Confucianism

Chinese Tradition
Confucianism
 Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system
developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher
Confucius (Kǒng Fūzǐ, or K'ung-fu-tzu, lit. "Master Kong", 551–
478 BC). It is a complex system of moral, social, political,
philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had
tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia.
It might be considered a state religion of some East Asian
countries, because of governmental promotion of Confucian
philosophies.
 The Dacheng Hall

the main hall of the Temple of Confucius in Qufu

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. This
relationship was extended by analogy to a series of five relationships
The Five Bonds
Ruler to Ruled
Father to Son
Husband to Wife
Elder Brother to Younger Brother
Friend to Friend
Its founder, Confucius, was a great thinker and educator.
ConfucianismandMartialArts

Not only did he found Confucianism, he saw to the spread

of martial arts - long reserved for the Emperor and his
officials - to the common people.
The Spread
With the growing trend towards globalization, Chinese
martial arts will soon belong to all human beings, along
with the reasonable part of Confucianism, combining the
twin ideals of peace on the earth and friendship among
all men.
 Taoism
Chinese Tradition
Taoism
Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious
traditions that have influenced Eastern Asia for more than two
millennia, and have had a notable influence on the western world
particularly since the 19th century. The word Tao (or Dao,
depending on the romanization scheme), roughly translates as,
"path" or "way" (of life), although in Chinese folk religion and
philosophy it carries more abstract meanings. Taoist propriety and
ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion,
moderation, and humility, while Taoist thought generally focuses on
nature, the relationship between humanity and the cosmos, health
and longevity, and wu wei (action through inaction), which is
thought to produce harmony with the Universe.The fundamentals of
this belief lies within the Xiuzhen Tu.
The Taoist Temple

Hong Kong
Lao Zi – The Founder
Lao Zi is regarded as father of Chinese philosophy. Lao Zi,
with the surname of Lee and the given name of Er, was
also called Lao Ran. He lived in the 6th century BC, and
was a great philosopher, thinker, educator and the
founder of the Taoist school of thought in ancient China .
Zhuangzi
Zhuangzi is the second great figure of the early Taoist
school which is known as the “philosophy o Lao Zi and
Zhuang” in the history of Chinese Culture.
Wudang Martial Arts
 Chinese martial arts of all sorts have a long history and a great diversity of
methods and styles. Generally speaking, they are divided into two schools:
the south school(Wudang)and the north school(Shaolin).
 The south school originated from Wudang Mountain , the Holy Land of
Taoism, and is called the Wudang Sect, with its boxing called as Neijiaquan.
Dragon & Tiger Mountain
 The Dragon-and-Tiger Mountain is in Guixi Town of Yingtan, Jiangxi
Province, China. It is a national 4A level scenic area and a place of origin of
Taoism. The mountain is actually a geological park with the famous Danxia
Landform, which consists of reddish rock peaks formed and erected after
long history of wear and tear by natural environment. They are also seen in
other parts of China.
Belief
 Taoism has never been a unified
religion, but has rather consisted
of numerous teachings based
on various revelations. Therefore,
different branches of Taoism
often have very distinct beliefs
mainly concerning nature.
Nevertheless, there are certain
core beliefs that nearly all the
sects share.
Legalism
Chinese Tradition
 Legalism (Chinese:  法 家 ; pinyin: Fǎjiā; Wade–Giles: Fa-chia; literally
"School of law") was one of the main philosophic currents during
the Warring States Period (and before), although the term itself was
invented in the Han dynasty and thus does not refer to an organized
'school' of thought.
It basically postulates that the inherent strengths of
the people are not sufficient to prevent chaos and
political corruption, and recommends laws as the
primary tool to amend this. The trends that were
later called Legalism have a common focus on
strengthening the political power of the ruler, of
which law is only one part.
 The most important surviving texts from this tradition are
the Han Fei Zi and the Book of Lord Shang. In Qin the ideas
of Shang Yang and Li Si were essential in building the strong
government that eventually defeated its rivals.
Legalism was a utilitarian political philosophy that did
not address higher questions like the nature and
purpose of life. The school's most famous proponent
and contributor Han Fei Zi ( 韓非子 ) believed that a
ruler should use the following three tools to govern
his subjects:
 Fa (Chinese:  法 ; pinyin: fǎ; literally "law or principle"): The
law code must be clearly written and made public. All people
under the ruler were equal before the law. Laws should reward
those who obey them and punish accordingly those who dare
to break them
Thus it is guaranteed that actions taken are
systematically predictable. In addition, the system of
law ran the state, not the ruler, a statement of rule of
law. If the law is successfully enforced, even a weak
ruler will be strong.
Shu (Chinese:  術 ; pinyin: shù; literally "method,
tactic or art"): Special tactics and "secrets" are to be
employed by the ruler to make sure others don't take
over control of the state.
 Especially important is that no one can fathom the ruler's
motivations, and thus no one can know which behaviour might
help them getting ahead; except for following the 法 or laws.
 Shi (Chinese:  勢 ; pinyin: shì; literally "legitimacy, power or
charisma"): It is the position of the ruler, not the ruler himself
or herself, that holds the power. Therefore, analysis of the
trends, the context, and the facts are essential for a real ruler.
BELIEF :
 that all people are fundamentally flawed and that stringent
laws and harsh punishments are required to keep them in
order.
  all humanity was selfish and evil.
ROLE OF RULER
 head of state was endowed with the "mystery of authority”
(Chinese:  勢 ; pinyin: shì), and as such his decisions must
always command the respect and obedience of the people.
The state (country) comes first, not the individual.
  To ensure that all of his words were revered, the wise ruler
kept a low profile.
 must not only accept the advice of loyal ministers when shown
to be in error, but must also extend courtesy to those beneath
him or her and not be too avaricious.
 being too kind would spoil the populace and threaten the
state's internal order.
PURPOSE OF LAW
 The entire system was set up to make model citizens behave
and act how the dynasty wanted them to act against their
will. 
 The entire system was set up to make model citizens behave
and act how the dynasty wanted them to act against their will.
  Legalists believed that if the punishments were heavy and the
law equally applied, neither the powerful nor the weak would
be able to escape state control.
DECLINE
In later dynasties, Legalism was discredited and ceased to be an
independent school of thought. However, both ancient and
modern Confucian observers of Chinese politics have argued that
some Legalist ideas have merged with
mainstream Confucianism and still play a major role in
government. The philosophy of imperial China has been described
as a Confucian exterior covering a core of Legalism (Chinese:  儒
表法裡 ; pinyin: rú biăo fă lǐ​; literally "Confucian, the external
surface; Legalism, the interior"). In other words, Confucian values
are used to sugarcoat the harsh Legalist ideas that underlie the
Imperial system. During the Sui and Tang dynasty, Buddhist ideas
were also part of the external face of the imperial system.
END