The Dao of Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhism

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The Dao of Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese
Buddhism

• Mary I. Bockover
• Professor of Philosophy
• Humboldt State University
• Arcata, California 95521
• U.S.A.
• 12.25.07

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The Traditional Tri-part Chinese DaoThe Way of
Heaven, Humanity, Earth

• Tian Heaven
• Ren Humanity
• Kun Earth

The way of heaven (tiandao), the way of humanity
(rendao), and the way of earth (kundao), are
different -- more or less rarified -- aspects of
the same universe, more accurately conceived as
a way of change.
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The Rendao of Confucius A Spiritual Account of
Humanity

• Li the rituals, customs, or conventions that
  serve as vehicles for ren or human goodness (li
  is also rites, propriety, normative conduct,
  civility)
• Ren the goodness of the human spirit expressed
  by li (ren is also benevolence, nobility,
  authority, ideal humanity)
• De the power of the human spirit to create
  goodness in the world (a moral/spiritual force)
• Rendao The way of humanity is noble or great to
  the degree that it is aligned with the great way
  of heaven

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Confucius (Kongfuzi) of the Analects (Lunyu)

• Just as the way of heaven, humanity, and earth
  are different aspects of the same way or
  ultimate reality, li and ren are different
  aspects of the same ideal human reality that of
  harmonious interaction.

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Confucius

• Li draws our attention more to the social or
  conventional aspects of benevolent human conduct
• Ren draws our attention more to the moral and
  spiritual aspects of that conduct
• Together, they comprise a social - moral -
  spiritual human phenomena that can only be
  reduced for the purposes of analysis

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Confucius

• What it means to be a person a relational or
  social reality that begins with what is near
  (see 628 of the Analects, the Confucian Golden
  Rule)
• To be an individual is to be a locus or
  starting point for developing humanity
• Not to be an autonomous, independent,
  self-legislating (exclusively rational) agent

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Confucius

• The Five Basic Confucian Relations
• Father - son
• Older - younger brother
• Husband - wife
• Ruler - subject
• Benefactor - beneficiary (teacher - student)

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Confucius

• The Five Basic Confucian Relations Today
• Parent - child
• Older - younger sibling (relation)
• Partner - Partner
• Official - citizen
• Person - Person

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Confucius

• To be a person is to stand in meaningful relation
  with others to increase humanity through ones
  aims, actions, and interactions with others
• A function of development or cultivation a
  social achievement that points to our
  interdependency as persons
• To be a good person is to align ones will with
  the greater way of heaven, and to act as a vessel
  of that greatness we can make the way great!
• To be a person is to be responsible to others,
  and to the great way of heaven itself

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Daoism

• The Way is recast in light of the fact that the
  way of humanity had been lost (the warring states
  period)
• The traditional tri-part dao is redefined as the
  way of earth (kun), the way of heaven (tian), and
  the Way (if it must be named)

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Daodejing The Way and Its Power by Laozi

• Dao the ineffable way of life, pattern of the
  world, source of all that is (and is not) from
  the one came the two (yin - yang) and from the
  two came the 10,000 things (wan or everything)
• De the power, potency, or virtue of dao
  reflected in action so excellent, balanced, and
  harmonious that it seems to be no action at all
• Wuwei actionless activity or non-ado

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Laozi and The Way of Nature

• Laozi used nature as the model of this way of
  beauty, grace, balance, and ultimately complete
  metaphysical harmony
• Dao or what is not gave birth to what is in
  the form of nature and the primal forces that
  transform it
• And back to dao all that it creates will return
  (as a natural part of this process)

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Laozis Daoism
Yang What Is Light Masculine Creative Active Hea
ven Life
Yin What Is Not Dark Feminine Receptive Non-acti
on Earth Death
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Some other Yin Images from the Daodejing

• Mother or Mysterious Feminine
• Infant
• Uncarved Block or Raw Silk
• Water
• Breath, Vapor, or Vital Energy (qi)
• Tailor, Warrior, Charioteer does little cutting,
  fighting, and does not rush ahead, respectively

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Zhuangzi

• Presented a more metaphysical encounter a
  spiritual and deeply probing evocation into the
  mystery of reality
• Focused on the role of death, uncertainty, and
  transformation in a profound way
• Challenged (like Laozi) the role of language and
  human experience in understanding Dao -- the way
  of the Great Universe or Ultimate Reality

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From the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)

