Essays on Confucius

One of the main advantages of literature lies in its ability to communicate various cultural experiences and provide greater knowledge and deeper understanding of foreign traditions for the reader. In the Western civilization, Eastern religious traditions and cultures informed by them are perceived with interest, fascination and even fear; while lack of understanding can often impair successful interaction and communication. In addressing the issue of religious values, the authors of two books, Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us about Living in the West and Children of Dust: A Portrait of a Muslim as a ...

“A person lacking in humaneness cannot endure straightened circumstances for long, nor can he enjoy favorable circumstances for long” (Watson 32).

Here, Confucius concerns himself with the qualities of a gentleman and things that cannot be considered gentlemanly. In this regard, Confucius outlines various examples of what a gentleman should do as well as what he should not do. Book 4 is considerably brief as compared to the other books and also represents matters of filial piety with regard to the mourning periods when parents have passed on ad the extent to which a child should continue the path of the father following the death of the latter. Book 5 continues with the discussion regarding the characteristics of a gentleman ...

Yin and Yang are the basic principle and concept for both Chinese philosophy and culture that is traced back to the third century BCE. According to the principle, all the things that exist and surround us are inseparable and contradicting. Examples of this are female-male, old-young, darkness-light. These opposing aspects attract each other and, as it is illustrated by the well-known symbol of Yin-Yang principle, each of opposites has a part of the other in its core.

According to the principle, Yin stands for:

Feminine Black Dark North Cold Providing spirit for all things and so forth On the contrary, in terms of Chinese philosophy Yin ...

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Introduction China is home to the most ancient and enduring human civilization. This civilization flourished for thousands of years and have survived through many succession of rulers and dynasties. The study of China’s civilization is important in order to understand China’s contemporary society. Chinese civilization can be categorized into three broad historical periods: ancient China, Imperial China and modern China. These periods, however, only serves as an imaginary partition in order to identify a certain time in the history of China. But in reality, Chinese civilization is continuous and was never interrupted even through there ...

The code of ethics stands out as a wide concept on how human beings treat each other. In most contexts, it acts as a guideline for determining whether an action is fit or not and narrows down to the overall treatment. It is for this reason that various philosophers and lawmakers find it hard to create a particular code, which can govern or direct people entirely. Unlike robots, human beings act and react differently depending on their interaction with each other. Hence, most of the guidelines provided by people in regards to the code of ethics have conflicting opinions ...

In the ancient times, there were many civilizations around the world, but all of them managed to develop independently. In spite of the fact that the world is so diverse and the West seems to be too far from the East, different parts of the world have a lot in common. However, it is extremely hard to trace the common themes between the West and the East when it comes to religions without concentrating on their differences first. This paper is going to focus on the differences in the role of the prophets between the biggest religions of the ...

“Over the past three decades, a new current of ‘combative Islam' has appeared and grown rapidly, and is attempting to gain control of the Islamic world”

Nabil Nofal

The Islam was considered as comparatively young religion and it had about one billion followers making it the largest religion in the world. The word Islam is Arabic and means submission, i. e. to submit to God’s will. It is a monotheistic religion, and its adherents are called Muslims. It is interesting that Muslims recognize several Judeo-Christian prophets from early times like Moses and Jesus and they believe that they are also ...

Question 4: Explaining the East Asian Conception of Human Nature

Introduction The problem of Human Nature has always been a point of hot discussions among the Western and Eastern philosophers. Although there are some theoretical discrepancies among members of the different philosophical schools, the majority of them concur that the idea of human nature encompasses the fusion of certain distinguishing characteristics, which a human possesses irrespective of his/her cultural background. Despite the fact that the nature of these characteristics, approaches to measuring them and understanding the components of this metaphysical phenomenon are not clearly defined in any philosophical school yet, there is a strong opinion in the both Eastern ...

The paper will look at the Analects of Confucius in comparison to the Epic of Gilgamesh in regards to the beliefs of the Chinese and Mesopotamian people. The cultures of China and Mesopotamia were made up of completely different political and religious structures and principles. This does not mean that there were not some areas with similarities. First Confucianism is a complex system of values and religious practices that were passed down by Confucius and his followers in a collection of quotes called the Analects of Confucius which were written between 551-479 BC. Confucius was a philosopher and a ...

