star & crescent star of David

cross
om/aum

yin yang swastika khanda torii gate

menorah ahimsa hand

dharmachakra
nine-pointed star
Spring and Autumn Period of ancient China (capital from Haojing to Louyi) from 770 BCE to 476BCE
Warring States Period from 476 BCE to 221BCE
Hundred Schools of Thought of China

Confucius Chuang Tzu

Han Fei-tzu

Lao-tzu

Mencius

Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism

Yin-Yang School, Eclectics, School of Logicians, Political Strategists, Military Strategists, Novelists
the period
(551 BCE – 479 BCE)

lived during the violent and chaotic

“Warring States Period” of the eastern
Zhou dynasty
as a school of thought
focuses on human morality and good
deeds

complex system of moral, social,

political, philosophical, and quasi-
religious thought that had tremendous
influence on the culture and history of
East Asia

CONFUCIANISM
the man
(551 BCE – 479 BCE)

ideas were not accepted during his

lifetime and he frequently bemoaned the
fact that he remained unemployed by
any of the feudal lords

CONFUCIANISM
5 human relationships

•Parents-Children. Parents should love and care for their children. Children
should respect and obey their parents. The children’s respect and devotion
for their parents is often called “filial piety.”

•Ruler-Subjects. A ruler should care for the people he governs. The people
he rules (the subjects) should obey a ruler who takes care of them.

•Older brothers-Younger brothers. Older brothers should care for younger

brothers. Younger brothers should respect and obey older brothers.

•Husband-Wife. Married people should live in harmony. A wife should obey

her husband.

•Friend-Friend. Friends should trust each other and treat each other well.
main concepts (7 items to ponder to yourself)

a. Ren human heartedness; goodness; benevolence, man-to-man-ness

jen that which gives human beings their humanity
ultimate guide to human action

b. Li principle of gain, benefit, order, propriety

concrete guide to human action "Do's rather than Don'ts”

c. Yi righteousness; the moral disposition to do good

what is the right thing to do
d. Xiao filial piety; reverence
hsiao
e. Chih moral wisdom; the source of this virtue is knowledge of right and wrong
Mencius believed that people are basically born good
f. Junzi the ideal man; the superior man; gentle person in the most
chun-tzu significant sense

g. Te power by which men are ruled; the power of moral example

the whole art of government consists in the art of being honest
Lao Tzu
as a school of thought
the basic goal of Daoism is for people to
understand the Dao (the way) of nature and
behave according to it. Those who follow the Dao
achieve mental clarity, power, and “inner peace.”

people have problems because they do not

understand the natural world they live in and how
it behaves

TAOISM
the man
like other people during this difficult and
dangerous time, Laozi looked for ways to
improve society and help comfort people

Lao Tzu
the period
Fourth Century BCE (?)

time is known as the “Warring States Period,” because the different

states were always fighting, or warring, with each other and their lords
the tao

Tao is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced and
ordered. Tao is associated with nature, due to a belief that nature
demonstrates the Tao.

The flow of qi, as the essential energy of action and existence, is

compared to the universal order of Tao.

It is often considered to be the source of both existence and non-

existence
Jewels of the Tao
Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao:

compassion
moderation
humility
The first of the Three Jewels is Ci ("compassion, love & kindness"), which the Tao Te
Ching parallels with familial and brotherly love. It is compared to loving others
and the world as a person loves their own existence.

The second is jian ("moderation, economy, restraint"), which the Tao Te Ching
praises. Jian is connected with the Taoist metaphor pu. ("uncarved wood;
simplicity"). It represents perfect efficiency and simplicity of desire.

The third treasure is the phrase bugan wei tianxia xian ,meaning "not dare to be
first in the world". It is connected to a fear of death, out of a love for life.
Taoism theology themes

 Naturalness  The strength of softness

 Vitality (or flexibility)
 Peace  Spontaneity
 “Non-action" (wu wei)  The relativism of human
 Emptiness (refinement) ways of life
 Detachment  Ways of speaking and
 Receptiveness guiding behavior
pu

Pu (lit. "uncut wood") is translated "uncarved block", "unhewn log", or

"simplicity". It is a metaphor for the state of wu wei and the principle of jian.
It represents a passive state of receptiveness.

