Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism

1. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism

2. History of Buddhism • 570-632 Life of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha = “enlightened one”) • Seers predicated that he would become with a great king or a great holy man, so he was raised in a completely protected environment • Eventually he saw a sick man, old man & dead man • Became an ascetic (someone who practices fasting and other forms of self-denial) • Finally achieved enlightenment under the bodhi tree

3. Buddhism’s 4 Noble Truths • All life is suffering • The cause of suffering is desire (craving) • The way to eliminate suffering is to eliminate desire (Nirvana) • The way to eliminate desire is not by asceticism, nor ordinary life, but the “middle way” of the “eightfold path” (a basic moral code)

4. Reincarnation in Buddhism • Cause of reincarnation is desire (especially desire for separateness) “Tanha” • Desire leads to traces of “self” continuing in reality • Idea of individual soul is an illusion • When this illusion is finally dispelled, one achieves “enlightenment” and the egoless state of nirvana • Nirvana is not “heaven” or God (Brahman), but a state of union with impersonal reality

5. Major Buddhist Groups • Early Buddhism (Theravada-S.E Asia) taught that a person can only achieve Nirvana alone and stressed meditation practice • Later Buddhism (Mahayana-N.E. Asia) emphasized loving kindness and that people must work together to achieve Nirvana—emphasis on Bodhisattvas (many statues of such), who are Buddhas that choose to forego Nirvana and remain on earth to help others • Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton is from the Tibetan Shambhala tradition which is a Mahayana form of Buddhism: http://www.gampoabbey.org/

6. China’s Complementary Religions • In China traditionally there have been three major religions: • Confucianism • Taoism • Buddhism • Unlike in the West, in which Religions have tended to be “exclusivist” in nature (you cannot be a member of multiple religions, but must choose one), Chinese people have traditionally accepted that one can be a member of any one of these religions or all of them at one time (inclusivist religions)

7. The Tao or “Way” • In Chinese religious tradition there are many “ways” or religions, but one of the oldest of these is the philosophy of Taoism “THE way”, first promulgated by ancient sages as far back as the Shang Dynasty (1523 BCE) • Two opposing forces in the world: Ying and Yang • No single founder and no central authority, just a spiritual tradition based on a diverse array of ancient and modern writers

8. Chuang Tzu - Translator: Burton Watson Where is the Tao? (Section Twenty-Two) Master Tung-kuo asked Chuang Tzu, "This thing called the Way-where does it exist?" Chuang Tzu said, "There's no place it doesn't exist." "Come," said Master Tung-kuo, "you must be more specific!" "It is in the air." "As low a thing as that?" "It is in the grass." "But that's lower still!" "It is in the tiles and shards." "How can it be so low?" "It is in the piss and shit."

9. Confucianism • Whereas the Taoist focuses on nature and the otherworldly Tao, Confucians focus on the worldly affairs of daily life (home and public) as the chief arena in which to seek a balance • Confucius (Master Kung) taught a pragmatic philosophy of getting along with people and organizing community affairs that became a standard in Chinese life after his death. • Philosophy meant to be complementary to any religious outlook that might predominate in one’s community

10. Bioethical Issues • Typically Buddhists will have no objections to autopsies, transfusions or transplants (check for variations) • Most Buddhists only allow abortion in cases of threat to mother’s physical or mental health • Some Buddhists and Taoists might refuse medications that interfere with meditation practice • Some Taoists might because Yin and Yang are associated with Feminine and Masculine traits hold discriminatory attitudes towards homosexuals

11. Falun Gong • Falun Gong (alternatively Falun Dafa) is a system of beliefs and practices founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992 • Falun Gong places a heavy emphasis on morality in its central tenets – Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance • Its teachings include concepts from qigong, Buddhist and Taoist traditions

12. What is a “cult”? Some difficulties • The word cult pejoratively in everyday speech refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre • The popular, derogatory sense of the word has no currency in academic studies of religions, where "cults" are generally subsumed under the neutral label of "new religious movement”, however, some religious studies scholars have sought to narrow the definition of “cult” to refer to groups seen as particularly authoritarian • For example of one way some theorists try to mark a distinction between “cults” and “religions” is whether prospective members are able to fully access to the teachings of a group before becoming members