ruler to subject there should be benevolence among the rulers and loyalty among the subjects 4 The Analects of Confucius Collection of Confucius s teachings complied about 70 years after his death Record of his life and actions and discussions with his disciples 20 thematic chapters randomly arranged There are roughly 4 themes throughout the text 5 Dragon boat festival Supposedly started out trying to recognize local poets Now it is more about celebrating the beginning of summer Beginning of summer is believed to be high point of yang power in the Earth and the beginning of Yin power They don t just happen in China but anywhere with a large population of Chinese Lots of eating rice cakes drinking and boat racing 6 Silver rule Confucius say Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you 7 Shu reciprocity that represents the relationship that people should have towards each other when implementing the silver rule Shinto 1 Kami god like divine humans or things that have superior power 2 Kojiki text of Shinto Chronicles of Ancient Events 7th 8th century CE Written in phonetic Chinese In three parts or rolls o Part 1 is about Japanese mythology and creation of Japan less about world creation more about Japanese creation Izanagi stirs the waters and salt at the end of his sphere expands until if forms the islands of Japan Japan is created by divine power and therefore the Japanese are divine o Part 2 and 3 are about emperors some who are historical and some who probably never existed 3 Amaterasu sun goddess All Japanese emperors are said to have descended from her line Daughter of Isanagi and Izanami 4 Seppuku ritualistic disembowelment belly splitting that is a public act that can be done instead of being defeated or captured or can be done to restore honor that has been lost Must be done with a completely straight face It later became acceptable for someone to cut person s head off after the act of seppuku to prevent agonizing pain 5 bushido code of conduct for Samurai the way of the fighting knight Formed by combining Shinto and Confucianism Samurai is bound to be loyal to his master in the hierarchy of the feudal system Must have great courage in life in battle and in his willingness to lay down his life for his master Above all Samurai is to be a man of honor who prefers death to dishonor Like a true Confucian must be polite to master and those in positions of authority Must be a gentleman in every sense of the word 6 Shinto three forms State
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