1. http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind /history-of-religion.html

2. Confucianism For people to achieve goodness, it is required that they have good government. Bad laws cause people to do evil. Good conduct is its own reward

5. Yin Yang  Yin  Negative side  Dark  Cold  Quiet  Passive  Changeable  Unifying  Yang  Positive  Light  Warm  Active  Steadfast  Transforming Not good or evil, both are good and equal, Light and dark complement each other. Both are necessary for the order and harmony of the universe. They are NOT in conflict.

6. The Importance of Balance  The Chinese mindset has a backdrop of the harmony evident in nature.  The cycles of the season, the sun’s movements, and even life’s passage from birth to death were explained as the universe’s visible harmony.  The entire universe shows the complementary of these forces and possesses the characteristics of both in varying degrees.  Yin and Yang refer to the beginnings and endings of all activity in nature.  The Yin cannot be considered without the Yang. All points have their respective counterpoints; to refer to only one aspect is to distort the message, the music, or the picture.

7. Life of Confucius  Confucius lived between 551 and 479 BCE, during the mid-Chou dynasty, a time of great social disorder.  He was born and lived in state of Lu in the northeast part of Chou kingdom (his birthplace was Ch’u- fu/Qufu).  His name was K’ung Ch’iu. He was also known as Kung Fu-tzu (in English, Confucius--”K’ung the Master”).

8. As a teacher  He established himself as a teacher in middle age and attracted numerous disciples (either 3,000 or 72, according to unreliable early sources).  He likely had 15-20 disciples, of whom the most important were Yen Hui, Tzu-lu, Tzu-kung, and Jan Ch’iu.  Confucius was the first teacher in Chinese history to offer private instruction.

10. Community Service  Confucius may have served as government official in Lu (502-497).  He sought to instruct the ruling authorities in how to restore social order. He did not seek political power for himself.  He became frustrated because he never held an official post of great responsibility or influence.

11. Exile  Between 497 and 484, Confucius exiled himself from Lu and traveled through other Chou states, but he failed to convince their rulers to adopt his ideas.  He returned to Lu in 484 and probably assembled a new group of disciples.  He died in 479, convinced that he had failed.

12. The Thought of Confucius  Main source for Confucius’ thought is The Analects (Lun-yii or “Discussed Sayings”), a collection of his random Sayings.  Confucius had two primary concerns: the correct way to rule, and moral cultivation (the correct way for people to live).

13. View of Society  Confucius called his plan for society and individuals “the Way” (Tao). Confucianism can be understood as “familyism” in the following respects:  It sees a parallel between the ideal ruler and ideal parent. The ruler should show the same concern for the welfare of his subjects that the parent does for his or her child. Likewise, subjects should show the ruler great respect, just as the child respects his parents.  Society, like the family, follows a natural hierarchical structure.

14. How is this temple representative of Confucian values?

15. Superior Man  The Confucian ideal for individuals is to become a chUn-tzu (“superior man” or “gentleman”; literally, “the son of a lord”). Confucius rejected the prevailing idea that one is born into chun-tzu status. He saw this status as a matter not of lineage but of education and moral cultivation.

16. Gentlemanly Virtues Among the virtues cultivated by the gentleman were “the virtues of the relationships.” Each of these virtues corresponds to a particular relationship (and is practiced by the socially inferior party in the relationship) RelationshipVirtue father (kindness) to son or elder brother (gentility) to younger brother (humility) hsiao (filial piety) t’i (brotherly respect) ruler (benevolence) to subject (loyalty) chung (loyalty) friend/friendhsin (sincerity) husband (righteous behavior) to wife (obedience) elder (consideration) to junior(deference) ts ‘ung (submission)

17. Womanly Virtues  Women should cultivate the “three submissions.”  As a wife, she should submit to her husband;  As a daughter, she should submit to her father;  As a widow, she should submit to her eldest son.

18. Hsiao – Filial Piety  Most important Confucian virtue.  Confucius did not originate this concept, but he was the first to elaborate its meaning—to serve one’s parents, whether alive or dead, according to the rites, and to show them great respect.  For instance, the pious son mourns a dead parent for three years, observing the rituals of grief according to the rites.