Pu is a symbol for a state of pure potential and perception without prejudice. In

this state, Taoists believe everything is seen as it is, without preconceptions
or illusion.

Pu is seen as keeping oneself in the primordial state of Tao. It is believed to be

the true nature of the mind, unburdened by knowledge or experiences.

In the state of Pu, there is no right or wrong, beautiful or ugly. There is only pure
experience, or awareness, free from learned labels and definitions. It is this
state of being that is the goal of following wu wei.
"To know the white,
But to abide by the black,
Is to be the model of the world.
Being the model of the world,
One's everlasting power (te) being full,
One again returns to the uncarved wood."

-- from chapter 28
wu wei

Wu wei (pinyin: wúwéi) is a central concept in Taoism. The literal meaning of wu

wei is "without action". It is often expressed by the paradox wei wu wei,
meaning "action without action" or "effortless doing“.

The goal of wu wei is alignment with Tao, revealing the soft and invisible power
within all things. It is believed by Taoists that masters of wu wei can control
this invisible potential, the innate yin-action of the Way.

In ancient Taoist texts, wu wei is associated with water through its yielding
nature. Water is soft and weak, but it can move earth and carve stone.

Taoist philosophy proposes that the universe works harmoniously according to

its own ways. When someone exerts his will against the world, he disrupts
that harmony.

Taoism does not identify man's will as the root problem. Rather, it asserts that
man must place his will in harmony with the natural universe.
LEGALISM
the man
the most important principle in his thinking
was that humans are inherently evil (personal
gain) and inclined toward criminal and selfish
behavior

if humans are allowed to engage in their

natural proclivities, the result will be conflict
and social disorder

the only way of making humans behave

morally is through habituation and harsh
punishment

both Han Feizi and the Legalist Prime Minister

Li Si studied under him

Hsun-Tzu
as a school of thought
a pragmatic political philosophy that does not address
higher questions like the nature and purpose of life

"political philosophy that upholds the rule of law”

its essential principle is one of jurisprudence

LEGALISM
as a school of thought
believed that government could only become a science if rulers
were not deceived by pious, impossible ideals such as "tradition"
and "humanity."

the view of the Legalists, attempts to improve the human situation

by noble example, education, and ethical precepts were useless

LEGALISM
as a school of thought
the people needed a strong government and a carefully devised code of
law, along with a policing force that would stringently and impartially
enforce these rules and punish harshly even the most minor infractions

LEGALISM
Xunzi said that a person's original nature is
evil and so it must be modified through
strict training.

Han Feizi and the other Legalists did not

think this evil original nature could ever be
trained or modified. Humans were self-
serving and anti-social from the time they
were born until the time they died, and
any attempt to change this basic nature
was futile and misguided.

Instead, rulers should accept that human

nature is permanently evil, embrace this
Li Si
fact, and use it to their advantage.
Han Fei (韓非) believed that a ruler should govern
his subjects by the following trinity:

“law or principle”

All people under the ruler were equal before the law

Laws should reward those who obey them and punish

accordingly those who dare to break them

the system of law ran the state, not the ruler

Han Fei-tzu
Han Fei (韓非) believed that a ruler should govern
his subjects by the following trinity:

“method, tactic or art”

tactics must be employed by the ruler to make

sure others don't take over control of the state

no one can know which behavior might help

them getting ahead; except for following the laws

no one can fathom the ruler's motivations

Han Fei-tzu
Han Fei (韓非) believed that a ruler should govern
his subjects by the following trinity:

