5 - Oriental Philo

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PHILOSOPHICAL

ANTHROPOLOGY

OF THE ORIENT

MARLON PATRICK P. LOFREDO

St. Paul University Quezon City

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HUMAN

NATURE INCHINESE

THOUGHT



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MAJOR SCHOOLS OFTHOUGHT IN CHINA

1. Tao Chia, or Taoist School (Taoism)

2. Ju Chia, or Mohist School (Mohism)

3. Fa Chia, or Legalist School(Legalism)

4. Yin-Yang Chia, or Yin-Yang School

(Occultism)

5. Ming Chia, or School of Names(Sophism)



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CONFUCIUS - theLatinized form of

K‟ung-fu-tse, orMaster Kung. Hewas born inShantung of anoble family, gotmarried at 19, ateacher at 22, a

governor at 52,went into exile andwandered for 13

years, died at 72.

He laid no

claim to

being more than a man

but when

he died he was revered in

China almost as a god.



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CONFUCIANISM

Though Confucianismis called a religion, it is

rather a system ofethics or good conduct.He did not teach about

any god, rather hisattention was centeredon making humanity

better in this life.



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CONFUCIANISM

An ideal individual lives arighteous life, harmonizes thefamily, brings good government

to the country, and brings peaceto the whole world.

Being human is of two equallyimportant and totallyindistinctive natures: thespiritual and the material.



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CONFUCIANISM

The ANALECTS ofConfucius contains acode remarkable for

simplicity, even crudity,the practical sagacity,and insight into the

needs of the hour.

The affairs and the needs of the bodymust be worked out and satisfied

together with those of his soul.



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CONFUCIANISM

Being part of nature, humanbeings live in accordance withthe natural law that governs and

guides the movements of allthings.

“Treat others as you wish themto treat you.”



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CONFUCIANISM

The fulfillment of one‟s nature isrealized only in the context of adeep respect for the individual.

One‟s social nature cannot and

must not conflict with one‟s

nature as an individual.



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CONFUCIANISM

MAN IS THE MASTEROF NATURE, AND IT IS

HIS DUTY TO BRINGNATURE TO SERVE HISENDS.



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CONFUCIANISM

All that happens in theuniverse is a

continuous whole likea chain of naturalconsequences.

All events in the world follow atransitional process due to theprimeval pair, the yang and the

yin.



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CONFUCIANISM

Human being‟s

happiness lies in hisconformity withnature or tao ; the

wise thereforeconforms with tao

and is happy.



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CONFUCIANISM

Life is desirable - amore optimistic view

than that of Buddhismand Hinduism.

Theory of the Rectificationof Names and the Theory

of the jen and the yi .



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CONFUCIANISM

THEORY OF THERECTIFICATION OF NAMES

Names constitute essencesand when they do not,

either one changes one‟sname or one changes one‟s

essence.



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CONFUCIANISM

On the Virtue of theIndividual

JEN - Human Heartedness.

It is respect and love for

humanity. It is the positiveaspect of benevolence, andincludes love for one‟s self. The

man of jen is the perfect man.



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YI - “Oughtness” of Good Actions.

Righteousness for its own sake,

duty for duty‟s sake, or doing agood thing for its own sakeregardless of personal profit or

utilitarian consequences.

CONFUCIANISM




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LI - Propriety.

It is the way things ought to be

done. Coterminous with mannersand morals. It means living bythe doctrine of mean or centralharmony.

CONFUCIANISM




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WEN - the act of peace.

It stands for the totality of culture thatnurture the aesthetic sense, enlivenleisure, and ennoble the human spirit.

TEN - PowerIt means power by which men are governedand the power by which rulers governhuman beings effectively. This power

comes from giving moral example.

CONFUCIANISM

On the Virtue of the Individual



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Founded by LAO-TZU, acritic of Confucianism,who published a book

entitled TAO-TE-CHING (Classic of the Way and

its Virtue ), whichadvocated non-actionand practical tactics for

action.



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It teaches submission, butstrongly opposes oppressivegovernment.

Taoism is not a philosophy ofwithdrawal, rather the world mustbe ruled with noninterference.

Humanity is to follow Nature butin doing so is not eliminated;instead, humanity‟s nature is

fulfilled.



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“That a good man does not argue; he whoargues is not a good man. A wise man has

no extensive knowledge; he who hasextensive knowledge is not a wise man.

