Daoism and Confucianism Essay Example for Free

Daoism and Confucianism Essay Daoism and Confucianism are two of China’s oldest and most pervasive philosophies. They arose during the same period in Chinese history, called the Hundred Schools of Thought, a time often marred by unrest and feudal strife. Both philosophies reflect this, as their overarching goals are to seek order and harmony in one’s life, relationship with society, and the universe. Confucianism is a philosophy originated by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, which teaches that logic and reason can solve all human problems, and rejects excessive emotion and superstition. Confucianism also teaches that following the traditions of early Chinese culture is the best way to organize society. Traditional ritual, music and poetry are also seen as important tools in maintaining societal harmony. Confucius was concerned with matters of human relationships. His philosophy inspires scholars to take up civil service with the goal of building a society based upon their discernment of good and bad and to desire that which is judged to be good. The way of Confucius is to forge a moral society protected from the world. The main source of Confucian teaching is the Analects of Confucius. Daoism on the other hand was started by Lao Tzu, and is mainly concerned with living a balanced life based on following Nature. Lau Tzu saw the natural world as a sort of teacher which could impart wisdom to mankind if we only observed it and modeled our lives on what we see in nature. Extremes are to be avoided, passivity is encouraged over force, going with the flow of things and avoiding conflict is the goal. Lao Tzu rejects worldly concerns, limited knowledge and flawed judgments as creating an imbalance in the nature of things. The way of Lao Tzu is to allow man and nature to come into a harmonic coexistence. So, to boil it all down to one point, Taoism is all about mans relationship with nature, while Confucianism is about mans relationship with his fellow man. Confucianism was created in the early fourth century B. C. E. The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu (Kung Chiu), who was born around 552 B. C. E. in the small state of Lu and died in 479 B. C. E. The Latinized name Confucius, based on the honorific title Kong Fuzi (Kung Fu-tzu), was created by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries in China. Confucius was a teacher to sons of the nobility at a time when formal education was just beginning in China. He traveled from region to region with a small group of disciples, and believed that his philosophy could transform individuals and society into a more harmonious unit. Confucius was not particularly famous during his lifetime, and even considered himself to be a failure. He longed to be the advisor to a powerful ruler, and he believed that such a ruler, with the right advice, could bring about an ideal world. Confucius said heaven and the afterlife were beyond human capacity to understand, and one should therefore concentrate instead on doing the right thing in this life. The earliest records from his students indicate that he did not provide many moral precepts; rather he taught an attitude toward ones fellow humans of respect, particularly respect for ones parents, teachers, and elders. He also encouraged his students to learn from everyone they encountered and to honor others cultural norms. Later, his teachings would be translated by authoritarian political philosophers into strict guidelines, and for much of Chinese history Confucianism would be associated with an immutable hierarchy of authority and unquestioning obedience. Confucius’s teachings were carried on and promoted by his disciple Mencius, and, later, by Hsun-Tzu, who lived from about 300 to 235 B. C. E. E. A rationalist form of Neo-Confucianism, an outgrowth of Confucianism, began to gain popularity through the teachings of Chu Hsi, who lived from 1033 to 1107 CE. A more socially oriented Neo-Confucianism became popular through the teachings of Wang Yang-Ming, who lived from 1472 to 1529 C. E. The Analects is a collection of principles enunciated by the Chinese thinker Confucius in conversations with his disciples. Similar to Proverbs in the Old Testament, the analects depend heavily on analogy and metaphor. They stress the importance not of rules per se, but of ethics, that guide behavior. Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself. He also stressed the need for ritual and music. These principles set standards for individual conduct and the administration of government and community. After Confucius died in 479 B. C. E. , his followers compiled his teachings in the form of dialogues between him and his students. The resulting collection highly influenced educational, social, and cultural thought in China and elsewhere. Running through the teachings of Confucius is this theme: A man should lead an upright life, educate himself, and contribute to the betterment of society. The superior man, he says, respects elders, cultivates the friendship of good people, presides over his subordinates with a fair and even hand, continually educates himself, overflows with love for fellow human beings, and in general sets a good example for others to follow. The Analects are terse and usually easy to understand. Many of these passages, though presented in the form of conversation, are epigrams that stand alone as wise and memorable admonitions. The statements make frequent use of parallel structure and antithesis. Some say Confucianism is not a religion, since there are no Confucian deities and no teachings about the afterlife. Confucius himself was a staunch supporter of ritual, however, for many centuries there were state rituals associated with Confucianism. Most importantly, the Confucian tradition was instrumental in shaping Chinese social relationships and moral thought. Thus even without deities and a vision of salvation, Confucianism plays much the same role as religion does in other cultural contexts. Confucianism is a socio-philosophical system aimed at bettering individuals and society. Its primary goals were to educate people to be self-motivated