The Origin and Teachings of Daoism - Essay Example

Chinese Philosophy CHINESE PHILOSOPHY Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 328766 01 November 2009 CHINESE PHILOSOPHY Introduction When one is dealing with a three thousand years of civilization, it is apparent that he is set to depend on authoritative sources without which it is well nigh impossible to keep close to tracks left behind by wise and able academicians. In Laozi, the writer Vincent Shen has makes mention of ren (humanness) and yi (righteousness). Laozi stands for humanness and righteousness. It also lays stress on dao that is at once all-powerful and is also ordinary at the same time. It appears that dao is the ultimate for all things created, the source of all creation and the supreme concept in Chinese Philosophy. In short, the dao is said to be inaudible, invisible, independent of all beings, and self-subsisting (Vincent Shen, p2). Also, Man models himself upon earth. Earth models itself upon heaven. Heaven models itself upon dao. Dao models itself upon what is of itself (Vincent Shen, p2). The philosophy of dao is simply a mixture of greatness and nobility. However, it is associated with various elements. Heaven is great, earth is great, the dao is great, and the king is also great. There exist four great categories in the kingdom, the king is one among them (Vincent Shen). The pre-eminence of Dao In the three thousand years of Chinese philosophy, it was dao that was pre-eminent and Confucianism came later. Confucianism reaches into all aspects of state administration and human perspectives. It attempts to reconcile differences, set standards, contains injunctions for the ruled and rulers alike, and seeks the good of all through well meaning dictums. It has been argued that Confucianism is pacifier and cannot provide binding rules for all to follow and fear the law. Actually, there have been parallels drawn between Confucianism and Christianity for which Chinese philosophy has been compared to western nations and culture (Bo Mou). But Daoism transcends time and space. The dao gave birth to the one, the one gave birth to the two, and the two gave birth to the three, and the three gave birth to ten thousand things. Ten thousand things carry the yin (being) and embrace the yang (non-being), and through the blending of qi (vital force), they achieve harmony (Vincent Shen, p3). Daoism is a combination of virtue and power. It fosters spontaneity and instills virtue and power to all things, including humans. It treats heaven and earth in equal measure. It also places human beings and other beings on equal footing. Man has no pre-eminence over beasts or other inanimate objects. Everything is centered in its own being. There is respect and recognition for everything. Chinese trade and economy had its moments of glory in the ancient years. Political upheavals and mismanagement did cast shadows on economic successes. However, upheavals and mismanagement were result of lack of belief. “Let there be a small country with few people. Let there be ten times and a hundred times as many powerful utensils. But let them not be used. Let the people value their lives highly and not migrate far” (Vincent Shen, p6). In other words, Daoism sort of economized action in a big way. It supported actions that were endowed with virtue and grace. There is stillness and strength in Daoism. It mooted the highest form of idealism where exploitation did not exist. The Origin and Teachings of Daoism Vincent Shen has repeatedly drawn parallels with Daoism in order to analyze philosophy. He could not help admire Laozi for Daoism. He has obviously made attempts to find out the origins and life details of Laozi. He has not succeeded. He, however, attributes much information about Daoism to the discovery of the Guodian texts. Shen dwells at length on the analysis of philosophy and quotes the Guodian texts liberally for the analysis of dao. Probably he did so because he found greater consistence in the Guodian texts than in any other source. Daoism was in existence long before the Han dynasty ruled China. Daoism predates Confucianism. It is also superior to the concept of Confucianism. Confucianism treated human beings as the centre of the universe whereas Daoism shows no such partiality. Daoism recognized the uniqueness of every created being, living or inanimate. Daoism recognized the virtue and power within every living or inanimate thing. Confucianism recognized the authority of nobility albeit with moral dispensation. Daoism did not approve of political exploitation under any circumstances. Confucianism endeavored to educate rulers on the intricacies of exercising power over their kingdom. Daoism simply taught people the art of community living. You could only be born into the nobility in most places in Europe. Hence, there was absence of the intensity by which people killed one another for the throne in China. Unlike