Test #3 (Ch 6-7)--World Religions (Benjamin)

Two most salient texts of classic Daoist tradition.

1. *Zhuangzi. 2. *Dao de Jing: (The Classic of the Way and its Power) said to have been written for a border guard by *Lao Tzu, a curator of the royal library of the Zhou dynasty, when he left the society for the mountains at the reported age of 160. The guard recognized *Lao Tzu (Old Master) as a sage and begged him to leave behind a record of his wisdom, and so the Dao de Jing was written. -The books central philosophy = a practical concern with improving harmony in life. -It says that one can best harmonize with the natural flow of life by being receptive and quiet.

Worship and Divination.

1. Requires that respect must be paid to the ancestors through funerals, mourning rites, and continuous sacrifices. -If ancestors = ignored, they will get angry and cause trouble. 2. Also worshipped a great variety of invisible spirits, plants, animals, rivers, stones, mountains, stars, and cosmic forces. 3. A belief in a great variety of demons (ghosts of people who had not been properly honored after their death).

Honoring the Kami.

According to Japanese mythology, a deity gave birth to many *Kami (or spirits), two of which were told to organize the material world. -To rule the earthly kingdom, they created the one who illuminates the sky, or *Goddess of the Sun, and they gave birth to the ancestors of the Japanese. -All of the natural world is thus joined in kinship as the spiritual creation of the Kami. -*Kami can either be singular or plural, for the word refers to a single essence manifesting in many places. Rather than evoking an image Kami refers to quality. It means literally "that which is above" and also refers to that which invokes wonder and awe within us. The kami harmonize heaven and earth and also guide the solar system and the cosmos. -Kami tend to reside in beautiful or powerful places, such as mountains, certain trees, unusual rocks, waterfalls, whirlpools, and animals. They also manifest as wind, rain, thunder, or lighting,. -To follow the kami is to bring our life into harmony with nature. -*Kannagara (harmony with the way or nature of the kami) can be understood as "natural religion."

Wu Wei.

Actionless action, or taking no intentional or invasive action contrary to the natural flow of things. -Spontaneous, creative activity proceeding from the Dao, action without ego assertion, letting the Dao take its course. -Even when difficulties arise, the sage will not panic and take unnecessary action. -The result of Wu Wei is noninterference with the natural course.

Yijing (I Ching).

Book of Changes. -A common source for both Daoism and Confucianism. -Regarded as a classic text in both traditions.

Master Kong's Life.

Confucius was born during the Zhou dynasty, into a family whose ancestors had been prominent in the previous dynasty. -His father, a soldier, died when the boy was three years old. -Although he was determined to be a scholar, his family's financial problems necessitated his working as an overseer of granaries and livestock. -He married at age 19 and had at least 2 children. -His mother died at age 23, and during his 3 years of mourning, he lived ascetically and studied ancient ceremonial rites (*Li) and imperial institutions. -When he returned to social interaction, he gained some renown as a teacher of Li and of the arts of governing. -Confucius felt that a return to classical rites and standards of virtue was the only way out of the chaos. -Proposed that the rulers should perform classical rites and music properly so that they would remain of visibly high moral character and thus inspire the common people to become virtuous. -According to tradition, it was Confucius who edited older documents pertaining to the *Six Classics of China's Cultural Heritage (the yijing, poetry, history, rituals, music and dance, and the spring and autumn state events known as *Lu) and put them into the form now known as the*Confucian Classics. -Confucius's work and teachings were considered insignificant during his lifetime, but were given a second look a few hundred years later by scholars training to be government officials.

Daoism and Confucianism.

Grew largely in China, later spread to Japan and Korea. -May seem like opposites, but actually co-exist as complementary value systems. 1. Daoism = the more mystically religious ways. 2. Confucianism = the more political and moral ways. *Together, they are a whole; like yin and yang.

Purification.

