Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism - Essay Example

Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism- Religious Traditions or Philosophical Thoughts Introduction Buddhism is a philosophical and religious way of thought that was started by Gautama Siddhartha, also known as Lord Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. He lived and preached in the north western parts of the Indian subcontinent in and around 563 to 483 BC. His teachings spread to various parts of the central and south East Asia and survive even today, though the numbers of followers have varied over the centuries. Buddhism preaches its followers to do good karma or perform good actions, avoid doing anything that is harmful to self and others, and the practice and train the mind. All these aim to get enlightenment and achieve nirvana, and thus be liberated from all the cycles of births and deaths and related sufferings. There are two main branches of the Buddhist religion. Theravada is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism that is still in practice mainly in Sri Lanka and in some parts of south East Asia. Mahayana form is practiced in the East Asia, while a variant of Mahayana known as the Vajrayana is often referred to as the third branch. Confucianism is a way of thinking that is more philosophical than religious, which originated in China. The founder of this form of ethical way of thinking, was Confucius (551- 478 BC), who lived around the same time as that of Lord Buddha. Confucianism deals with the ethical, moral, social, philosophical and to some extent religious aspects of life and has exerted tremendous influence in the cultural heritage of East Asia. It has become the state religion in some countries of this region. Confucianism lays stress on developing the moral ethics of a person so that a state can be governed by moral rules alone, and not by any enforced legal system. This article will explore and examine the various tenets of Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism and discuss whether these two form of practices with their absence of gods or any god like figures, and their utter lack of concern for the afterworld can be referred to as a religious traditions, or best be left to calling, as only philosophical thoughts. Body Theravada Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism translated literally means ‘teaching of the elderly,’ originated in India and is said to be the oldest form of Buddhism that is still in practice today. It is a conservative form of religious practice, and its sutras are said to be the closest to original doctrines of Lord Buddha. It has been the chief religion of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma for many centuries, and is also practiced in some parts of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, china and Vietnam. Theravada Buddhism is recently seeing a rise in popularity in the western world and also in Singapore. Theravada Buddhism is said to have derived from the Vibajjavada School of religious thought, which literally translated means the ‘doctrines of analyses’. The very meaning suggests the nature of this school of thought, which relates to understanding and analysis of the doctrines, and not just blind faith. Theravada is a direct continuation of the orthodox sect Sthaviras, which came into being during the time of the third Buddhist council under king Asoka around 250BC. Confucianism: Confucius, born as Chiu King around 550 BC and was the youngest amongst 11 siblings. He grew up in China when it was going through a period of warfare and complete chaos and anarchy, in the social order. It was a period of complete corruption when humans annihilated fellow humans, for mere monetary gains. Random, macabre killings of innocent people, including women and children, were widely prevalent, with man becoming almost animal like, in its lack of compassion and humanity. At this time it became essential for someone to come forward and cleanse and purge society of all its evils, and it was Confucius who brought in his theories that fused social and religious doctrines together to come up new ideas that taught man to live together peacefully and harmoniously. Doctrines of Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism: A closer look at Theravada Buddhism reveals that it does not believe in blind faith. It inspires its followers to get the enlightenment from one’s own experiences, analysis and reasoning of a situation. It also admonishes to take note of advises given by the wisely people, and then combining them with one’s own experiences. This, according to Theravada Buddhism, is the correct way to judge any given process or procedure. Theravada Buddhism preaches that all human sufferings and existence happen due to cravings that in turn lead to defilements. Defilements that tie a human being to the cycle of births and deaths are known as the ten fetters, while those that prove to be an obstacle to a person’s concentration are the five hindrances. These defilements are the root causes of all that is evil within a person, creating problems not only for him but also for others around him. Defilements occur in an unenlightened mind that is ignorant and clings to the body, believing it to be the real self, but in reality which is composed of mere four earthly elements. An unenlightened mind will see and believe what in actual sense is only an