Module 3: ASIAN ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS AND RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS

Oftentimes Nirvana is referred to as

'Absolute Nothingness' but bear in mind that it has no direct translation in English

sources of moral reasoning in asian context is subdivided into the following:

(1) ethics as a way of life, (2) ethics as spiritual liberation, and (3) religious conceptions of ethics

What are the four ends?

1. Artha (material wealth) 2. Kama (pleasure, gratification, positive emotions) 3. Dharma (duty or nature) 4. Moksha (Spiritual Liberation)

What are the four noble truths?

1. Dukkha (suffering) 2. Dukkha Samudaya (origin of suffering) 3. Dukkha Nirodha (cessation of suffering) 4. Dukkha Nirodhagaminipratipat (path towards the cessation of suffering)

spiritual self encompassing one's nature and character

Akhlak (Khuluq in plural form)

In the belief of Ilm-Al-Akhlaq, an individual is composed of the blank adn blank. The blank must align with the will of the Creator against vices.

Akhlak and the Khalq (material self); Akhlak;

One true God of Islam

Allah

What does the teaching of Confucianism tells us?

As humans, we must not dwell upon matters concerning the heavens (like the changing of seasons, which is evident in the philosophy of Daoism), nor should we pattern our life with what is on the earth (materials, wealth, surroundings).

inner-self

Atman

The part of Brahman that exists within each creation is called

Atman (inner-self)

falsehood

Avidya

Absolute Being

Brahman

everything started from and must return to blank through the process of blank. When Brahman divided itself into a blank, everything came to be.

Brahman (Absolute Being) ; Samsara (cycle of rebirth); a multitude of pieces;

everything came to be when

Brahman divided itself into a multitude of pieces

primordial origin as a part of Brahman

Brahmin (head), Kshatriya (arms), Vaishya (thighs), Shudra (legs)

Those from Brahman's head are called blank. What are they destined to become?

Brahmin, destined to be leaders

Hinduism gave birth to a younger belief system called

Buddhism

The philosophical traditions Daoism and Confucianism both originated from

China

the religion with the most followers to date, along with Judaism

Christianity

"A person of superior virtue is not virtuous and this is why he has virtue, A person of inferior virtue never loses virtue, and this is why he lacks virtue." This passage taken from the blank illustrates an example of the blank. What does it mean?

Dao-De-Jing; paradoxical Dao; One who boasts about their virtues ironically lacks them, whereas one who performs their virtue rather than announcing it to the world practices them rightfully.

I. Ethics as a Way of Life

Daoism and Confucianism

Blank, which bears an aspect of the Dao's paradox, guides us to follow it. To do so, one must practice what is called

De, Wei-Wu-Wei (wei = action ; wu = non or absence of)

The final truth is Dukkha Nirodhagaminipratipat (path towards the cessation of suffering). This includes the blank, which is laid out by blank.

Eight-Fold Path laid out by The Buddha (Enlightened One)

The philosophical traditions Daoism and Confucianism teaches

Ethics as a Way of Life, focusing on one's role as part of a bigger structure

It aids in how one ought to relate to others

Golden Rule or the Principle of Measuring Square

story of Siddhartha Gautama

He was born a wealthy prince. Being brought up in riches, he was shut away from the world of suffering. Upon witnessing the pain, hunger, and death of people outside of his palace, he ventured on to become a wandering beggar. After meditating under a Bodhi tree and realizing that the answer to a good life lies not within the extremes of richness and poverty, he discovered the Middle Way. This for him is the true way towards enlightenment. It consists of the Four Noble Truths .

is the oldest religion in the world

Hinduism

Hinduism and Buddhism differ from each other such that

Hinduism aims at reaching the end goal (return to Brahman) by fulfilling one's duties (Dharma); Buddhism focuses more on the spiritual journey and release from sufferings (Dukkha Nirodhagaminipratipat) towards the state of enlightenment (Nirvana).

II. Ethics as Spiritual Liberation

Hinduism and Buddhism

science of the human soul

Ilm-Al-Akhlaq (

A good Muslim must be knowledgeable of the

Ilm-Al-Akhlaq (science of the human soul)

Hinduism originated from

India

the youngest monotheistic religion in the world

Islam

III. Ethics as Religious Conceptions

Islam and Christianity

How many dieties does hunduism have?

It has the greatest number of deities (polytheistic) among all known religions.

Islam teaches that

Jesus is a prophet sent by God and that Muhammad is the last prophet sent to mankind, reminding his followers to be conscious of Allah (Taqwa) and to submit to His will.