19. Other virtues  Gentlemen were supposed to display other important virtues  li – propriety, rites, ceremonies, courtesy, was another important virtue  “Propriety”—thorough knowledge and practice of the rites (li). “Propriety” comprehended a wide variety of appropriate ritual behavior, depending upon the occasion and the person involved;  the gentleman must know them all.

21. Jen – Humanity, Benevolence  Jen is the supreme Confucian virtue; it is almost impossible to practice fully.  Jen is defined both as the “negative Golden Rule” and as using one’s own feelings as a guide for behavior toward others—as putting others’ interests before one’s own (Analects 6:28; 12:1).  Tension exists between jen, which encourages recognition of common humanity, and li, which encourages recognition of hierarchical distinctions

22. Perfect Harmony  Confucius believed if people pursue courtesy, correct form, etiquette, reverence, humane benevolence, then harmony will exist in society. “Compromise is always wrong if it means sacrificing a principle.”

23. Is it a Religion?  The Analects states that Confucius did not discuss certain religious topics, such as spirits, ghosts, the ways of Heaven, fate. He taught that one must understand and serve the living before one worries about the dead (Analects 11:11).

25. Religion?  He believed that Heaven had chosen him to fulfill a mission—to return the world to the Way.  By following the Way—by being jen and observing li—all mankind can accord itself with the will of Heaven. Prior to Confucius, the will of Heaven was understood to apply only to the ruler, not to all humanity.

26. Philosopher  Confucius was very similar to Aristotle as a moral philosopher.  Both understood virtue to consist in a mean between extremes.  One who tends by nature toward one extreme should be taught to aim toward the opposite extreme.

27. An Analect or Two  “To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.”  “The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. ”

28. Sacred Texts – 2 Groups 5 classics (written before Confucius)  I Ching (Book of Changes)  Book of History  Book of Poetry  Book of Rites  Spring and Autumn Annals 4 books (by or after Confucius)  Analects  Great Learning  The Doctrine of the Mean  Book of Mencius

29. I Ching  64 hexagrams of broken lines (yin) and solid lines (yang)  “It will be advantageous to be firm and correct, and thus there will be free course and success. Let the subject nurture a docility like that of a cow, and there will be good fortune.” Fire #30

30. Reading the I Ching  The solid line represents yang, the creative principle.  The open line represents yin, the receptive principle.  The first three lines of the hexagram, called the lower trigram, are seen as the inner aspect of the change that is occurring.  The upper trigram (the last three lines of the hexagram), is the outer aspect.

32. After Confucius’ death, 2 schools developed Mencius  Man is intrinsically good  Intuition should act as guide to action and choice Hsun-tzu  Man is inherently evil  People require ritual in order to cultivate true virtue

33. Questions for discussion  What similarities or parallels do you see between Confucius’ vision of the ideal state and his vision of the ideal individual?  How did Confucius transform the meaning and application of the concept of chun-tzu? According to Confucius, how does one become a chun-tzu?

35. A Story to Tell Duke Ai asked Confucius “What is the great li? Why is it that you talk about li as though it were such an important thing? Confucius replied, “Your humble servant is really not worthy to understand li.” “But you do constantly speak about it,” said Duke Ai. Confucius, “What I have learned is this, that of all the things that people live by, li is the greatest. Without li we do not know how to conduct a proper worship of the spirits of the universe, or how to establish the proper status of the king and the ministers, the ruler and the ruled, and the elders and the juniors, or how to establish the moral relationship between the sexes; between parents and children and between brothers; or how to distinguish the different degrees of relationships in the family. That is why a gentleman holds li in such high regard.” (Li Chi XXVII)

36. Basic Timeline of Chinese Religion

38. The Questions  1. What is religion?  2. What is the essence of religion?  3. What do all religions have in common?  4. What is it about religion that makes it so distinct from other forms of life, from other worldviews?  5. What is it about religion that makes it appear resistant to the efforts of philosophers and scientists and skeptics to disprove religious claims?  6. How can religious believers go on believing without evidence to support their positions and beliefs and even against arguments that show their beliefs to contain irrational elements such as inconsistencies and contradictions?

39. Your definition  1. use ordinary language  2. avoid ambiguity  3. avoid contradictions  4. include all that needs to be included  5. exclude all that needs to be excluded  6. avoid circularity