illusion, created by his senses. By following the path of deep concentration and Buddha’s eightfold path, can one control his senses and suppress the defilements, leading to the expression of the wholesome mental qualities that would otherwise remain hidden inside. Only after this can a person truly examine the true reality of his existence. This enlightenment is completely dependent on a person’s own will or wishes to be liberated. A person is responsible for his own karma and the subsequent consequences. Simply believing in one’s reality will not bring on enlightenment; one will have to examine it with his own experiences and reasoning. Sometimes it may take many births to ultimately achieve this state of nirvana or the ultimate enlightenment, and be free of all the cycles of births and deaths. Now if examine it closely, we will find that no-where there is any mention of gods or other idols helping a person to become liberated. Theravada Buddhism does not believe that any god or deity can grant nirvana to a person and free him from the cycle of births and deaths. In fact Theravada Buddhism also does not believe that Buddha himself can liberate anyone. According to the doctrines, Buddha is just a teacher of theory of enlightenment while the gods and deities are themselves slaves to their senses and emotions, thus subjected to feelings of jealousy, anger, greed and also death. Since Buddha found the way to nirvana all by himself through the process of enlightenment, the Theravada Buddhists believe that the easiest way is to follow Buddha’s preaching. Thus, we find Theravada Buddhism is not any set of rituals or formats to be followed as we see in any typical religious traditions. It consists of a process of continuous learning and gaining experiences, analysis and reasoning of life, to ultimately achieve freedom from the cycle of life and death. This lack of rituals, utter lack of concern for the supernatural and the almighty God and no thought for the afterlife, has made some critics, used to the norms of Christianity, doubtful as to whether Theravada Buddhism can actually be called as religious traditions. Confucianism also deals with developing moral attributes of a person and advises acting towards fellow human beings from a feeling of humaneness. According to Confucius all men are born with certain inherent qualities that may be good or bad, but which can be conditioned and adapted according to what he learns and practices in daily life. Here Confucius also adds a political dimension to this and says any ruler without humanness does not deserve to be at the helms of power. In his doctrines pertinent to daily rituals Confucius again deviated from what we normally understand as rituals related to religions. Here Confucius by ‘rituals’ does not refer to daily ‘religious rituals’. He means the everyday activities that one does consciously or unconsciously, becomes his ritual and it is person’s duty to see that his rituals help him to lead a healthy and happy live. Loyalty in Confucius’s theory is also colored with political views where one needs to be loyal not only to his family and friends but also to the ruler. This is also reflected in his doctrines for filial piety and relationships where along with familial duties one is also duty bound to serve his ruler. For the ruling monarch Confucius admonishes him to be the ‘calm center’ around which the functioning of the government should run smoothly, the basic key being that one will have to first govern himself, before trying to rule others. This idea comes from an ancient Chinese concept which says that less a ruler does, the more the work gets done. Here also we find that in Confucianism there is no mention of gods, deities, the supernatural or afterlife. It deals with how to function well in daily life, and maintain peace and harmony within a society. According to Confucius a true man of virtue or a gentle man, is somebody who has the five specialties in him; these are “Humility, magnanimity, sincerity, diligence, and graciousness. If you are humble, you will not be laughed at. If you are magnanimous, you will attract many to your side. If you are sincere, people will trust you. If you are gracious, you will get along well with your subordinates…” (Ware, 110). Such a man can create an atmosphere of virtue and peace in the society. Therefore, in strict terms, the definition that a layman would be using for religion, does not apply to Confucianism. It does not deal with the afterlife or the supernatural or the God, and admonishes people to live well in peaceful co-existence. In fact Confucius when asked about his views on the supernatural is said to told his disciples that too much stress on supernatural does more harm, than good. When questioned about gods and the meaning of death, the interaction went as followed “Chi-lu asked how the spirits of the dead and the gods should be served, The master said, You are not able to serve man. How can you serve the spirits?" May I ask about death? You do not understand even life. How can you understand death” (Confucius, 12). Thus from these very answers we can understand the lack of disregard that Confucius had for these concepts that are found in many other religions. This very disregard had prompted many historians and critics to label Confucianism as a philosophy and not a religious tradition. To understand whether Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism