Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Myth Yin and Yang

I – Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students should be able to:

1. Define Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese myth Yin and Yang.

2. Differentiate Confucianism and Taoism.

3. Appreciate the principles of Chinese myth Yin and Yang.

II – Pre-test

Direction: Arrange the following jumbled letters to its correct form.

1. MISINAICUFNOC - is an ethical and philosophical system, on occasion described

as a religion.

2. MSIOAT - is an indigenous Chinese religion often associated with the Daodejing

(Tao TeChing).

3. YCEHPORP -foretelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted

4. CHYRARHIE -organization of a group into higher and lower levels

5. TRIULA -ceremony that follows a set pattern

6. ZIOAL -The main Taoist work, the Tao TeChing.

7. NIY- is feminine, black, dark, north, water (transformation), passive, moon

(weakness and the goddess Changxi), earth, cold, old, even numbers, valleys,

poor, soft, and provides spirit to all things.

8. ANYG - is masculine, white, light, south, fire (creativity), active, sun.

9. HIZ - is the ability to see what is right and fair, or the converse, in the behaviors

exhibited by others

10. MSIOAD - Also known as Taoism.

III – Discussion

Confucianism

Confucianism is more of a philosophy than a true religion. It does not include

gods and never developed a mythology of its own. Confucianism is concerned primarily

with human affairs rather than with the spirit world or the afterlife. At the same time,

however, it emphasizes the importance of ritual and devotion to elders and ancestors.

Confucius. Confucianism sprang from the ideas of one man—Kongfuzi, or Confucius.

Born in 551 B. C. to a poor family of aristocratic background, Confucius began a

teaching career after working as a minor government official. For Confucius, the goal of

education and learning was self-knowledge and self-improvement, which would lead

one to right conduct. Although his method of education was aimed at ensuring the

smooth operation of a stable and well-ordered state, his teachings became a guide to

living wisely as well.

Confucius attracted many followers who spread his ideas after his death in 479 B .C . A

number of legends grew up about Confucius, including one in which dragons guarded

his mother when he was born. According to another story, a unicorn appeared at his

birth and spit out a piece of jade with a prophecy written on it, saying that the infant

would become "an uncrowned emperor." Considering the immense impact of Confucius

on Chinese culture, the prophecy came true.

prophecyforetelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted

hierarchyorganization of a group into higher and lower levels

ritualceremony that follows a set pattern

Confucian Principles.The basic aim of Confucianism is to live in harmony with the

"Way (Tao) of Heaven" by carrying out the duties and responsibilities appropriate to

one's position in society. Ancestor worship and reverence to family are fundamental

elements of Confucianism. Rituals to honor ancestors are extremely

Confucianism, also known as Ruism, is an ethical and philosophical system, on

occasion described as a religion,[note 1] developed from the teachings of the Chinese

philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE). Confucianism originated as an "ethical-

sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed

metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han Dynasty.[5] Following the official

abandonment of Legalism in China after the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism became the

official state ideology of the Han. Nonetheless, from the Han period onwards, most

Chinese emperors have used a mix of Legalism and Confucianism as their ruling

doctrine. The disintegration of the Han in the second century CE opened the way for the

soteriological doctrines of Buddhism and Taoism to dominate intellectual life at that

time.

A Confucian revival began during the Tang dynasty. In the late Tang,

Confucianism developed aspects on the model of Buddhism and Taoism and was

reformulated as Neo-Confucianism. This reinvigorated form was adopted as the basis of

the imperial exams and the core philosophy of the scholar official class in the Song

dynasty. The abolition of the examination system in 1905 marked the end of official

Confucianism. The New Culture intellectuals of the early twentieth century blamed

Confucianism for China's weaknesses. They searched for new doctrines to replace

Confucian teachings, some of these new ideologies include the "Three Principles of the

People" with the establishment of the Republic of China, and then Maoism under the

People's Republic of China. In the late twentieth century, some people credited

Confucianism with the rise of the East Asian economy and it enjoyed a rise in popularity

both in China and abroad.

