Unit 2.3 Classical Civilization of Asia

The ‘Eastern World’ -- Religion and Philosophy =)

You will oftentimes hear people, including your awesome history teacher, use

terms like the ‘Eastern World’, and the ‘Western World.’ The ‘Western World’ can be

thought of as countries that are similar to the United States. The ‘Western World’

consists of cultures, countries, and people with similar ideas on religion (Christianity

mostly), politics, culture, and everything in between. The classical civilizations of

the Western world include Ancient Greece and Rome! It is from these early

‘Western’ civilizations that we today take many of our ideas on government,

economics, religion, etc.

Western World = United States and European Influenced

Countries

The ‘Eastern World’

then is the part of the world

that includes the continent of Asia! It is here, in the ‘Eastern World’, that

philosophies, ideas, and perspectives on religion, politics, culture, and life have

developed very differently than in the ‘Western World.’

United States and Europe = ‘Western World’

Western Vs. Eastern Philosophy of Religion…

Just like in the Western World, where there are literally thousands of different

Sects, or different types of Christians (Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc), there are

many different types and sects of Eastern religious philosophies and cultures. Even

though there are major differences in religious texts (holy books), philosophies, and

ideas generally, there are some uniting features surrounding religion in the Eastern

World!

Most people who live in the Western World in places like the United States are

monotheistic -- meaning they believe in one God and one God only. This God,

named ‘Yahweh’ in the Old Testament, is seperate from the physical universe and is

often referred to as ‘God the Father.’ The roots of Western monotheism began with

Judaism! Judaism was probably the 1st religion on the planet to believe in one God,

and to believe that God took a direct interest in the affairs and well-being of human

beings.

Eastern Religious Philosophies...

In the Eastern World however, God is usually not thought of as something or

someone separate from the Universe itself. Hinduism is one of the world's oldest

religions, and is the main religion in the country of India today. Hindus worship

literally hundreds of thousands of different gods. You can go from one Indian village

to the next and see that each village is worshiping their own version of God, or in

Hindu -- Brahmin. According to Hindu religion and culture, Brahmin is the

underlying one true God that is the same thing as the Universe itself. However,

most Hindus believe that you may worship God in anyway you choose to, in any

‘form.’ Underlying these different forms is one connected ‘Brahmin’ according to

Hinduism however.

“God is one, but wise people know it by many names.” -- Hindu

Proverb

From the Hindu perspective of the world, Brahmin is everything -- the nature

of existence itself is God, or Brahmin. This is very different from ‘Western’ religious

philosophy. For Hindus, and other Eastern religions and philosophies, you and I are

as much God (Hindu = Brahmin) as is the desk we’re sitting in or the tree bending

in the wind just outside. “All is one, one is all.” It may be helpful when trying to

understand Eastern religion to think of the Universe as one, interconnected, ‘dance’

of sorts. For dancing to work between two people, it must be a state of ‘flow’, in

which both dancing partners determine their next move based on what their partner

is doing. Great dancing partners don’t seem to be individual people at all, they

instead appear to be one ‘thing’ flowing across the dancefloor. You’ve probably seen

the Yin and Yang symbol that is depicted below...

The Yin and Yang symbol comes from

another Eastern Religion that began in Ancient China --

‘Taoism’ or ‘Daoism.’ This symbol basically represents

the ‘dance’ of the Tao’, or the Universe itself, of which we

are just as much apart as anything else in the Universe

-- according to Eastern philosophy that is!

To go a little bit deeper, the Taoist Yin and Yang

symbol represents the interconnectivity of all things -- even those that seem to

have no connection at all. For example, it is common to see the Ying-Yang symbol

as representing the very different ideas of masculinity (‘manliness’) and femininity

(‘womanliness’).

To the Taoist, these ideas are not separate

at all. In fact, you couldn’t have one without

the other! If all people were ‘masculine’ or all

people were ‘feminine’, then no one would be

masculine or feminine from the Taoist’s point of

view! It is only in the differences of opposites

that the universe as it is, the ‘Tao’, can be truly

understood. Think of it in this way, you can’t

have up ⬆ without down ⬇. You can’t have brightness without darkness. You can’t

have good without bad, or wet without dry. It is within these apparent oppositions

that reality (Including you and I), flow! -- According to Taoism and other eastern

religious philosophies that is!

Meditation in Eastern Religious Philosophy

In The Western World, some Christians believe that you should go to Church

on Sunday -- others believe that you should go on Saturday! Yet, essentially all

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind

from sin.