can be treated as religious traditions, one has to first understand the very nature and concept of the term ‘religion’. Most dictionaries would define religion as a method of worship that involves faith and belief and performed according to certain set ethical or philosophical codes. If we take this definition at a face value, then both Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism cannot be considered as religious traditions as they do not involve any form of worship of the supernatural entity termed as God, and also have not spared much thought on afterlife and is completely non-theistic. The well known anthropologist Geertz had defined religion to be as “ an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioners experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth ( Geertz, 89). According to this definition, we find that Theravada and Confucianism both classify as religious traditions, as they both lay stress on practices that enhance a person’s experiences and lead on to the ultimate truth. Thus, we now stand at cross roads where two different definitions give two different entities to Theravada and Confucianism. To elucidate further on this matter we will have to perceive religion from a different perspective and understand that this whole process of religion is no fixed system, it is based on a person’s own commitments that is enhanced everyday by his experiences, so religion is completely a personal matter and is within us, always. As C.G. Jung would let us know “so long as religion is only faith and outward form, and the religious function is not experienced in our own souls, nothing of any importance has happened” (cited in Billington, 9). This is exactly what Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism tell us, to learn, to analyze and to experience is to move towards enlightenment. Thus again we find that Theravada and Confucianism hold true to what Jung labels as religion. Taking a look at what W.P. Alston characterizes as religion, we find that he lists these as: 1. Belief in supernatural beings ( gods) 2. A distinction between sacred and profane objects 3. Ritual acts focused around sacred objects 4. A moral code believed to be sanctioned by the gods 5. Characteristically religious feelings…which tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects and during the practice of rituals, and which are associated with gods. 6. Prayer and other forms of communication with gods. 7. A world view, that is, a general picture of the world and of the place of the individual in it… 8. A more or less total organization of one’s life based on the world view. 9. A social organization bound together by the preceding characteristics (cited in Billington, 11). If we carefully read these points, one thing stands out very prominently. Alston frames and characterizes religion, keeping in mind the theistic forms of worship that believe in complete obeisance to the will of God, as seen in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Standing completely in the opposite polarity are the ancient religions of Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta, Jainism, Buddhism especially Theravada Buddhism, Chinese Taoism and Confucianism. These religions completely overlook the concept of afterlife and either reject or ignore the complete obeisance needed to be paid to gods to get deliverance. Enlightenment occurs when the atman or self becomes one with the Brahman or the state of being, and this occurs by self endeavor and is so is a natural occurrence, not by help from any gods or super natural power. In fact Theravada Buddhism goes as far as to reject the concept of atman and proclaim the presence of anatman, hence there is presence of no self, no soul. Buddha in his sermons has said that everything is transient, including the self, or in words we are selfless individuals. As Yandell frames it “there is not atman, no jiva or enduring self- no enduring mental substance- nor there is an unchanging Brahman” (Yandell, 31). Buddha did not believe in performing rituals to gods and deities and as Billinton tells us “there is in fact a strong existentialist thread in Buddha’s teachings, which called for autonomy, authenticity, personal responsibility and the avoidance of what …Buddha meant hiding behind the mask of conventional religion” (Billington, 70). Confucius also in his theories believed in humanism, rituals of everyday life, political considerations, personal moral ethics and responsibility to maintain certain values that would bring about peace and harmony. There are certain lofty ideals which can be followed but there are no punishments if one fails to follow them. There are no sermons on immortality or discussions on what happens after death. So in a true sense Confucianism and Theravada Buddhism do not fall into what the western world, molded in a theist religion, would call ‘true religion’. The next question then arises, as to what makes Theravada Buddhism with its concept of no god and no soul, and Confucianism with its ethical and political views and concepts, hold on as religious traditions and be accepted worldwide as one of the major religions. If we try to examine what religious aspects are present in Buddhism we find that it is there in the process of mediation that Buddha suggest everyone to follow to achieve nirvana. Sitting comfortable one should be calm and meditate by removing all disturbing thoughts