The core of Confucianism is humanistic,[6] or what the philosopher Herbert

Fingarette calls "the secular as sacred". Confucianism focuses on the practical order

inscribed in a this-worldly awareness of the Tian and a proper respect of the gods

(shen),[7] with particular emphasis on the importance of the family, rather than on a

transcendent divine or a soteriology.[8] This stance rests on the belief that human beings

are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor

especially self-cultivation and self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation

of virtue and maintenance of ethics. Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and

practices include rén, yì, and lǐ, and zhì. Ren is an obligation of altruism and

humaneness for other individuals. Yi is the upholding of righteousness and the moral

disposition to do good. Li is a system of ritual norms and propriety that determines how

a person should properly act in everyday life. Zhi is the ability to see what is right and

fair, or the converse, in the behaviors exhibited by others. Confucianism holds one in

contempt, either passively or actively, for the failure of upholding the cardinal moral

values of ren and yi.

Historically, cultures and countries strongly influenced by Confucianism include

mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as

various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the

20th century, Confucianism’s influence has been greatly reduced. More recently, there

have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academia and the scholarly community.[9][10]

Some say Confucianism is not a religion, since there are no Confucian deities

and no teachings about the afterlife. Confucius himself was a staunch supporter of

ritual, however, and for many centuries there were state rituals associated with

Confucianism. Most importantly, the Confucian tradition was instrumental in shaping

Chinese social relationships and moral thought. Thus even without deities and a vision

of salvation, Confucianism plays much the same role as religion does in other cultural

contexts. The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu (K'ungCh'iu), who was born

around 552 B.C.E. in the small state of Lu and died in 479 B.C.E. The Latinized name

Confucius, based on the honorific title Kong Fuzi (K'ung Fu-tzu), was created by 16th-

century Jesuit missionaries in China. Confucius was a teacher to sons of the nobility at

a time when formal education was just beginning in China. He traveled from region to

region with a small group of disciples, a number of whom would become important

government officials. Confucius was not particularly famous during his lifetime, and

even considered himself to be a failure. He longed to be the advisor to a powerful ruler,

and he believed that such a ruler, with the right advice, could bring about an ideal world.

Confucius said heaven and the afterlife were beyond human capacity to understand,

and one should therefore concentrate instead on doing the right thing in this life. The

earliest records from his students indicate that he did not provide many moral precepts;

rather he taught an attitude toward one's fellow humans of respect, particularly respect

for one's parents, teachers, and elders. He also encouraged his students to learn from

everyone they encountered and to honor others' cultural norms. Later, his teachings

would be translated by authoritarian political philosophers into strict guidelines, and for

much of Chinese history Confucianism would be associated with an immutable

hierarchy of authority and unquestioning obedience.

Taoism

Taoism, also known as Daoism, arose about the same time as Confucianism.

This religious tradition had its roots in the nature worship of the earliest Chinese people.

The word taomeans "way," and Taoist belief is based on the idea that there is a natural

order or a "way of heaven" that one can come to know by living in harmony with nature.

Through an understanding of natural laws, an individual can gain eternal life.

Laozi.The main Taoist work, the Tao TeChing, was supposedly written by Laozi,

a scholar at the Chinese royal court in the 500s B .C . Little is known about Laozi. The

main sources of information, written hundreds of years after he lived, are legendary in

nature. One of the most popular stories about Laozi concerns a voyage to the west,

during which he wrote the Tao TeChing. Other tales claim that Laozi met Confucius and

that he lived more than 200 years. Although the true story of Laozi will probably never

be known, he is widely respected in China. Confucianists consider him a great

philosopher, while Taoists regard him as the embodiment of the tao and honor him as a

saint or god.

The Tao.While Confucianists emphasize the practice of ritual and ancestor

worship, Taoists seek knowledge through an understanding of the natural world. An

important Taoist concept is that of yin and yang, two opposing and interacting forces of

nature. Yin is a feminine principle and represents such ideas as dark, negative, cold,

passive, softness, and earth. Yang, the masculine principle, represents light, positive,

heat, activity, hardness, and heaven. Yin and yang exist in a delicate balance, and the

harmony of the universe depends on maintaining that balance.

Originally a way of life, Taoism took on a more religious character after Buddhism

arrived in China. Taoism adopted the use of temples and rituals and promoted the belief

that all things have their own spirit. It also absorbed many mystical cults and created an

elaborate pantheon as well as a new mythology.