The sage does not accumulate for himself.The more he uses for others, the more hehas himself. The more he gives to others,the more he possesses of his own. The

Way of Heaven is to benefit and not toinjure. The Way of the Sage is to act but

not compete.”

(Lao-Tzu)



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The philosophy of the creativeartist and those suffering defeat ordisillusionment in the mad race forofficial preferment.

The Taoist was there to remindhumanity that behind the everlasting

change and sufferings of life laysomething real and permanent - thisis Tao.

Tao means to “road” or “highway.”



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TAOISM

CONFUCIANISM TAOISM

Humanity is actively onewith nature (activity).

Humanity as essentiallypassive (passivity), called

to harmonize with thedifferent rhythms ofnature.

Man is the master ofnature.

Nature is the master ofman.

Philosophy of politicaland social order andworkable relationships.

Transcendentalism, aphilosophy of theBeyond, an attempt toprove the mysterious

nature of the Ultimate

Reality.



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Humanity is merely oneelement, no more and no lessimportant than all the otherelements of the natural world.Since humanity is confusedabout its own place in the

universal plan, it does not knowhow to think and behaveproperly. Thus, it has no peaceand society is in troubled state.

TAOISM



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To escape from this unfortunatesituation, human beings must find the

Tao or the “Way” of the universe.

The Tao is a built-in naturalmechanism that guarantees order, law,life, and well-being. It is the way aman should live and behave, hence,

the moral law or morality.

TAOISM



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TAOISM

Freedom of Spirit and Peace in theintuitive contemplation of the Tao.

If you want to be free ofsuffering, retreat from theworld!

The Taoist goal is to become onewith all things and to coexist withHeaven and Earth. One does notreject the world, rather he enlarges it

to include the whole universe.



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Founded by the highbornPrince Gautama of the Sakyaclan in the kingdom ofMagadha, also known asSiddhartha Gautama Buddha

(560-477 BCE).

DHARMA or Law of Salvation

A simple presentation of the gospel ofinner cultivation of right spiritualattitudes, coupled with a self-imposeddiscipline whereby bodily desires wouldbe channeled in the right directions.

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

1. Life is full of suffering;

2. Suffering is caused by passionatedesires, lusts, cravings;

3. Only as these are obliterated, willsuffering cease;

4. Such eradication of desire may beaccomplished only by following theEightfold Path of earnest endeavor.



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6. Right endeavor, or effort to directone‟s energies toward wise ends;

7. Right mindfulness in choosingtopics for thought;

8. Right meditation, or concentrationto the point of completeabsorption in mystic ecstasy.

[1 and 2 enjoins us to develop wisdom (cease to do evil), 3-5 urges us to practice virtue and avoid vice (learn to do good), and 6-8 tells us to practice meditation (purify your own mind).]

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

The way of salvation lies throughself-abnegation, rigid discipline ofmind and body, a consuming lovefor all living creatures, and thefinal achievement of that state ofconsciousness which marks an

individual‟s full preparation for entering the Nirvana (enlightenedwisdom) of complete

selflessness.

S



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BUDDHISM

In the state of Nirvana , theeffects of the Law of Causeand Effect (karma) areovercome; the Cycle ofRebirth (Reincarnation) isbroken; and one may rest in

the calm assurance ofhaving attained a heavenlybliss that will stretch into all

eternity.



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

PURUSARTHAS (four basic ends of life):

Dharma

Artha

Kama

Moksa

All philosophies in India, except materialism,

are philosophies of life.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Derived from the Sanskritroot word “dhr ”, whichmeans „to sustain,‟ „to

maintain,‟ „to support.‟

Dharma are the duties and

obligations of the individualtoward himself and the society aswell as those of the society

toward the individual.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Artha is „that which one seeks.‟Broadly speaking, artha may betranslated as one‟s means of

supporting one‟s life. All means of livelihood is artha .Material well-being is necessary

condition for spiritual life.Human beings should not earn theirliving and acquire wealth in

violation of dharma .

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

KAMA is the purpose ofwealth. It means pleasure and

enjoyment. It also means wishor any kind of desire.

Artha and Kama be inharmony with each otherand with dharma.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Derived from the root “muk ,”meaning “to free,” “to

emancipate,” “to release.”

Moksa , is complete freedom.