from the mind. As the mind achieves tranquility it will move to “a state beyond any considerations of well being and suffering…in transcendent moments like these the mediator will know how valid are the Four Noble Truths…the lay person will return to worldly concerns, of course, but these moments of tranquility and illumination will enable him or her to evaluate them differently…through the deeper experiences of meditation, each practitioner can find that he or she is experiencing eternity now, and this knowledge can transform the rest of their activities. This may not be religion as biblical and ecclesiastical theists describe it, but one cannot contemplate describing this as anything other than a religious experience: and it is religion without god” (Billington, 71). Confucius also shows certain religious aspects in its theories. It shows reverence for the heaven or Tien, which favors the virtuous man. Confucianism also talks of sacrifices and other ceremonial processes that are necessary for the benefit of mankind. Moral values and ethical orders are given prominence with concerns for the entire humanity, its well being and its suffering. The lofty ethical sermons of Confucius have managed to penetrate all aspects of the social, religious and moral life of the Chinese people, and by being omnipresent it gives them a sort of religious solace and comfort. Thus we find that even though denying the presence of God and everything that is supernatural, Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism have yet managed to hold on to certain religious aspects, each in its own way. Though Buddhism, being more of a philosophical thought, and Confucianism being more of political considerations, they can most certainly be considered to be religious traditions. Conclusion Theravada Buddhism preaches about self existence and admonishes for attainment of nirvana by deep mediation. It defies the concept of supernatural powers and divine assistance in the path of religion and says any achievement towards self awareness is purely by the endeavor of that person. Gods do not help and it is only the self will of a person that takes him towards liberation. Theravada Buddhism talks of the cycle of births and deaths and associated suffering. The only way to escape this loop is to get enlightenment which would lead the person to attain nirvana or freedom from all births, thus moving from the finite to the level of infinite consciousness and nothingness, where perception loses its concept and one is free forever. Confucianism asks one to follow its prescribed high ethical and moral values to maintain peace, sanctity and harmony in the social environment. It lays out many ethical values and political considerations for a person to follow. These two religions believe in experiencing and analyzing a process before judging a situation, and do not believe in blind faith and belief, for a procedure. Both reject the idea of supernatural powers, gods, and afterlife and therefore none of these religions are truly ‘religious’ in the truest sense to those who follow theism. Yet these ancient religions were present long before Christianity and Islam came into being, and is still holding on their own. Certain religious aspects present in both make them religious practices, while deep philosophical thoughts make critics label them as mere philosophies. In fact Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism both can be referred to as ‘philosophical religions’ or religions without god. A religion is, after all one’s personal belief. One may be a theist and believe in Christianity or Islam or may believe in Hinduism, Jainism, Confucianism or Theravada Buddhism. The ultimate aim for a person is to achieve peace of mind, a state of happiness and work for the benefit of mankind. Whatever path one chooses to reach to this end, it will ultimately become ‘religion’ for that person. Anything that works for the welfare and benefit of mankind is religion, and anything that aims to create tension, strife and violence, can never be termed as religion. Whether you choose to believe in Christianity, or Theravada Buddhism, the ultimate question lies in the answer as to how well a life has been lived for one’s own self, and for others. If any faith can give a solution to this question it can definitely be termed as a religion. Theravada Buddhism and Confucianism definitely strive to answer this query, and in the process help their followers to lead a life of better quality. So there is no doubt that they can be called ‘religious traditions’, even if they disregard the concept of gods and afterlife in their doctrines. Works Cited Alston, W.P. In Billington, R, “Religion without God”. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print. Billington, R, Religion without God. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print. Confucius. The Analects, D. C. Lau, trans., London: Penguin Books, 1979, Book XI. Print. Geertz. C. Religion as a Cutural System. In Clifford Geertz “Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays”. London: Fontana press, 1993 [1966]. 87-125. Print. Jung, C. In Billington, R, “Religion without God”. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print. Ware, James R., trans., The Sayings of Confucius. New York: New American Library 1955. Print. Yandell, K. Philosophy of religion: A contemporary Introduction. New York: Routledge, 1999. Print. Read More