and self-controlled, and to enable people to assume their responsibilities, which would, in turn, cultivate a better self and a harmonious society. Confucius believed that lawlessness and social problems stemmed from the combination of unenlightened individuals and a social structure without norms. Confucius believed in the Great Ultimate (Tao), which manifests itself in the I, or change. Tao is the cause of I, and generates Yang (energy) and Yin (a passive form). Together, Yin and Yang are seen as complementary symbols of the energy and tension in a system of counter forces. Tao, or the Great Ultimate, is the first-cause of the universe, a force that flows through all life, but is not a personal being. Ultimately, we are here to discover our real self, which is the nature of Tao. Humans are thought to be inherently good. Through self-discipline, a human is able to move in accordance to Tao and thus will enjoy the principle of change. In a practical sense, we are here to better ourselves and society. This is done through education and enlightenment. Daoism was created in China in the Late 4th century B. C. E. Daoism was founded by Li Erh (better known as Lao Tzu), or â€Å"Old Master†, in the sixth century B. C. E. Lao Tzu was the keeper of the imperial library and the author of Tao Te Ching, or the Book of Dao and Virtue. The specific date of birth of Lao Tzu is unknown. Legends vary, but scholars’ place his birth between 600 and 300 B. C. E. Lao Tzu’s wise counsel attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing. He believed that written words might solidify into formal dogma. Lao Tzu wanted his philosophy to remain a natural way to live life with goodness, serenity and respect. Lao Tzu laid down no rigid code of behavior. He believed a person’s conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience. Lao Tzu believed that human life, like everything else in the universe, is constantly influenced by outside forces. He believed â€Å"simplicity† to be the key to truth and freedom. Lao Tzu encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; and to use that power to lead life with love, and without force. Legend says that in the end Lao Tzu, saddened by the evil of men, set off into the desert on a water buffalo leaving civilization behind. When he arrived at the final gate at the great wall protecting the kingdom, the gatekeeper persuaded him to record the principles of his philosophy for posterity. The result was the eighty-one sayings of the â€Å"Tao Te Ching. † The Tao Te Ching was written in China roughly 2,500 years ago at about the same time when Buddha expounded the Dharma in India and Pythagoras taught in Greece. The Tao Te Ching is probably the most influential Chinese book of all times. Its 81 chapters have been translated into English more times than any other Chinese document, and it provides the basis for the philosophical school of Daoism, which is an important pillar of Chinese thought. In Tao Te Ching, it never specifically defines The Way. It’s a series of verses, poems, and riddles. It emphasizes control but not dominance, fluidity but not ambivalence, and mystery but not confusion. Dao is analogous to God, but Dao is not a being. Rather, Dao is the source of all and the ultimate reality, and Dao is the cause of all change in life. Dao permeates the universe and is the principle behind all that is. Dao can only be experienced through mystical ecstasy. Daoists seek transformation of their self and body into a cosmic, Dao-focused entity. This is achieved through ritual and meditation. Daoism teaches that there is one undivided truth at the root of all things. Daoism is the organized, indigenous religion of China. From a philosophical standpoint Daoism focuses on Dao, or way, and deals with ideas about naturalness, ease, non-action etc. Physically, Daoism focuses on health through concepts like Qigong and Taiji quan, which involve deep breathing, slow, graceful motions and gentle stretching. From a religious standpoint, Daoism is reflected in many areas, including a social and political vision, rituals, a hierarchical priesthood, talismans and exorcisms. Other Daoism practices include advanced spiritual meditation and mystic, ecstatic soul travel. The universe is hierarchically organized in such a way that its entirety is reproduced in its individual parts. Thus, man is a microcosm within the macrocosm (small universe within a larger one). Man’s parts correspond to parts of the universe and nature. All is from the Dao, and all will return to the Dao. Daoism was created to reunite with Dao through the transformation from disharmony to harmony. Disharmony causes a destructive or waning cycle of the Five Elements (metal, wood, earth, water and fire). This cycle consists of metal destroying wood (wood is cut by a metal ax); wood dominating earth through its roots (domination through power); earth mastering water and preventing floods (anti-nature forces); water destroying fire (pollution is caused by anti-nature, and destroys the beauty of the world); fire melts metal (causing pollution). Through personal and social transformation, humans can convert the destructive cycle of the Five Elements into a creative or constructive cycle of the Five Elements. Metal in the earth nourishes underground water (purification); water is the source of life for vegetation, including wood (nourishment); wood is the fuel for fire, which causes ashes, which then form earth (natural recycling). The formation of metal in earth completes the cycle. Daoism has a very recognizable symbol. It is the Yin-Yang, a circle divided in two equal parts of dark/black (Yin) and light/white (Yang). Within the dark, there is a circle of light, and within the light, there is a circle of dark. The two parts are equal because they signify the balance in the world caused by the Yin and Yang forces in all things. Each has a circle of the other to symbolize that each contains elements of the other, and that each cannot exist without the other. Sometimes, the Yin-Yang symbol will be surrounded with trigrams, or sets of three lines with breaks in various positions. Each trigram stands for a certain principle in Daoism.