As we are living in a vast world swirling with the swing of different conflicts and issues that it is facing, it is quite inevitable for us to experience and feel emotions that can either make or break our character. There have been a lot of debates around the nature of each emotion that a human being has the tendencies to feel. Of course, one of the most talked about emotions could be traced to the word “love”. Philosophers and sociologists have tried to accurately explain the weight of the influence of love to our society. However, it is ...

(Student’s Full Name) The Disney animated film, Mulan, is based on a female warrior living in ancient China. The movie shows how Mulan, who is a veteran’s daughter, struggles with living up to the expectations of women as dictated by the Chinese society at that time. The teachings of Confucius believed that it was “incumbent” on the women to “accord with the wishes and needs of closely-related men” (Ebrey, n.d., para. 2). Therefore, the woman was not expected to fulfill her own desires. The Chinese woman living in ancient times was expected by the society to fulfill ...

Introduction

The essay will compare the skepticism of two ancient philosophers concerning popular religious, spiritual and superstitious beliefs. The first philosopher we will look at is Lucretius who was a well-educated Roman popularly known for his poem “On the Nature of Things.” The second philosopher is Wang Ch’ung who was born in China and studied at Loyang academy in the capital. He is said to have had remarkable memory and gained a lot of knowledge in Chinese literature. The two philosophers did not believe in the religious beliefs and came up with arguments to convince the masses that they ...

Introduction

Virtue ethics are the theories that gives importance to our moral values that effect our mind and our character. It not only helps us to decide what is rightness or wrongness in our decision but also provides a guidance to be a good person that we wish to achieve .Virtual ethic was prevalent from the time old civilizations started. The philosophers always guided the rulers and the common people to follow the path of virtue ethics. Among the famous philosophers whose ethics are followed till date are Aristotle, father of Greek philosophy and Confucius, father of Chinese philosophy. Virtue ...

1. The Social Miracle T. R. Reid moved to Tokyo, Japan, with his family – composed of his wife and their two daughters – where he lived for five years, as an expatriate employee for the Washington Post. He posits that some Asian nations (such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore ) have built modern societies within the safest environment, providing the best education for the children, and with probably the most stable families on Earth. In Reid’s opinion, this accomplishment is due to the widespread acceptance by Far East countries of the ethical values of Chinese philosopher Confucius. He pointed ...

Introduction

It’s called a fugue state. A fugue state is characterized by a complete removal from, or interruption of, a person’s identity and a personal history. A fugue state is not always permanent, but during the episode, a person can completely forget who they are, and can assume a completely new identity for themselves. Usually, the fugue state isn’t even diagnosed until a person can recall their identity after the fugue state has ended (Costandi). This is a perfect metaphor for Death Fugue, a novel by Sheng Keyi. In her novel, she explores the events related to ...

The Yin-Yang concept has been an integral part of the Chinese culture for many years with the Chinese citizen viewing it as a means to gaining personal balance. In essence, the Yin and Yang way of thinking are distinct to the Chinese culture by perception of the main human principles and in terms of they view the universe and its occurrences. The phenomenon is a Dual-Polar concept that aims at enabling the coexistence of two different extremities such that it differs from the western way of thinking. The western way of thinking unlike the Yin and Yang way of ...

In essence, the Jesuits sought to be inclusive of various Chinese traditions, within limits, to the Christian faith. For instance, how the Chinese honor their ancestors as well following certain teaching of Confucius. The Jesuits argued this point with the Dominicans and Franciscans, who felt that these secular Chinese beliefs had no compatibility within the confines of Christianity. They were so opposed to this inclusivity, they reported the issue to the Pope. The three points that were argued about in Rome were what Chinese word should be used for “God”, that Christians should not participate in Confucius’ seasonal rites, ...