Christianity teaches that

Jesus is the physical form of God, preaching His words such as loving one another (Agape)

chain of cause and effect or fruit of one's actions

Karma

material self

Khalq

Blank in his Analects gave guidelines on how to follow the third realm.

Kong Zi

Those from Brahman's arms are called blank. What are they destined to become?

Kshatriya, destined to retain social order

As written by blank in the blank, our De is to blank

Lao Zi, Dao-De-Jing, go with the flow of the Dao

illusion

Maya

Thrown into the world of blank, and strengthened by one's attachment to blank, our goal is to blank through the aid of the blank.

Maya (illusion) and Avidya (falsehood); Karma (chain of cause and effect or fruit of one's actions); escape from this world Purusharthas (Four Ends)

This for him is the true way towards enlightenment

Middle Way

After meditating under a Bodhi tree and realizing that the answer to a good life lies not within the extremes of richness and poverty, he discovered the blank. This for him is the true way towards enlightenment. It consists of the blank.

Middle Way; Four Noble Truths

If one's Dharma is fulfilled, the final end is attained , which is the blank.

Moksha or Spiritual Liberation

In Islam, the last prophet sent to mankind is blank, reminding his followers to be conscious of blank and to submit to His will.

Muhammad; Allah (Taqwa)

Upon embodying the Eight-Fold Path, one reaches blank.

Nirvana

no-pleasure-action

Niskamakarma

The third truth is Dukkha Nirodha (cessation of suffering). What is this about?

One must therefore detach oneself from these causes of sufferings, leading to the last truth.

What will happen in Moksha?

One will escape the cycle of rebirth and will never be reborn into the world, rather will be united with Brahman in the realm of Vidya (truth).

Four Ends

Purusharthas

Sacred Text

Qur'an

a sense of humanity which necessitates one to be conscious of others

Ren (benevolence)

What are the five virtues

Ren (benevolence), Yi (role), Li (propriety), Zhi (wisdom), Xin (heart and mind)

cycle of rebirth

Samsara

Hinduism and Buddhism both bear similarities when it comes to believing that

Samsara or that one undergoes Spiritual Liberation.

Those from Brahman's legs are called blank. What are they destined to become?

Shudra, destined to support the state

Who discovered the Middle Way?

Siddhartha Gautama

was born a wealthy prince. Being brought up in riches, he was shut away from blank. Upon witnessing the pain, hunger, and death of people outside of his palace, he ventured on to become blank.

Siddhartha Gautama; the world of suffering; a wandering beggar.

The meaning of Dao is symbolized and encapsulated in simplicity using the

Taijitu symbol, famous for its appearance composed of the Yin (negative) and Yang (positive) in perpetual fluid harmony

Allah

Taqwa

consciousness of Allah

Taqwa

Enlightened One

The Buddha

concerns sharing of wisdom to others

The fourth virtue, Zhi (wisdom)

concerns faithfulness to one's words, or simply having moral consistency in words and actions. This is similar to the Filipino concept

The last virtue, Xin (word that means both mind and heart); palabra de honor

The second truth is Dukkha Samudaya (origin of suffering). What is this?

The reason for our suffering is our attachment to the things that cause such suffering.

concerns the fulfillment of one's moral duties and responsibilities in society to promote order

The second virtue, Yi (role)

concerns proper manners, behaviour, conduct, custom

The third virtue, Li (propriety)

In the teachings of Confucianism, the main predicament in life is the divide between these three realms:

Tian-Di-Ren. Respectively, they represent heaven, earth, and man.

Those from Brahman's thighs are called blank. What are they destined to become?

Vaishya, destined to to nourish the state

truth

Vidya

Yin and Yang

Yin - negative; Yang - positive

The Golden Rule has two aspects, namely

Zhong and Shu

Dao

a metaphysical order

For Daoism, what serves as the way?

a metaphysical order (Dao) serves as the way, aided by a paradoxical action through non-action (Wei-Wu-Wei)

Wei-Wu-Wei

a paradoxical action through non-action

In Islam, Jesus is

a prophet sent by God

In this case, Ren means

a sense of humanity which necessitates one to be conscious of others (benevolence)

wei means while wu means

action; non or absence of

society

an anthropomorphic structure

For Confucianism, what serves as the way?

an anthropomorphic structure (society) serves as the way, guided by one's relations with fellow citizens of the state (Ren)

How can hinduism achieve its end goal?

by fulfilling one's duties (Dharma)

The second virtue, Yi, concerns the

concerns the fulfillment of one's moral duties and responsibilities in society to promote order

proper view and intention

cultivating wisdom

Eight-Fold Path consists of

cultivating wisdom (proper view and intention), enacting the right virtues (proper speech, action, and livelihood), and meditating (proper concentration, mindfulness, and effort).