• Chuang Tzus wife died and Hui Tzu went to offer
  his condolence. He found Chuang Tzu squatting on
  the ground and singing, beating on an earthen
  bowl. He said, Someone has lived with you,
  raised children for you and now she has aged and
  died. Is it not enough that you should not shed
  a tear? But now you sing and beat the bowl. Is
  this not too much?
• No, replied Chuang Tzu. When she died, how
  could I help being affected? But as I think the
  matter over, I realize that originally she had no
  life and not only no life, she had no form not
  only no form, she had no material force (chi,
  qi). In the limbo of existence and
  non-existence, there was transformation and the
  material force was evolved. The material force
  was transformed to be form, form was transformed
  to become life, and now birth has transformed to
  become death. This is like the rotation of the
  four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter.
  Now she lies asleep in the great house (the
  universe). For me to go about weeping and
  wailing would be to show my ignorance of destiny.
  Therefore, I desist. (ch. 18, 631b-32a Wing
  Tsit Chan)

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Daoism

• The Way is so great that it defies human
  understanding (words, ideas, distinctions)
• The Way is change itself, the source of all that
  exists (what is what is not) -- the primal
  forces that allow for further transformation,
  e.g., from the first moments of life, until
  death, and beyond
• The Way is mystical, magical, and perfect a
  spiritual reality that eludes identification

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Chinese Buddhism

• The Way of Chinese Buddhism is a middle way a
  path (8-fold) away from suffering (dukkha) and
  toward abiding joy (nirvana).
• Brought to China from India, the middle way, as
  a general practice, sought to avoid the pitfalls
  of living according to false views (false
  dichotomies)...

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One False Dichotomy that Gave Rise to the Need
for a Middle Way
Essentialism Brahman God Atman The Soul The
Divine is the only true or Ultimate Reality
Unchanging Eternal (no beginning or end)
Permanent With, and without Qualities
Materialism There is no God There is no
Soul Literally, there is nothing but material
realities Ever-changing unto death Finite (with
beginning and end) Impermanent Always with
(material) qualities only
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The Middle Way Philosophically Conceived

• Reality is Neither Essential Nor Material
• (as Traditionally Conceived)
• There is no God But there is Divinity (the
  Promise of Abiding Joy)
• There is no Soul But there is Spirituality
  (Dependent Origination)
• Spiritual and Material Realities are
• Neither only Ever-changing, nor only Finite,
  ending in Death
• All Qualities simply cannot be captured by the
  Traditional Essentialist/Materialist -- Dichotomy

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Dependent Origination

• Things or qualities are what they are
• (1) only in relation to other things (and their
  conditions of existence) e.g., the self
  consists of the five skandhas of form, feelings,
  perceptions, will, consciousness, that are also
  interdependently conditioned),
• and
• (2) ultimately, in relation to the Great Dao,
  with the promise of Nirvana or a condition of
  abiding joy, free from suffering and death (free
  from the cycle of samsara).

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The General Truths that Follow from Dependent
Origination

• Annica All Things are Transient, Ever-Changing,
  and Interdependently Conditioned
• Anatta Nothing has a Permanent, Unchanging Soul
• Sunya Everything is Empty, or without an
  Unchanging Essential Nature or Independent Reality

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The Fourfold Noble Truth of Existence

1. Ordinary Existence is dukkha, filled with
   suffering and ultimately unsatisfactory.
2. Dukkha arises from attachment or selfish desire
   (trishna or thirst).
3. Dukkha can be stopped, leading to a life of
   nirvana or abiding joy.
4. The Middle Way a practice that will remove
   dukkha by removing the shackles of False Views,
   Immoral Conduct, and Spiritual Immaturity
   (8-fold).

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The Buddhist 8-Fold Path

1. right view
2. right intention
3. right speech
4. right behavior
5. right livelihood
6. right effort
7. right mindfulness
8. right concentration

WISDOM (1 2) MORAL CONDUCT - COMPASSION (3 -
5) MENTAL - SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE (7 8)
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Chinese Buddhism

• The concept of Dependent Origination led to a new
  concept of dharma the conditions (or truths) of
  existence. Dharma was formerly the calling to
  do ones duty or fulfill ones nature
  (svadharma is caste-duty or the calling of ones
  station), to make spiritual progress on the path
  toward moksha or liberation from samsara (the
  cycle of birth, death, rebirth, and redeath)
• The Buddhist Dharma is the (fourfold) Noble Truth
  of Existence the conditions that bind all
  things to the cycle of samsara and the way to be
  liberated from that cycle, which is the
  (Eightfold) Path or way (dao) from suffering
  (dukkha), toward abiding joy (nirvana)
• Karma is action and its necessary and appropriate
  consequences, including across lifetimes, and
  good karma is action that leads to spiritual
  progress by following the (eightfold) path of
  right living
• Buddhism is a practical guide, or way for turning
  suffering into joy