Of the pieces that we have read, I really enjoyed the various excerpts from Zhuangzi, especially chapter 6. Although it is a short piece, it is such a pure example of Confucianism. In his unique manner, Confucius manages to point out Yan Hui’s own arrogance without insulting or deriding him. It is the manner in which Confucius teaches which I find so appealing. He manages to make a person look inward for the answers they know already, versus giving them the answer directly. In this manner, people learn a much deeper lesson then they would have otherwise done. ...

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Confucius are enjoying a meal of steamed dumplings and Kung pal chicken at P.F. Chang’s Restaurant. They are discussing the question: “What is the meaning of life?” I happen to be sitting on a table near them and I can overhear their conversation. Buddha begins the conversation by posing the question to the other three.

Buddha: What is the meaning of life?

Mohammed: (Looking up from his meal and putting on a serious face) I believe that life is sacred and a gift entrusted to humans by God. Every human being should live his life with skill and ...

International management in an Asian context: Business life and management in China

Introduction Globalization has complicated the management process. As such, for one to be an effective manager, that individual needs to understand the global context of the management process. Fundamentally, one needs to appreciate the role of culture in the management process (Luthans & Doh, 2014). As such, the paper shall examine several features of the Chinese society and evaluate the ways they will affect the management process.

Discussion

Culture sensitivity is highly linked to effective management (Luthans & Doh, 2014). Considering the Chinese society, the Chinese have been socialized to believe that they are the descendants of Hun. As such, the Hun ...

Introduction 3

Daoism 3 Confucianism 6 Buddhism 9 Conclusion 12

Introduction

Meditation is a way to transform the mind, relax, build an inner energy and increase life forces, a practice aimed to reach a specific altered state of consciousness. The beginnings of meditations date back to appearing of the major East Asian schools and religions as Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Nowadays, meditations are popular not only in the East but also in the Western countries. They are ways of personal growth and parts of psychotherapeutic programs that benefit people to attain the serenity of mind against the background of fast city life. ...

In this paperwork, I am going to analyze the similarities and differences between aspects of the Chinese Confucian and Daoist traditions. I will select aspects from the following types of cultural phenomena: philosophical ideas, ritual performances, as well as defense strategies. Philosophical ideas: this is an extensive field; therefore, I am going to select specific areas with the objective of maximizing the accuracy of my responses- wuwei and rens are my main parts of focus. I will start by establishing a good rapport with these ideas by giving a brief introduction of what they stand for, and finally construct ...

Ge Hong’s seminal fourth-century work Baopuzi is a fundamentally important work for understanding Chinese late-antiquity religion and its practices. Chief among the concerns of the Baopuzi is the achievement of immortality and the cultivation of the self, which Ge Hong explores in excruciating detail to demonstrate the distinctions between what is of earth and what is of heaven. Along the way, Hong also showcases his immense fealty to, and support of, Confucian ideals of cultivating the self through study and political action within the Baopuzi. As a result, Ge Hong’s Baopuzi focuses on ways to fix the ...

Sima Guang helped improve historiography in ancient China; the concepts that he espoused in co-authoring the Zizhi Tongjian have formed the basis for recording historical events and the same concepts have continued to be in use, even for the modern day historian (Buckley, 45).

Introduction

Sima Guang was a pioneer in the structured recording of historical events in ancient China. He compiled the Zizhi Tongjian, which offers a historical timeline of key events in China from 403 BCE to 959 BCE. Zizhi Tongjian is often referred to as the “comprehensive mirror for aid in government” (De Crespigny, 73). Historians have ...

For my market cultural report I have selected the country that shows one of the most rapid developing economics in the world, and that is China. I have always been fascinated by this country and not only by their success in economic growth, but also by the country’s beauty. The nature of China is unique and magnificent as for me, there are nowhere on Earth such places as in this country. Moreover, authentic culture and customs of these people are also very attractive to me. There is the highest mountain on Earth, Everest, there and unique place called ...

China and India are the two biggest single countries with highest population in the world. Like any other country in Asia, the two countries are characterized by the rich cultures that have been clearly defined over centuries of traditional allocation of roles by gender. The women and men in the two societies have been assigned defined roles that are similar in some aspects while in some parts, the roles are quite different. The two cultures have had conspicuous role allocations that historically are defined by scholars and thinkers alike. The main question of this essay is what are the ...