Rates of Reaction :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

The rate of reaction is a measure of how fast something happens. We can find the rate of reaction by measuring the change that happens in a set period of time. Introduction ------------ The rate of reaction is a measure of how fast something happens. We can find the rate of reaction by measuring the change that happens in a set period of time. Many factors can affect the rate of reaction; the concentration of the reactants is one of them. In the following experiments we will investigate how the concentration of the reactants affect the rate of reaction. To do this we will use the reaction between magnesium and hydrochloric acid. GRAPH I will measure the rate of reaction by timing how long the reaction takes. Aim- I am trying to find out how an increase/decrease in concentration of the acid affects the rate of reaction in magnesium strips. Prediction: I predict that as the concentration of hydrochloric acid increases the time taken for the magnesium to dissolve will decrease. I also think that when the concentration of the acid doubles the rate of reaction will also double. Collision Theory: The collision theory is how the rate of reaction increases when the concentration of hydrochloric acid increases. In the reaction firstly all of the particles in the reacting substances must collide. They must collide with a certain amount of energy called activation energy, this must be reached for the reaction to take place. If the particles do not reach this required amount of energy there will not be any successful collisions and therefore the reaction will not take place. If the particles do reach the required amount of energy a reaction will rake place and as the number of collisions increase the reaction speeds up. The more concentrated the reactants the larger the number of successful collisions between the particles. This explains why the largest rate of reaction is usually as soon as the reactants have been mixed together, this means they are both at their highest concentrations. High concentration Low concentration (18cm ³ HCL + 2cm ³ H ²O) (6cm ³ HCL + 14cm ³ H ²O) The temperature in this investigation will not affect the rate of reaction because throughout the investigation it will stay at room temperature. If the temperature was to change during the experiment it would effect the rate of reaction by speeding it up if the temperature increased because the particles move a lot faster and travel a larger

Analysis of Imitiaz Dharker’s Poems

Imitiaz Dharker was born in Lahore, Pakistan in the year 1954. She is a poet, documentary film-maker and an artist. Her family moved from Lahore to Glasgow when she was less than year old. Presently she divides her time between London and Mumbai. Her other works includes Purdah and other poems (1988), Post Cards from God (1997), I speak for devil (2001), Terrorist at my table (2006), Leaving foot prints (2009). Dharker is also a documentary film-maker and has scripted and directed over a hundred films and audio-visuals, centering on education, reproductive health and shelter for women and children. In 1980 she was awarded a Silver Lotus for a short film. She is also an accomplished artist. The main themes of her poetry include home, freedom, journeys, geographical and cultural displacement, communal conflict and gender politics. Today she is considered as one of the most important contemporary poets. The theme of social exclusion can be clearly seen in both of the poems. It is also her background and her personal experience that influence her work. In her poem Minority, Imitiaz Dharker talks about the condition and the problems faced by a person who belongs to a minority. As her other notable works even in this poem her own cultural background and her personal experiences can be clearly understood. When we first see the tittle we can clearly infer that it has something to do with minority group or people belonging to minority. The tittle says it all. It is a first person narrative but it is difficult to find out the gender of the speaker. Let’s just take into account that the speaker is a female. There is a heavy use of metaphor in the poem. So the speaker says, she was born a foreigner and after that wherever she went she carried the tag of foreigner with her. These lines can be directly linked with the life of the poet herself as she was born in Lahore but soon the family shifted. So even where the speaker was born she is foreigner in that country. Further the speaker says that she went to places where her relatives stayed but, just like the roots of tubers even when the hold was deep within she felt like she was an outsider like she didn’t belong there. Everything was new to her. This is probably a reference to poets’ home country. People like to maintain a safe distance from a person who is different than them. The people who are supposed to understand the speaker are the ones who distance themselves from her just because she is a minority, isolating her culturally and socially. This people are the educated ones who are isolating her. The speaker has compared herself to a clumsily translated poem. Her life is a poem but a translated one which lacks the grace and is full of gawky moments. She doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. She can’t find a place where she can adapt because she is never given a chance to do so. Cooking food in coconut has long been a Indian tradition. To people she is like the food cooked in coconut. The mention of ghee and cream contradict each other because both of them belong to different cultures. So where people expect ghee and cream speakers’ life is like food cooked in coconut and it gives an aftertaste of neem and cardamom instead of two good items