"legitimacy, power or charisma“

position of the ruler, not the ruler himself or herself,

that holds the power

Han Fei-tzu
Role of a Ruler
Legalists emphasized that the head of state was endowed with the "mystery of
authority”

his decisions must always command the respect and obedience of the people

must not only accept the advice of loyal ministers when shown to be in error, but
must also extend courtesy to those beneath him or her and not be too avaricious
The people themselves wanted a ruler to
generate order. Social cohesion in the Legalist
state mandated that the populace never escape
punishment.
According to Shang Yang's The Book of Lord Shang,

The Qin dynasty used the people, for example, to maintain vigilant mutual
surveillance over one another under threat of death.
http://history.cultural-china.com

www.topchinatravel.com

http://philosophy.lander.edu/oriental/main.html

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/maybe-its-just-
me/201107/the-wisdom-wei-wu-wei-letting-good-things-happen

http://tao-in-you.com/wuwei.html
JAINISM
JAINISM

Praying at the feet of a statue of Bahubali

Jains from the Sanskrit word jina (victor) and connoting
the path of victory in crossing over life's stream
of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual life

trace their history through a succession of

twenty-four victorious saviors and teachers
known as Tirthankaras, with the first Gosalaka
being Rishabhanatha Releases
Tejolesya - A
twenty-fourth being the Mahavira around 500 Fiery Flame -
BCE To Burn
Down
believe that Jainism is an eternal dharma with Bhagavan Ma
the Tirthankaras guiding every cycle of the Jain havira But
cosmology Fails
Main principles
Non-violence (ahimsa) It believes that one must abandon all violent activity,
and without such a commitment to non-violence all
religious behavior is worthless.

In Jain theology, it does not matter how correct or

defensible the violence may be, one must not kill
any being, and "non-violence is one's highest
religious duty"

Many-sided reality (anekāntavāda)

from anekānta ("not one ended, sided", "many-

sidedness", or "manifoldness") and vada (doctrine,
way)
states that truth and reality is complex and always
has multiple aspects
Reality can be experienced, but it is not possible to
totally express it with language
Main principles
Non-attachment (aparigraha)

means non-attachment to worldly possessions

For ascetics, Jainism requires a vow of complete non-possession

of any property

For Jain laypersons, it recommends limited possession of property

that has been honestly earned, and giving excess property to
charity

Jain texts mention that "attachment to possessions" (parigraha) is of

two kinds: attachment to internal possessions (ābhyantara parigraha),
and attachment to external possessions (bāhya parigraha)

For internal possessions, Jainism identifies four key passions of the

mind (kashaya): anger, pride (ego), deceitfulness, and greed

ten internal passions are: wrong belief, the three sex-passions (male
sex-passion, female sex-passion, neuter sex-passion), and the six
defects (laughter, like, dislike, sorrow, fear, disgust)
Jain ethics teaches five ethical duties, which it calls five vows

For both, its moral precepts preface that the Jain has access to
a guru (teacher, counsellor), deva (Jina, god), doctrine, and that the
individual is free from five offences:

a) doubts about the faith,

b) indecisiveness about the truths of Jainism,

c) sincere desire for Jain teachings,

d) recognition of fellow Jains, and

e) admiration for their spiritual pursuits

Five vows of Jainism

Ahimsa, intentional 'non-violence' or 'noninjury'

is to cause no harm to other human beings, as well as all
living beings

the highest ethical duty in Jainism, and it applies not only to

one's actions, but demands that one be non-violent in one's
speech and thoughts

Satya, 'truth'
is to always speak the truth, neither lie, nor speak what is not
true, do not encourage others or approve anyone who speaks
the untruth
Five vows of Jainism
Asteya, 'not stealing'
Jain layperson should not take anything that is not
willingly given
Jain mendicant should additionally ask for permission to take it
if something is being given

Brahmacharya, 'celibacy'
Abstinence from sex and sensual pleasures is prescribed for
Jain monks and nuns

For laypersons, the vow means chastity,

faithfulness to one's partner

Aparigraha, 'non-possessiveness'
includes non-attachment to material and psychological
possessions, avoiding craving and greed

Jain monks and nuns completely renounce property and social

relations, own nothing and are attached to no one