AsianPhil

Asian Philosophy
 
 
"Turning back is the movement of the Way" (Dao De Jing 40)
*This idea of turning back evokes the Hebrew word shuv, which also means turning back.

Calligraphy (Yung Suk Kim)


Confucianism / Confucian Texts
Analects (Charles Muller)
Analects (Robert Eno)
Analects (D.C. Lau)
Resources for the Analects


KEY PHRASES from the Analects
Analects 6:23: "The knowing person likes water; the humane person likes mountains. The former is advancing and exciting, and the latter is calm."
11:12: "Chi Lu asked about serving spirits. Kongzi (Confucius) said: "If you cannot serve people yet, how can you serve the spirits?" Chi Lu said, "May I ask about death?" Kongzi said, "If you do not understand life, how can you understand death?"
13:23: "The most profound person (lord's son, kunzi) seeks harmony, but maintains differences. The small person is aligned with others (crowds), but does not seek harmony."
15:24: "Zi Gong asked: “Tell us with one word as to how we can live during our whole life?" Kongzi said, 'Isn't it reciprocity?' Do not impose on others what you do not want for yourself."




 
Analects 13:23

“Ren” is a key term in the Analects of Confucius. 
I brainstormed the scope of its meaning.


My posts:

Confucius's golden rule:
子貢問曰。有一言而可以終身行之者乎。子曰。其恕乎。己所不欲、勿施於人。

SIMPLE TRUTH:
-Jesus: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Golden Rule, Matt 7:12).

-Hillel: "What is hateful to you, do not do to others. This is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary" (Talmud Shabbat 31a).

-Confucius: Zi Gong asked: “What is the single word that we can take as a moral guide for our whole life?” Confucius said, “Is it not reciprocity? What you don't desire don't impose on others.” (Analects 15:24).

HUMAN-CENTERED THOUGHT:
-Jesus: “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28).
-Confucius: The person unfolds the way; it is not the way that unfolds the person" (Analects 15:29).
人能弘道、非道弘人。






Five Analects of Confucius (source):
“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”
“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”
“To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.”
“Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.”
“The noble-minded are calm and steady."

Five behaviors of the person according to Analects: "benevolence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), ritual propriety (li 禮), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信)" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).




*맹자의 사단:
측은지심(惻隱之心) : 측은히 여기는 마음
수오지심(羞惡之心) : 부끄러워 하고 미워하는 마음
사양지심(辭讓之心) : 사양할 줄 아는 마음
시비지심(是非之心) : 옳고 그름을 판단하는 마음
 
Five Classics: Classics of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Change, Book of Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals

사서는 논어(論語), 맹자(孟子), 대학(大學), 중용(中庸); 삼경은 시경(詩經), 서경(書痙), 주역(周易); 춘추(春秋)와 예기(禮記)를 포함하면 오경이다.

In the Doctrine of the Mean (one of the Four Books of Confucianism), there is an important phrase that represents Confucius's main thought: 仁者人也 (rén zhě rén yě). See the following calligraphy I wrote. This phrase may be translated as "To love is to become the person." By the way, love (Ren in Chinese: 仁) appears frequently, 106 times, in the Analects of Confucius. The question is: What is Ren or love according to Confucius or how do we interpret it?

 


From Mencius
 

 
Laozi / Dao De Jing

Dao De Jing is a classical wisdom book, purportedly written by Laozi. It is one of the most-read books in the world today. It comprises 81 short poems. 

Dao De Jing (English Translation)
Calligraphy
도덕경 한글번역
도덕경 해설
 
In some sense, it is close to Jesus's parables. I wrote a book about this: Reading Jesus' Parables with Dao De Jing.

"The Way of Heaven lowers what is excessive and supplements what is insufficient. The way of humans is not so; it lowers what is insufficient and increases what is excessive." (Dao De Jing 77).






 

"To see small is enlightenment" --Dao De Jing 52


"To keep softness is the strength" --Dao De Jing 52

 
 "Turning back is the movement of the Way" --Dao De Jing 40


"To be weak is the function of the Way" -- Dao De Jing 40



"Turning back is the movement of the Way" (Dao De Jing 40)



A MIX OF Buddhist and Dao texts 

 


Summary of Three Big Traditions
 

 
 

Pinyin converter 



Buddhist Philosophy

-Mahayana Buddhism focuses on human salvation or nirvana; text-centered teaching. 

-Hinayana Buddhism focuses on individual enlightenment; practice-centered.

-Early Buddhism focuses on the Buddha's teachings; for example: "The Four Noble Truths," "Three Marks of Existence," and the Heart Sutra.

"Four Noble Truths" 
The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting. Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering. 
The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. 
The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).

*사성제: 4가지 고귀한 진리

Three Marks of Existence

1. Annica (Impermanence): "Everything changes" (like Eccl 1:2-11: the vanity of vanities).
2. Anatta means there is no self.
3. Dukka means all are involved in suffering.
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