The third end is Dharma (duty or nature) which

dictates one's role in society

proper speech, action, and livelihood

enacting the right virtues

The epics of Hinduism narrate that

everything started from and must return to Brahman (Absolute Being) through the process of Samsara (cycle of rebirth). When Brahman divided itself into a multitude of pieces, everything came to be. The part of Brahman that exists within each creation is called Atman (inner-self). With the aid of Atman, one is able to return to Brahman.

The last virtue, Xin (word that means both mind and heart), concerns

faithfulness to one's words, or simply having moral consistency in words and actions

What should be the main concern based on the teachings of confucianism

humanly affairs

The second end is Kama (pleasure, gratification, positive emotions). It should be noted that blank, thus one must bear in mind blank. In doing so, one is blank and blank.

if one gets too attached to the first two ends, one would not be able to proceed with the next ends; Niskamakarma (no-pleasure-action); fully released from the chains of Karma and can escape Samsara

De is not the same as not doing anything at all. To illustrate,

imagine that you are riding a boat floating on a river (the river being the Dao). To not move at all (no-action) means that the boat stays in one place, whereas to act by not acting, means to let the boat naturally ride with the river's current. You must not defy the river (Dao), rather you must harmonize with it.

Agape

loving one another

proper concentration, mindfulness, and effort

meditating

The Dao is said to be the

metaphysical notion of Truth and Reality that permeates everything, yet it does not exist

In the Five Virtues, one becomes a blank

moral gentleman in the Confucian sense

Shu

negative duty or refraining from doing to others what you do not want others to do unto you

How is nirvana best understood?

not through words but through experience

The first truth is the existence of Dukkha (suffering), identified through various forms:

old age, sickness, death, negative emotions such as sadness, anger, jealousy, anxiety, fear

Ren

one's relations with fellow citizens of the state

Dharma is determined by

one's primordial origin as a part of Brahman

In the second truth, Dukkha Samudaya (origin of suffering), it says that the reason for our suffering is

our attachment to the things that cause such suffering

The Dao is described as

paradoxical

Zhong

positive duty or doing to others what you want others to do unto you

The third virtue, Li (propriety), concerns

proper manners, behaviour, conduct, custom.

what does Daoism reccomend

recommends one to abide by nature's course of action ( similar to the Filipino concept of bahala na discussed in Sikolohiyang Pilipino).

Islam is called the

religion of peace

what is Hinduism's end goal?

return to Brahman

Dao

roughly translated to Nature or the Absolute Path

Five basic relationships under Yi:

ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife, superior brother- inferior brother, senior friend-younger friend

The fourth virtue, Zhi (wisdom), concerns

sharing of wisdom to others

Nirvana

state of enlightenment

Main teaching of Islam

submission to the one true God Allah

Taijitu symbol is famous for its appearance composed of

the Yin (negative) and Yang (positive) in perpetual fluid harmony

The virtue Ren teaches

the famous Golden Rule or the Principle of Measuring Square

Islam and Christianity stemmed from

the monotheistic belief of the Abrahamic God

In Christinanity, Jesus is

the physical form of God

Ren was first used as

the realm of humans

Samsara

the soul separates from the body through the cycle of rebirth

Buddhism focuses more on

the spiritual journey and release from sufferings (Dukkha Nirodhagaminipratipat) towards the state of enlightenment (Nirvana)

Dukkha Nirodhagaminipratipat

the spiritual journey and release from sufferings

The first end is Artha (material wealth), which is

the things we need in order to live

Nirvana etymologically means

the wearing off of heat from burning coal; it is the sensation itself when suffering slowly escapes the body. It is not as if the soul will be transported to a different realm. Basically, Nirvana is best understood not through words but through experience.

The Akhlak must align with

the will of the Creator against vices

T/F: The interplay between these two forces is evident around us, even within us.

true

De

virtue or character

Yi is the character

we internalize as part of our being while

Li is the character

we project externally towards others

Our De dictates that

we should act by not acting at all

Muhammad in the Sacred Text Qur'an teaches that blank

whatever one does, one should practice Taqwa (consciousness of Allah)

one is able to return to Brahman with the aid of

with the aid of Atman