Taoist deities include nature spirits, ancient legendary heroes, humanized

planets and stars, humans who became immortal through Taoist practices, and

animals such as dragons, tigers, and snakes. All human activities—even such things as

drunkenness and robbery—are represented by deities as well. The highest deity, Yu

Huang-ti (the Jade Emperor), is associated with the ancient Chinese god Shang Di.

Other central figures in Taoist mythology are the Eight Immortals, humans who

achieved immortality in different ways.

• Taoism/Daoism valued speculative thought

• Questioned and often times repudiated Confucian values

• rejected all other “artificial devices” of civilization

• mocked ritual and propriety and decried group conventions

• pessimistic about society

• man is not capable of keeping order and safety in society

• social man is a misguided being

• sought nature as refuge from man’s world

• scorned government, feared progress and civilization

• wary of technical skills

• naturalism

Taoism, also known as Daoism, is an indigenous Chinese religion often

associated with the Daodejing (Tao TeChing), a philosophical and political text

purportedly written by Laozi (Lao Tzu) sometime in the 3rd or 4th centuries B.C.E. The

Daodejing focuses on dao as a "way" or "path" — that is, the appropriate way to behave

and to lead others — but the Daodejing also refers to Tao as something that existed

"before Heaven and Earth," a primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged.

Taoism did not exist as an organized religion until the Way of the Celestial Masters sect

was founded in 142 C.E. by Zhang Daoling, who based the sect on spiritual

communications from the deified Laozi. The Way of the Celestial Masters and other

later sects of Taoism engaged in complex ritual practices, including devotion to a wide

range of celestial divinities and immortals, and thousands of Taoist religious texts were

produced over the centuries. Taoists also engaged with Chinese politics in a variety of

ways throughout Chinese history. At one time, scholars in both China and the West

distinguished philosophical from religious Taoism, but more recently a continuity of

belief and practice between these has been recognized. In both, a harmonious

relationship between nature, humanity, and the divine is emphasized, and both are

concerned with appropriate behavior and ways of leading and governing others. The

term "Tao" has a number of meanings. Taoist religious sects were persecuted in China

during the 19th and 20th centuries, but are currently undergoing a revival. Western

interest in Taoism has, for the most part, been confined to the Daodejing, but in both the

West and in the East, there is considerable interest in practices which, while not "Taoist"

per se, are often associated with Taoism, ranging from fengshui to taijiquan to

acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Quick Fact Details:

Formed: As with many ancient religious traditions, an exact date is impossible to

determine. Taoist ideas and early writings long precede any organizational

structure. The date given here (c. 550 B.C.E.) is generally the time period when a

variety of spiritual thinkers were putting their ideas into writing. These writings

were not collected as a composite teaching of the "Tao" until the 4th or 3rd

century B.C.E.

Deity: While Taoists recognize a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses, they do

not acknowledge any that are omnipotent or eternal. All the gods, including

Laozi, are divine emanations of celestial energy.

Headquarters: Taoism has no centralized authority and different sects have

different headquarters. However, the White Cloud Temple in Beijing is a key

center for training for priests and for administration.

Chinese Myth: Yin and Yang

The principle of Yin and Yang is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy

and culture in general dating from the third century BCE or even earlier. This principle is

that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example female-

male, dark-light and old-young. The two opposites attract and complement each other

and, as their symbol illustrates, each side has at its core an element of the other

(represented by the small dots). Neither pole is superior to the other nor, as an increase

in one brings a corresponding decrease in the other, a correct balance between the two

poles must be reached in order to achieve harmony.

The concept of yin and yang became popular with the work of the Chinese

school of Yinyang which studied philosophy and cosmology in the 3rd century BCE. The

principal proponent of the theory was the cosmologist Zou Yan (or Tsou Yen) who

believed that life went through five phases (wuxing) - fire, water, metal, wood, earth -

which continuously interchanged according to the principle of yin and yang.

Yin is feminine, black, dark, north, water (transformation), passive, moon (weakness

and the goddess Changxi), earth, cold, old, even numbers, valleys, poor, soft, and

provides spirit to all things. Yin reaches it’s height of influence with the winter solstice.