In the traditions collectively referred to as Shinto, or Kannagara, the world is beautiful and full of helpful spirits. -Sexuality is not evil; the world was created by mating deities, and people have traditionally bathed together. -However, ritual impurity is a serious problem that obscures our originally pristine nature; it may offend the Kami and bring about calamities, such as drought, famine, or war. -The quality of impurity or misfortune is called *Tsumi. -*Tsumi can arise through contact with low level spirits, negative energy from corpses, negative vibrations from wicked minds, hostility toward others or the environment, or through natural catastrophes. -In contrast to repentance, Tsumi requires purification (AKA *Oharai: a Shinto purification ceremony). -The body and mind must be purified so that the person can be connected with Kami that are clean, bright, right, and straight. -One way of purification is by a ceremony performed by priests which includes the waving of a branch from a sacred tree. -Another is called *Misogi: the Shinto waterfall purification ritual.

Shrines.

It is thought that there were no shrines in early Shinto; rather, these may have developed after the 6th century introduction of Buddhist influences in Japan. -At present there are more than 100,000 shrines in Japan, built to honor the kami. -The greatest number of the shrines are dedicated to *Inari (the God of rice). -His messengers are foxes, so his shrines are distinguished by statues of foxes, rather than statues of dogs or lions that are often placed to guard shrine entrances. -The most important of all is the *Ise Shrine, which is a complex of over 100 shrines. -To always offer the Kami a clean and fresh place, all of the buildings are dismantled every 20 years and rebuilt the same way. -The word *Kamikaze (divine wind) became a symbol of divine protection of Japan by the Kami. -Tall gate frames known as *Torii must be crossed to enter the holy precinct of the kami. -If there is a spiritually powerful site already present (a waterfall, crevice in a rock, hot spring, sacred tree) the spirit of the Kami may dwell there.

Shang Dynasty.

Kings played roles of chief priests for their kingdoms. -There was a highest God (above deified humans), deities of the local environment, royal ancestors, and Gods of the cosmic forces. 1. Highest God on Shang Dynasty = Shangdi (the Lord-on-High). -Believed to rule over important phenomena such as weather, crops, battles, and the King's health. -King = responsible for maintaining harmony between the Gods and ancestors and earthly world.

Zhou Dynasty.

Overthrew the Shang Dynasty because the Shang was thought to be corrupt. -Rulers continued to play major spiritual roles, but shifted from Shangdi to *Tian (heaven): a more impersonal power controlling universe. -Developed the *Mandate of Heaven: justified their rule and was the belief that heaven responds to human virtue and endows rulers with the authority to rule based upon their virtue.

Li.

Sacred rituals of ancestor worship. -Essential because ancestor will help their descendants if treated with proper respect; if ignored, will cause trouble.

Shinto.

Shinto is not a single, self-conscious religious tradition, but rather an overarching label applied to ways of honoring the spirits in nature. -Shinto harmonizes people with the natural world. -Has no founder, no orthodox canon of sacred literature, and no explicit code of ethical requirements. -The meanings of many of its elaborate rituals are unknown by many who practice them. -Formed from the words *Shin (divine being) and *Do (way). -The major chronicles of Shintoism are not regarded as uniquely Japanese, for they seem to be influenced by Buddhist, Confucian, Korean, and Chinese thought. -These chronicles combine myth, historical facts, politics, and literature. and are not generally revered as sacred scriptures.

Teachings of Daoist Sages.

Specific origin and philosophy = unclear. -However, give credit to Yellow Emperor who was said to have studied with an ancient sage and to have developed meditation, health, and military practices based on what he learned; after ruling for 100 years, he ascended to heaven on a dragon's back and became one of the immortals. -The Daoist sage takes a low profile in the world, he or she is like a valley, allowing everything needed to flow into his or her life, or like a stream (flowing water is a Daoist model for being). -The classic Daoist seeks to find the still center, save energy for those times when action is needed, and take a humble, quiet approach to life. -According to Daoist ideals, there should not be a great gap between the rich and the poor. Just as heaven makes adjustments between surpluses and deficiencies, the rich should desire to share with the poor.