Moksa as the ultimate goal of

life points to the extraordinarysignificance of the essentiallyspiritual nature of humanity.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Humanity‟ state of suffering andunfreedom is not due to any original sinon its part but to original ignorance( avidya) of its true being and nature.

The Upanishads teach that a human being inhis true being is Atman (Brahman, theultimate reality). In his ignorance, a human

being identifies himself with the finite andperishable things, such as his body, mind,and ego, and thereby develops attachmentsto them and suffers sorrow and misery when

he loses them as he inevitably does.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Ultimate reality is attained byknowledge of one‟s true

being; only then can a person

conquer ignorance andbondage, and become free.

Freedom consists in self-realization - the realization that ahuman being is the infinite,

eternal, immortal Pure Being.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

Moksa is not a state that onelooks forward to after death. It isto be attained here and now.

Thus, the body is seen as avehicle for attaining moksa . Yogaor other physical-mental

discipline is necessary for theattainment of moksa .

Two kinds of moksa: jivan mukti (while still alive),

and para mukti (after death).

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

HINDUISM is the oldest religioncharacterized by a belief in manygods and in many aspects or forms

of each god. It is also a way of life.Hindus recognize for the most part atriple canon of sacred books:

1. Upanishads

2. Vedanta-sutras of Badarayana

3. Bahagavd-Gita

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

BRAHMAN - The Great. Thehighest power and the highest

knowledge.

Brahman presides over the pastand the future, and is residingwithin our hearts and to be theself that never decays but is self-existent and satisfied.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

REINCARNATION metempsychosis, or the

transmigration of the soul. A person‟s soul passes into some

other creature, human or animal. If the

person led a good life, he is promotedto a higher scale. If the person livedan evil life, he is demoted to a lowerform of life.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

KARMAEverything in this life is aconsequence of actionsperformed in previous

existence. Only by buildingup a fine record, or “karma”

can final salvation be

achieved.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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BRAHMAN IS SELF-HOODAt the heart of Hinduism lies the ideaof human beings‟ quest for absolute

truth, so that one‟s soul and theBrahman or Atman (Absolute Soul)might become one.

Human beings have a dual nature:the spiritual and immortal (soul), andthe empirical life and character. Thesoul is real, the body an illusion and

an obstacle to self-realization.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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BRAHMAN IS SELF-HOODThe soul is eternal but is bound by thelaw of Karma (action) to the world of

matter, which it can escape only afterspiritual progress through an endlessseries of rebirths.

Since human beings are encasedin a body, humanity‟s basic goal in

life is the liberation (moksa) of

spirit (jiva).

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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BRAHMAN IS SELF-HOOD

Humanity‟s life is a

continuous cycle(samsara ). There willbe no end to the cycleunless the individual

exerts real efforts tobreak away or liberateone‟s spirit from the

monotonous cycle.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY



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BRAHMAN IS SELF-HOODThe goal of human life is toovercome congenital ignorance.

True knowledge (vidya ) consists inan understanding and realization ofthe individual‟s real self (atman ) as

opposed to lower knowledge(avidya ) that is limited to aninterpretation of reality based solelyon the data offered by sense

experience.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

Buddhismcenters onnirvana,impermanence,and the no selfview ( annata )

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

NIRVANA means “blown

out” ( Puligandla ), connotingnegative interpretation as

annihilation andcessation of existence.

NIRVANA is the state in which one is

completely free from all forms of bondageand attachment, having overcome andremoved the cause of suffering. It is alsothe perfect insight into the nature of

existence.

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

One who attainsnirvana has perfectknowledge, perfect

peace, and perfectwisdom.

One who has attainedenlightenment is aman of knowledge,discipline, and non-

attachment.

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

Everything in the world is changingand impermanent. There is nothingthat endures and abides eternally.Wherever there is a beginning, thereis an end.

The Buddha taught that change andimpermanence are the basic traits ofall existence.

BUDDHISM



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BUDDHISM

The most radical view of humannature that completely denies the

existence of an enduring self.

The self is in a constant flux.

What we call the self is utterlytransient. As a permanentlyabiding individual entity, then

the self does not exist.

BUDDHISM



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For Buddha, the idea of self isan illusory belief that is thesource of suffering and

produces harmful thoughts of“me,” “mine,” desire, vanity,

egoism, and ill will.

Salvation is achievable only by givingup the craving for self-identity and thestriving of personal success and self-

BUDDHISM

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