like ghee and cream. Neem and cardamom it’s bitter and people don’t like it. Whether it’s in her home country or any other country and thus makes her a minority. There comes a point when people find her language strange and don’t seem to accept her. It’s like she has landed into a trap by saying anything to the people at all. They are just waiting for their traps to work and are waiting to put her down and make her a minority on basis of her language. There is an frame fixed in the minds of people, a perfect frame which is as good as them and they view everyone through this frame but when the speakers picture comes into the frame the frame slips. Her picture is not good enough for the frame like they can’t accept someone like her, someone from the minority and that she is not good enough to be with them not good enough to be called as their own. They see someone who is not tuned with them, someone who is not like them, someone who is from a different world, someone like a ghost. For them the speaker stands out for apparently all wrong reasons and she is an outsider to them, in their midst she is an alien. So the speaker sits scratching throughout her lonely nights. It can be interpreted as she is scratching a desperate plea a message on a piece of paper. But if we infer the deeper meaning it can also mean that she is scratching because she is feeling uneasy, she is scratching over the scab of division and the label that she is a minority. She is scratching over the scab of people treating her minority over her skin colour. ‘A page doesn’t fight back’, according to me this is the most powerful line in the whole poem. By page here she is referring to a minority person like herself. The speaker hopes that whatever she has spoken so far shoots through the thick layer of stereotypes the community has set and the noise of repression of the community. So whole carrying on with this life of hers, the speaker comes across a person who is stranger to her yet there is something about the person that makes her feel like she knows him or her. The face of the person is pure and simple without any mask of stereotypes. The speaker can actually read through the persons face and his or her outcast eyes. She comes to a realization that the person is like her a minority. She comes to a realization that she is not only the one who is an outcast, one who has no place to call home and one who is a foreigner wherever she goes. It gives speaker some hope to know that she doesn’t stand alone. The poem reflects the life of the poet herself. While she visits India people view her as a visitor and also because she is a Muslim, who come under minority in our country. On the other hand when she is in western countries people view her as an immigrant. The poem gives us an idea about the feelings of people belonging to minority. ‘They’ll say: â€Å"She must be from another country†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The poem, ‘they’ll say: â€Å"She must be from another country†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is also written by Imitiaz Dharker. The poem is a sharp critic on various forms of exploitation that are carried in India as well as in different parts of world. The poem is about how people of the world can’t come to terms with a person who is liberal and open-minded. The poet has criticized old and traditional minds. The poem gives various indirect references to racial discrimination, state repression and curbing the right to freedom of expression. We have examples of painters like MF Husain and writers like Salman Rushdie who were opposed at different times due to their work. The poet talks about them indirectly without mentioning their names. Numerous films have been opposed just because they clash with some minds. The speaker is a female as it is clearly said in the poem and as well as the tittle. In country like India or any other country for that matter, not everything is welcomed open mindedly. Pieces of literature and art which are found to be offensive are taking down while not looking or hearing what the creator of the masterpiece wants to say about it. Whether he she really means any offence to particular religion, group of people and if he or she wants to hurt any sentiments. There are some traditional and orthodox minds that do not seem to respect freedom of expression. In today’s ever changing and modern world lines like right to freedom of speech and expression are only to say but in reality this things are not welcomed. Certain anti-social minds think they are protecting their identity or uplifting the interests of their religion or community. But this is not true. They are just not bold enough to take whatever falls on their ears even if it is the truth. So as the speaker says books are burned and paintings are taken down. Just because the thoughts expressed in those pieces of work clash with the orthodox thinking. Sometimes even the educated minds do this. Of course all are open to say whatever they want but I think it can be done in a better way other than taking down the books and the paintings. This people aren’t mature enough to accept ideas which come across them. We have numerous examples of books which have been banned. They condemn the pieces of master pieces to dust when a particular piece of art is found disturbing. Art is expressed in different ways. Every artist has his or her own style of expressing their ideas on a paper. Not all naked pictures of Gods and Goddesses are painted to tarnish a particular religion. We need to look through the artist’s eye to understand them to understand the beauty of it. Burning the work isn’t going to help. There are cases in our country when artists were forced to leave the country. Whenever this happens we lose these valuable