Buddha, Confucius and Lao Tze Chinese Thought is Rooted in “The Three Teachings”

Three Men Laughing by Tiger Stream – 12 th century, Song Dynasty  Depicts a Taoist, a government official, and Buddhist monk by a stream. The stream borders a zone infested by tigers that they just crossed without fear, engrossed as they were in their discussion. Realizing what they just did, they laugh together.  The painting illustrates the harmonious relationship between Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism

Religion  For the purposes of this lesson, “Religion” means  A system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things (Émile Durkheim, “Elementary Forms of the Religious Life,” 1912)  There is no general agreement on the meaning of “religion” as the word itself is a western (Greco-Roman) idea, so trying to apply it to non-western beliefs and practices can be a problem  Durkheim’s definition has the advantage of being short, simple, and inclusive rather than exclusive, but it is by no means the final word on anything

Religious Identification  Most Chinese (68%) do not identify themselves as being religious  Most Chinese that are religious do not identify with any particular religion  About 22% practice some form of folk religion (beliefs and practices that are unique to a particular region)  About 18% practice some form of Buddhism  About 13% practice some form of Taoism  About 56% practice some form of ancestral veneration  There is a lot of overlap between these groups  About 2-3% are Christian (mostly Protestant)  About 2% are Muslim  About 15% are atheist

Taoism – The Way or The Path  Attributed to Lao Tze (Laotzu, Laozi) around the 6 th century BC (about the same time as classical Greece)  Major beliefs are written in the Tao Te Ching, but it should not be thought of in the same way that Christians think about the Bible  Taoism emphasizes naturalness, simplicity, compassion, moderation and humility  Taoism is individualistic rather than institutional  The goal is to live in harmony within the world and within society  Because the goal is to live a harmonious life, its beliefs and practices do not necessarily conflict with other religious systems of belief and practice

Confucianism  Founded by Confucius (Kong Futze) during the 6 th and 5 th centuries BC (about the same time or a little later than Lao Tze)  Based on the Four Books and Five Classics (believed to have been either written or edited by Confucius and his immediate followers)  The goal is a just and orderly society, so the focus is on individual behavior within society (knowing your place and behaving accordingly)  Emphasizes the five constants (humaneness, justice, propriety, knowledge and integrity) and the four virtues (loyalty, filial piety, self-restraint and justice)  Because the goal is an orderly society, its beliefs do not necessarily conflict with other systems of belief, however its practices include ancestor veneration (filial piety)

Buddhism – Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path  Founded by Siddhartha Gautama about 500 BC  Buddhism has no central text or book in which the core of its beliefs are written  The goal of Buddhism is enlightenment, which will end the cycle of rebirth and suffering  Buddhism emphasizes harmony, self-restraint and not doing harm to others

“The Vinegar Tasters” Confucius: Life is sour. Things are worse today than they were in the old days. Obey the ancestors and observe proper protocol. Buddha: Life is bitter. Accept that suffering is normal and get on with living. Use the eightfold path to ease your suffering. Lao Tze: Life is sweet. Live so it lasts as long as possible, enjoy it in the moment, be humble in the moment, but persist in doing what must be done.