This is just like differences in religion in the ‘Eastern World.’ Despite all of the

different ideas on customs like what you should eat and wear for example, most

eastern religious philosophies believe that meditation is a key to being spiritually

satisfied (feeling like you belong in the world). For example, within the Indian

religion of Hinduism, spiritual fulfillment may be reached by using meditation as a

way of feeling that you are united with Brahman (God). Hindus call Union with

God ‘Moksha.’

But what is meditation? Meditation as used and thought of in eastern religious

traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism is simply paying attention to what arises in

‘consciousness.’ In other words, simply feeling and thinking whatever it is you are

thinking and feeling in a non-judgemental way. You don’t need to cross your legs or

wear anything special in order to meditate -- you simply ‘watch’ your thoughts,

emotions, feelings, and bodily sensations as they show up -- almost like watching a

river flow by. The ‘point’ of meditation is to not actively try to control your thoughts,

emotions, actions, and bodily sensations. According to eastern religious thought, it

is through meditation that an individual can truly understand the nature of his or

her own mind and thus reach Enlightenment (Buddhism) or Moksha (Hinduism).

Buddhism is another eastern religion that has a very similar view, but uses

different language to describe it and different ideas to try and think about it. Within

Buddhism, meditation allows the individual person to ‘wake-up’, or to become

‘enlightened.’ It sounds different than what Hindus are after, but in reality it’s the

same! To be ‘enlightened’ within a Buddhist culture means to understand that you

are flowing with the universe, that you are ‘unified with God’ just as everything else

in the universe is -- “All is one, one is all.”

Meditation is a very tricky thing for us westerners to understand. It seems like

you’re just sitting there, doing nothing, wasting time that you could be using to

make or produce something! For one thing, this is because of our culture in the

Western world. Ever heard the phrase “idle hands are the devil’s workshop?” This is

a uniquely western idea! “If you’re not doing anything, you’re doing something

wrong!”

<<<<

If you’ve ever looked at a 100 dollar bill, you’ve seen

the American historical legend Benjamin Franklin. His

famous quote shown to the left perfectly summarizes

Western ideas and values when it comes to work and the

use of an individual’s time.

<<<<

For people who belong to eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism

however, the ‘point’ of meditation is to see that there is no difference between you

as an individual, and the rest of the universe… it all flows… almost like a river! Your

thoughts, according to Eastern religion, flow just like a river does. Your body is

constantly ‘flowing’ by doing just what it does. Buddhists and Hindus would point to

the fact that you and I don’t have to struggle to produce blood, or to digest food,

we don’t need to think of every single word and sentence before we say it... It just

flows!! -- Meditation brings this idea closer to an individual's attention. Through

meditation, Eastern religious thinkers believe people can come to understand

themselves as going with nature and the universe, rather than a

separate individual within the Universe that has to fight against it.

Buddhists and Hindus often believe that this feeling of being

separated from the Universe creates negative emotions like anger,

depression, anxiety, etc.

Meditation is Important in Most Eastern Religious Philosophies and

Ideologies

Imagine putting a drop of water in a giant river. As soon as the drop hits the

water, it is no longer a separate drop… it is, instead, the entire river! -- Flowing as

one. This is the basis and core of Eastern religious philosophy!

You shouldn’t define yourself as ‘honors’ or ‘non-honors.’ If you want to put in

the work and make yourself a more thoughtful, intelligent, and ultimately stronger

person -- you can. All you have to do is apply yourself, what you get in return is a

better and stronger you tomorrow and for the rest of your life.

Non- Honors Questions…

1) What is the ‘Western World?’ What is the ‘Eastern World?’

2) Most religious people in the ‘Western World’ are…?

3) What do Hindus think about ‘God?’ (In other words, how would a Hindu

person describe God…)

4) Where did the Yin and Yang symbol originate?

5) What does the Yin and Yang sign symbolize?

6) According to Eastern religions, what is the ‘point’ of meditating?

Honors Questions…

1) What are the ‘roots’ of Western Civilization? In other

words, where do the roots of Western civilization

come from?

2) What is the ‘Eastern World?’ What is the ‘Western World?’

3) How is the universe sort of like a ‘dance’ according to Eastern religious

philosophies like Taoism?

4) Explain in your own words what the Ying and Yang symbol represents within

Eastern Religious culture…

5) What do most Eastern religions believe is important in able to reach spiritual

fulfillment?

6) Explain the ‘point’ of meditation from the perspective of Eastern religious

philosophy...