Yin may also be represented by the tiger, the colour orange and a broken line in the

trigrams of the I Ching (or Book of Changes).

Yang is masculine, white, light, south, fire (creativity), active, sun (strength and

the god Xihe), heaven, warm, young, odd numbers, mountains, rich, hard, and provides

form to all things. Yang reaches it’s height of influence with the summer solstice. Yang

may also be represented by the dragon, the color blue and a solid line trigram.

In the beginning there was nothing in the universe except a formless chaos. The

chaos began to coalesce into a cosmic egg for eighteen thousand years. Within it, the

perfectly opposed principles of yin and yang became balanced and Pangu, emerged

from the egg. Pangu set about the task of creating the world: he separated Yin from

Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth (dark Yin) and the Sky (bright

Yang). To keep them separated,Pangu stood between them and pushed up the Sky.

This took him eighteen thousand years as well, each day the sky grew ten feet higher,

the Earth ten feet wider, and Pangu ten feet taller. In this task Pangu was aided by the

four most prominent beasts, namely the Turtle, the Qilin, the Phoenix, and the Dragon.

After the eighteen thousand years had elapsed, Pangu was laid to rest. His breath

became the wind; his voice the thunder; his left eye the sun and his right eye the moon;

his body became the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood formed rivers; his

muscles the fertile lands; his facial hair the stars and milky way; his fur the bushes and

forests; his bones the valuable minerals; his bone marrow sacred diamonds; his sweat

fell as rain; and the fleas on his fur carried by the wind became human beings all over

the world. The distance from Earth and Sky at the end of the 18,000 years would have

been 12,443 miles, or over 20,025 km.

In Chinese mythology yin and yang were born from chaos when the universe was first

created and they are believed to exist in harmony at the center of the Earth. During the

creation, their achievement of balance in the cosmic egg allowed for the birth of

Pangu(or P’anku), the first human. In addition, the first gods Fuxi, Nuwa and Shennong

were born from yin and yang. In Chinese religion, the Taoists favour yin whilst

Confucianistsfavour yang in keeping with the prime focus of their respective

philosophies. The Taoists emphasize reclusion whilst Confucianists believe in the

importance of engagement in life.

As expressed in the I Ching, the ever-changing relationship between the two poles is

responsible for the constant flux of the universe and life in general. When there is too

great an imbalance between yin and yang, catastrophes can occur such as floods,

droughts and plagues.  

The yin-yang elements or energies are constantly moving and influencing each other.

The maximum effect of one quality will be followed by the transition toward the opposing

quality.

The yin-yang aspects are in dynamic equilibrium. As one aspect declines, the other

increases to an equal degree.

All forces in the universe can be classified as yin or yang.

Yin characteristics: passive, negative, darkness, earth, north slope, cloudy, water,

softness, female, moisture, night-time, downward seeking, slowness, consuming, cold,

odd numbers, and docile aspects of things.

Yang characteristics: active, positive, brightness, heaven, south slope, sunshine, fire,

hardness, male, dryness, day-time, upward seeking, restless, producing, hot, even

numbers, and dominant aspects of things.

The Yin - Yang Theory is an important principle in Taoism.

Yin and Yang are the basic idea from which the bagua (ba- eight, gua- area) and the

trigrams and hexagrams were developed.

Yin - Yang are divided into their respective Yin - Yang aspects, yielding four

combinations: Yin of the Yin, and Yang of the Yin, and Yin of the Yang, and Yang of the

Yang. This allows an almost endless scale of universally defined qualities, which is

foundational to classical Chinese thought.

Comparison chart

Confucianism Taoism

Place of origin China China

Place of

worshipTemple. Temple, shrine.

Founder Kong Qiu (Confucius) Lao Tzu

Practices

Visit to temples to pay homage to

Ti'en(God or Heaven), Confucius,

and ancestors; To practice ('Jing

zuo, ') or 'Quiet Sitting

Visit to shrines, to pay homage to

Taoist deities; Tai Chi, etc.

Goal of religion To have a structured society. To be one with nature.

Life after death To be worshipped as ancestors.