Europe, China was one big nation. Europe was split into several smaller nations. Perhaps her large size acted as deterrent against conquering any land beyond her borders. On the contrary, China faced invaders on several occasions in her history. However, the invaders did not interfere with her philosophy in any perceptive measure. The only threat Daoism faced was in the 20th century when the Red Army overran China and communism was ushered in under Mao. In the earlier period, Confucianism was either tried or ignored. It did not face serious threats like it did under Mao. For some inexplicable reason, it was more fashionable to revert to Confucianism than Daoism. Shen draws analogy and examples of consistent philosophy from Daoism. He does not term Chinese philosophies as overtly inconsistent. He draws Chinese philosophy as distinct and different from the western philosophy although he has tried to draw parallels from either philosophy. If there is a lamentation that the Chinese philosophy suffered during the Hans and Tang era, the same lamentation could be heard during the modern communist rule. It is not very plain but the indications are there. Nothing is mentioned about the fate of Daoism during the Hans and Tang era. However, a great part of the book Psychology, Phenomenology and Chinese Philosophy has been devoted to explain the meaning of philosophy and its relation to other aspects of life. There are conferences and seminars held every year to highlight the need to understand Chinese philosophy. The problem is that the Chinese philosophy is so distinct that it cannot go hand in hand with the mainstream philosophy of the world. The Chinese philosophy is basically a structure that not only set standards but also invokes heaven to pronounce penalties and punishments upon those who fail to meet these standards. Problems have arisen in the propagation and adherence to Daoism because of communism in China. It appears to be unable to hold together the system of law and democracy. It is at the mercy of the ruler who decides to implement it the way he deems fit. Down the centuries, the rulers and dynasties have tried to mold and shape the philosophy so that it takes place of the rule of law. It is difficult to do so in the modern times. The modern man wants religion and the state to function separately. Philosophy is a good guide. It can be a pointer in any circumstance. However, it cannot be reshaped to take place of law. The law is subject to a system and may or may not bear resemblance to philosophy. The redeeming factor in Daoism is that it has withstood time and testy monarchs. It has influenced the national policy like no other philosophy has. It has played important role in guiding emperors in the course of their kingship. One can hardly find philosophy elsewhere that can hold religion and state together. Conclusion Daoism spans over three millennia and continues to inspire state and religious leaders. It will come as no surprise if this philosophy continues to exist for another three millennia or more. The very fact that it continues to exist in spite of indifferent and inimical rulers proves that the philosophy is foundationally solid and needs to be viewed with some measure of respect. Sources: Bo Mou, Routledge History Chinese Philosophy, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Routledge-History-Chinese-Philosophy/Bo-Mou/e/9780415356886/ Geir Sigurdsson, Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy, http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=KrCXVxRT3p61jj1XSpBxrDQryGyQn6cQv7Jvcfflk0b8J0cGCw6c!1275526282!568259201?docId=5008609762 Han Dynasty, http://www.culturalink.gov.cn/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_22724.htm History of Chinese Philosophy, Bo Mou, Reviewed by Ruiping Fan, http://ndpr.nd.edu/review.cfm?id=16335 ISCP Business Meeting Minutes, July 11, 16.00-16.30 p.m., Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, http://www.iscp-online.org/NewsletterAndReport.htm Newsletter, International Society for Comparative Studies of Chinese and Western Philosophy, Volume 6, Issue 1, January 2008, http://sangle.web.wesleyan.edu/iscwp/news/ISCWP-Newsletter-0108.pdf Summer Project: Chinese Philosophy M.A. and PhD, Program Non Rankings, http://manyulim.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/summer-project-chinese-philosophy-ma-and-phd-program-non-rankings/ The Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h06chin.htm Vincent Shen, Laozi ((Lao Tzu), http://www.routledge-ny.com/ref/chinesephil/LaoTzu.pdf Vincent Shen et al; Psychology, Phenomenology and Chinese Philosophy, Chinese Philosophical Studies, VI, http://books.google.com/books?id=Ie7g5h4jOsgC&dq=Chinese+Philosophy+by+Vincent+Shen&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=b_LPrTB8Fz&sig=DMtkzR_0sU8ZSGW6MbRIkJmBzjs&hl=en&ei=otbrSvGxEtKekQXPjLSSDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false Read More