1. CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES

2. Confucianism Founded by Confucius Duty (responsibility) is the central idea Filial Piety is very important Focus on education, ethics, and morality He wanted to reform the government from within Believe all government jobs should be open to everyone His sayings were collected in a book called The Analects Not concerned with spirituality, but with bettering people for a more stable society

3. Buddhism Founded by Siddhartha Guatama (“The Buddha”) in India The Leader: The Dalai Lama Believes in nirvana – the “end of suffering” The Four Nobel Truths and the Eightfold Path are core parts of Buddhism Buddhism has two branches: Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism

4. Daoism Started by a man named Laozi It focuses on giving up worldly desires and living harmoniously with nature They believed people should turn to the spiritual force called the Dao (path – “the way”) Many Chinese followed both Confucianism and Daoism as they thought the two supported one another This is often shown through spiritual forces they called Yin and Yang

5. Legalism Started by a name named Hanfeizi Unlike Confucianism, Legalism believed that people were naturally evil Hanfeizi believed that kings should make strict laws and harsh punishments to force people to do the right thing Legalists believed the law was above everyone, including the king Many aristocrats and kings liked legalism because it justified their rule by any means necessary However, in time it led to extreme punishment even for small crimes