Taoists believe that the soul

survives after death and has the

ability to travel through space.

Status of

womenSocially inferior to men.

generally equal, spoken of highly

in the taoteching (oldest taoist

text) but varies among schools.

Scriptures

Analects of Confucius and

Mencius; I Ching; Doctrine of

Mean, etc.

Tao TeChing; I Ching

Human NatureHumans should respect those who

are superior to them.

Humans should just follow the

Tao(or 'the Way').

Time of originApprox. 550 B.C.E.(Before

Common Era)

Approx. 550 B.C.E (before

common Era)

Confucianism Taoism

PrincipleConfucianism all about the

brotherhood of humanity.

Taoists believe that life is good.

Taoism lays emphasis on the

body.

Concept of

DeityMost believe in One God. Most believe in numerous deities.

View of the

Buddha

Buddha is followed by many

Confucianists.

Buddha is followed by many

Taoists.

Belief

Confucianism is both a religion and

a philosophy of China, and of Asia

as a whole. It stresses human

conduct over belief in God.

Taoism is both a religion and a

philosophy of China, and of Asia

as a whole. It stresses humanity's

relationship with nature.

Original

Language(s)Mandarin or Cantonese Old Chinese

Concept of God One God. Numerous deities.

Belief of GodOne God. Ancestors also

worshipped, though.Most follow numerous deities.

Goal of

PhilosophySocial Harmony. To gain balance in life.

Views on other

religion

Sees no contraction in following

more than one religion.

Sees no contradiction in following

more than one religion.

Views on the

afterlife

To be worshipped by one's

descendants and their families.The soul lives on.

Holy

days/Official

Holidays

Chinese New Year, Teacher Day,

Ancestor Day.

Chinese New Year, 3 Day

Festival of the Dead, Ancestor

Day.

View of other

Oriental

religions

Usually follows other Oriental

religions, especially Taoism.

Usually follows other Oriental

religions, especially

Confucianism.

IV – Post-test

Direction: Choose the correct letter to the following question.

1. Also known as Taoism.

a. Tao

b. Daoiom

c. Daoism

d. Yin

2. Concerned primarily with human affairs rather than with the spirit world or the

afterlife.

a. Confucianism

b. Chinese Myth

c. Yin

d. Yang

3. It is a feminine principle and represents such ideas as dark, negative, cold,

passive, softness, and earth.

a. Yang

b. Tao

c. Yin

d. Ritual

4. An organization of a group into higher and lower levels .

a. Hierarchy

b. Dynasty

c. Confucianism

d. Yang

5. The basic aim of Confucianism is to live in harmony with the "Way (Tao) of

Heaven" by carrying out the duties and responsibilities appropriate to one's

position in society

a. Zhi

b. Tao

c. Prophecy

d. Confucian Principles

6. It is also refers to Tao.

a. Daozi

b. Yang

c. Yin

d. Monarchy

7. Another term of Confucianism.

a. Daoism

b. Roism

c. Methodology

d. Ruism

8. It is also refers to Tao as something that existed "before Heaven and Earth," a

primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged.

a. Daodejing

b. Tao

c. Laozi

d. Ritual

9. Chinese mythology yin and yang were born from ?

a. Chaos

b. China

c. Malaysia

d. Philippines

10. He separated Yin from Yang with a swing of his giant axe, creating the Earth

(dark Yin) and the Sky (bright Yang).

a. Lao

b. Pangu

c. Confucius

d. Lao Tzu

V – Answers Key

Pre test:

1. Confucianism

2. Taoism

3. Prophecy

4. Hierarchy

5. Ritual

6. Laozi

7. Yin

8. Yang

9. Zhi

10.Daoism

Post-test:

1. C

2. A

3. C

4. A

5. D

6. A

7. D

8. A

9. A

10. B

V – Reference

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Chinese+myth+yin+and+yang&client=firefox-

a&hs=CT5&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&e

i=fUN8VM7_Bsnz8gXKkoGIDQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=630

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Taoism&ie=utf-8&oe=utf

8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&client=firefoxa&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=aU58V

JT3KoSL8Qfs9oGwAQ

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=Confucianism&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-

8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-

a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=uk98VMhYo4vxB9q0gLgH