Cosmic Balance.

The cosmos are a manifestation of an impersonal, self-generating physical-spiritual substance called *Qi (chi). -Basically the stuff that all things that exist are made of. -Has two aspects whose interplay causes the ever changing phenomena of the universe. 1. *Yin: the dark, receptive, female aspect. 2. *Yang: the bright, assertive, male aspect.

Dao.

The creative rhythm of the universe; the unnamable, the eternally real, which cannot be defined. -AKA: The way or path; The Nameless. -There are several basic principles for the life in harmony with Dao, one is to experience the transcendent unity of all things, rather than separation. This realization can only be attained when one ceases to feel any personal preferences. -Heaven, earth, and humanity all arise from the same source (the Dao), the first cause of the cosmos; coming from the same source, all things on earth are to be loved and allowed to exist and develop according to their nature.

The Confucian Virtues.

The foremost of the virtues that Confucius felt could save society was *Ren: innate goodness, love, benevolence, , humaneness, and human-heartedness. -Describes the rare person who is utterly devoted to Ren as one who is not motivated by personal profit, but by what is moral, is concerned with self improvement rather than public recognition, is ever mindful of parents, speaks cautiously but acts quickly, and regards human nature as basically good. -The prime exemplar of Ren should be the ruler. -The *Essentials of Strong Government: adequate troops, adequate food, and the people's trust; but of these, the only true necessity is that the people have faith in their rulers. -To earn this faith, the ruling class should cultivate themselves by leading lives of virtue and decorum. -They should continually adhere to Ren, always reaching upward, cherishing what is right, rather than reaching downward for material gain. -The ruler models himself on heaven, serving as parent to the people and linking them to the larger cosmic order through ritual ceremonies. -In Confucius's ideal world, there is a reciprocal hierarchy in which each knows his place and respects those above him.

Kinship with Nature.

The people reportedly lived so harmoniously with the environment that they had no separate word for "nature" until western influence in the 19th century. -Living close to nature, the people organized their lives around the turn of the seasons, honoring the roles of the sun, moon, and lightning in their rice farming. -In rock gardening, flower arrangements, the tea ceremony, and poetry, Japanese artists honor the simple and natural. -*Tea Ceremony: great attention is paid to each natural sensual delight, from the purity of water poured from a wooden ladle to the genuineness of the clay vessels.

Confucianism.

The practice of virtue. -Confucius was honored as *Kong Fuzi (Master Kong) and his teachings were called *Rujiao (the teaching of the scholars). -It did not begin with Confucius, instead, it is based on the ancient Chinese beliefs in heaven, ancestor worship, and the efficacy of rituals. -For 2,000 years, Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism have co-existed in China, contributing mutually to the culture. -Both Daoism and Buddhism emphasize the ever changing nature of things in the cosmos (metaphysics), whereas Confucianism focuses on ways of developing a just and orderly society (political/ethical).

Daoism.

The way of nature and immortality. -Emphasizes harmony with nature; for those who seek a carefree, natural way of life as an escape from the industrial rat race. -Also a tradition of great mental and physical discipline. -A label invented by scholars and awkwardly stretched to cove a philosophical tradition, a multitude of self-cultivation and longevity techniques, and an assortment of religious sects. -Concerned with direct experience of the universe, accepting and cooperating with things as they are, not with setting standards of morality, not with labeling things as good or bad. -Places great value on the withdrawal from the maddening crowd to a contemplative life and love of nature.

Ceremonies and Festivals.

To properly encourage the spirit of the Kami to dwell in a holy sanctuary, long and complex ceremonies are needed. -In some temples, it takes ten years for the priests to learn them. -The priesthood was traditionally hereditary. -Not uncommonly, the clergy may be priestesses. -The priests may be assisted by young, unmarried women dressed in white kimonos. -Neither priests nor priestesses live as ascetics; it is common for them to be married, and they are not traditionally expected to meditate. -They are considered specialists in their arts of maintaining the connection between the Kami and the people.