Chinese Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism

Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism constitute the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. The relationship among the three has been marked by both contention and complementation in history, with Confucianism playing a more dominant role.

Confucianism

Confucius (Kongzi, 551-479 B.C.), founder of Confucianism, stresses "Ren" (benevolence, love) and "Li" (rites), referring to respect for the system of social hierarchy. He attaches importance to education and was a pioneering advocate for private schools. He is particularly famous for teaching students according to their intellectual inclinations. His teachings were later recorded by his students in "The Analects."

Confucius, living in the Warring States Period (389-305 B.C.) and advocating a policy of benign government carried a philosophy that human beings are good by nature. Confucianism became the orthodox ideology in feudal China and, in the long course of history; it drew on Taoism and Buddhism. By the 12th century, Confucianism had evolved into a rigid philosophy that calls for preserving heavenly laws and repressing human desires.

Confucius taught that when societies operate under laws, people are punished by authorities after having committed illegal activities. People generally conform to the laws, often without necessarily understanding the rationale behind them. He promoted a different way: to internalize behaviors so that actions are controlled beforehand. People then behave properly because they wish to avoid feeling shame and want to avoid losing face. In theory, the result is a reduction in the number of coercive laws required for smooth functioning of the society.

Social harmony, the great goal of Confucianism, results in part from every individual knowing his or her place in the social order, and playing his or her part well. When Duke Jing of Qi asked about government, by which he meant proper administration so as to bring social harmony, Confucius replied, "There is government, when the prince is prince, and the minister is minister; when the father is father, and the son is son." (Analects XII, 11, trans. Legge)

Filial piety is considered among the greatest of virtues and must be shown towards both the living and the dead, including even remote ancestors. The term filial, meaning 'of a child' characterizes the respect that a child, originally a son, should show to his parents.

Taoism

The word "tao" is usually translated as "way", "road", "method", "technique" or "principle". As a concept, Tao is the most important topic in the philosophical Taoism (tao-chia). Taoism was created by Lao Zi (around the sixth century B.C.), whose masterpiece is "The Classic of the Virtue of the Tao." He believes the dialectical philosophy of inaction. Chairman Mao Zedong once quoted Lao Zi: "Fortune lies in misfortune and vice versa." Zhuang Zhou, the main advocate of Taoism during the Warring States period, founded a relativism calling for the absolute freedom of the subjective mind. Taoism has greatly influenced Chinese thinkers, writers and artists.

In Tao-te ching, Tao is the name given by Lao-tzu to the Great Pervader or the Mother of all Things. Tao is the creator and sustainer of everything in the Universe. It is described as, "There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth." (Tao-te ching, chap. 25, Legge version) The Tao is the model of conduct to be followed by the Taoist disciples and it is linked with nondoing and emptiness in this respect.

The word "tao" points further to the skills of some people such as: a good archer, musician, painter or writer it was supposed to have his/her own tao. Chinese sovereigns showed very much interest in the gifted people - they were invited at the court, put to the test, and rewarded properly when they proved their skill. In his Tao-te ching, emptiness is related to the Tao, the Great Principle, the Creator and Sustainer of everything in the universe (the ten thousand things. Emptiness is also the state of mind of the Taoist disciple who follows the Tao. In this respect, to be empty means to have your mind empty of all wishes and ideas not fitted with the Tao's Movement.

Still what is Tao's Movement and what means to empty your mind of the wishes not fitted with it? The answer is simple but our minds are very complicated, so we are no more able to enjoy it. Chuang-tzu (Master Chuang), who followed the teachings of Lao-tzu, describe the empty mind in his monumental work that bears his name by stating, "The still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things. Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action - this is the Level of heaven and earth, and the perfection of the Tao and its characteristics." (Legge version) The still mind is a mind that is not moving, or putted another way it is the mirror of the universe. This is the pure mind of ancient Taoist masters.

It is this state of purity accessible for people living today? How can one enjoy this state without having to renounce the world or retreat in the silent places and practice long term meditation? These questions are very important for people studying Taoism today, let's call them "modern people".
The answer is yes, the empty mind is accessible for us today. Also we can acquire that spiritual state in the middle of the turmoil of this world. We don't need any retreat, any special meditation techniques as if Taoism practice was precisely created for us.

Moreover, the realization here and now of the emptiness of our minds secures us from the perils of the soul like neurosis, loss of freedom, inability to make a living or take decisions, depression, and all kind of mistakes.

Buddhism

Buddhism was created by Sakyamuni in India around the 6th century B.C. Believing that human life is miserable and spiritual emancipation is the highest goal to seek. It was introduced into China through Central Asia around the time Christ was born.

After a few centuries of assimilation, Buddhism evolved into many sects in the Sui and Tang Dynasties and became localized. That was also a process when the ingenuous culture of Confucianism and Taoism were blended with Buddhism. Chinese Buddhism has played a very important role on traditional ideology and art.

Although there are reports of Buddhists in China as early as the 3rd century BC, tradition has it that Buddhism was introduced after the Han emperor Ming Ti (reigned AD 57/58-75/76) had a dream of a flying golden deity that was interpreted as a vision of the Buddha. Accordingly, the emperor dispatched emissaries to India who subsequently returned to China with the Sutra in Forty-two Sections, which was deposited in a temple outside the capital of Lo-yang. In actuality, Buddhism entered China gradually, first primarily through Central Asia and, later, by way of the trade routes around and through Southeast Asia.

The Buddhism that first became popular in China during the Han dynasty was deeply coloured with magical practices, making it compatible with popular Chinese Taoism, a combination of folk beliefs and practices and philosophy. Instead of the doctrine of no-self, early Chinese Buddhists taught the indestructibility of the soul.

During the 5th and 6th centuries AD Buddhism was becoming a powerful intellectual force in China, monastic establishments were proliferating. When the Sui dynasty (581-618) established its rule over a reunified China, Buddhism flourished as a state religion.

The golden age of Buddhism in China occurred during the T'ang dynasty. Though the T'ang emperors were usually Taoists themselves, they tended to favour Buddhism, which had become extremely popular. Under the T'ang the government extended its control over the monasteries and the ordination and legal status of monks. From this time forward, the Chinese monk styled himself simply ch'en, or "a subject."

Among the various schools the two that retained the greatest vitality were the Ch'an school (better known in the West by its Japanese name, Zen) which was noted for its emphasis on meditation, and the Pure Land tradition, which emphasized Buddhist devotion. Ch'an artists during the Sung dynasty (960-1279) had a decisive impact on Chinese landscape painting. Artists used images of flowers, rivers, and trees, executed with sudden, deft strokes, to evoke an insight into the flux and emptiness of all reality.