masterminds. Then the speaker also talks about films which are banned. Whenever films are released on controversial topics, there are people who oppose their screening and in most of the cases even stop them from getting screened. They vandalize the cinema houses and destroy the property if their demands are not met. When the speaker questions such behavior she is told that she must be from another country. It indirectly indicates that this type of behavior is not going to stop and that it happens often. There are times when a person is criticized due to the language and accent. They point it out and explain it the way it should be spoken and they’ll say she must be from another country. The speaker further says when she walks with her head up, with dignity, commanding respect they criticize. As being a woman they expect her to keep her head down and walk as if she’s some less of the person. When the speaker wears table cloth to go to town, it means when she wears different type of clothes like stylish clothes she is condemned. Even today i8n certain places women are not allowed to wear western outfits. The speaker says there is discrimination on the basis of colour and sexual orientation of a person. If any Indian or Asian goes in western countries, they are often discriminated on the basis of their skin colour. The speaker also says that, if a person is gay then he or she is not accepted in society by the orthodox minds. Hence when they see a black person or a gay they whisper to each other that he or she doesn’t belong here. The speaker further adds about how there is a huge gap between a country like India and other western countries like the Great Britain. They find the speakers habits disgusting. Such as eating olives and spitting out the pits, peeing outside. These people belong to a sophisticated place and hence do not like such things. The mention of Bombay shows that she is clearly talking about India. The places like opera are meant for serious minded and elite class of society. So the speaker says when she yawns in opera and laughs, they do not like it. They say very sadly and with disgust that she is same as rest and does not belong here. So due to all this un-acceptance she receives everywhere, the speaker says that maybe there is a country foe all the freaks like herself. By freaks she means the liberal minded people who are considered as freaks by the orthodox minded people. This are the people who do not owe any allegiance or loyalty to the old fat fools who wear the uniform. By this she does not necessarily mean the police. It means all those people in power and influence. According to her they are the one who act like crooks and thugs and take away the rights of people when they are the ones supposed to protect the interests of people. The people with power suppress anyone who comes in their way and by doing so they break the same rules which they are supposed to abide by. Further the speaker says the country is just for namesake and to her and other people like her it doesn’t look like a country at all. There are cracks all over and people like her live behind the backs of those who rule with their cruel power. There are divisions and this is tearing up the country. So the words like national integration and universal brotherhood look good only in books and pages. The speaker has never understood this eccentric behavior and is at peace with it. She is happy that she is not associated in any way with the fat old fools and happy that she remains an alien to the customs and traditions. She readily accepts the tag of outsider. She accepts that she indeed belongs to a different country which probably doesn’t exist. A country where freedom is put down and chained in every way possible. The two poems are related to each other. In both poems the person is made to feel different and unwanted and in the end somehow in both poems the speakers have found some hope and solitude.

The Outside Influences On A College Student - 1661 Words

Joshua Huayamave Professor Uszerowicz Enc 1102 3/08/2015 The Outside influences on a College student Today, young people live in an environment in which many judge beauty on a superficial level, overspending budget margins for college or the student cannot afford to go to college at that year. Others such as social influences of the classroom, outside of the classroom, parents and teachers can have a profound effect on the college student too. These influences often meet with the students at multiple points in their lives. It depends on the student if they ignore, embrace or follow these influences that comes to pass. Is it expected to do as the others do? The real question is if all of these specific influences and individuals alter our lives for better or worse. It often proves challenging sending a child to college. Young adulthood is usually an important time for career decision-making and growth (Whiston, Keller, 2004).College is a large step and responsibility to ascertain on a college bound student. It proves to have freedom to do well in school but also to waste valuable time and money. It is often looked as an investment, but to many others it is viewed as a challenging subject to dedicate. Many student get discouraged as students study medicine, biology and other PhD candidacy in college. Others look at the very immediate action that must be taken care of, that subject area is known as tuition. Financial Aid has become more of burden rather than a free programShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Article Biographies Of Hegemony By Karen Ho1574 Words   |  7 Pages As the perception of success evolves due to the impact of outside influences and societal culture, people begin to ask what is success? 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