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Unit 4
Unit
4 |
English
203:
Literature of
the NonWestern World |
Reading:
Introduction
to China, 813-7
T'ao Ch'ien, 818-27
Li Po, 827-33
Tu Fu, 834-38
Li Ch'ing Chao,
848-50, 855-8
Introduction:
You know something about Confucianism & Daoism
from the previous 2 lessons. Buddhism is also illustrated in this
lesson. Our 4 poets generally advocate 1 system over the other 2
in this pattern:
| T'ao Ch'ien: |
Daoism |
| Li Po: |
Daoism |
| Tu Fu: |
Confucianism |
| Li Ch'ing Chao: |
Buddhism |
Asian Principles
& Vocabulary:
Confucianism:
-
Li: what is proper
in a specific situation; tradition, an authentic & memorable performance
by a role model
-
ren (jen): humane
behavior, the behavior of a fully actualized human being who doesn't make
mistakes or lose self-possession.
-
hsiao: filial
piety (meaning that you honor & respect your parents); this is the
most prominent or important virtue in Confucianism. Hsiao
begins with parents, but this attitude should be the basis for citizenship
(emperor/citizen), employment, & other relationships
-
5 human relationships:
-
parent/child
-
emperor/citizen
-
husband/wife
-
elder brother/siblings
(cf. boss/ employees)
-
old/young
The purpose of the Confucian
program is to eradicate the feelings of shame, inadequacy, & anxiety.
Confucianism hopes to fully develop your human potential by making you
an expert "player" in the 5 Human Relationships, thus offering an elegant
& accomplished life.
Daoism:
-
Dao (Tao): transcendent
& a priori pattern; the way that things naturally happen.
-
wu-wei: "no mind,"
an empty but alert state of consciousness; the idea is that you are ready
to notice the Dao because you are not focused on a theory or technique.
One should be attentive to perceptions instead of either conceptions or
emotions.
-
yin/yang: yin
is the female, passive, nurturing phase; yang is the male, aggressive
phase.
-
feng-shu: "wind
& water" geomancy to determine propitious places for buildings, gravesites,
etc. The earth has chi or energy, just like people (cf. acupuncture).
The purpose of the Daoist
program is to eradicate clutter & distraction from life. The
Dao is a subtle pattern that requires wu-wei or profound quietness
& emptiness to be noticed. Henry David Thoreau's dictum "simplify,
simplify, simplify" is Daoist. Ironically Chuang Tzu, Li Po, &
T'ao Ch'ien are great & accomplished geniuses. But the model
for the Daoist life is the poetic & meditative recluse who pays meticulous
attention to perception.
Buddhism:
-
dharma: cf. li;
truth, morality, the way things are or the way they work, esp. the mind.
-
karma: habit,
the effect of moral decision: obey dharma & receive good karma;
violate dharma & receive bad karma.
-
3 principles or truths
about reality:
-
anicca: the transitoriness of phenomena, impermanence;
all nouns or discernable forms endure for only some period of time; nothing
is eternal;
-
anatta: no soul (atman); impermanence
includes us; identity/ego is a temporal process; we are fundamentally a
verb not a noun;
-
dukkha: disappointment, because of the inherent
impermanence of things & our resistance or denial.
Buddhism is both a social
& personal program. In its personal appeal Buddhism is elitist.
If your life is great & you are happy, then Buddhism has nothing to
offer. Of course it does not believe that anyone's life can be profoundly
satisfying, because unenlightened life is motivated by tanha (thirst),
the desire to possess & control. The problem is that this is
impossible. Life is transitory & dynamic (anicca).
Every joy fades & is lost. We are left profoundly disappointed
by loss (dukkha). When you no longer deny that this is true
about your life, then you are ready to hear the consolation of Buddhism.
In large part that consolation focuses on anatta: the recognition
that the ego that obsesses about control & possession is itself a process
& not a static, much less, eternal entity. The message of Buddhism
is to simply give up & watch or enjoy the show of life (perceptions);
give up Confucian attempts to "rectify" social patterns (conceptions).
Give up because you cannot control anything & you only make yourself
miserable in the attempt. You will find Li Chi'ng Chao dwelling on
the miseries of dukka, hoping to convince her readers (enlighten
them) to forget about their Confucian duties.
Perhaps you can see
that Buddhism & Daoism share something of a similar outlook.
In fact, Chinese & Japanese Mahayana Buddhism is a synthesis of Daoism
& the earlier Theravada Buddhism (still prevalent in Thailand, Sri
Lanka, & Myanmar).
Our text says that
during this medieval period in China interest in the Confucian program
ebbed. Intellectuals were more interested in Buddhism. Daoism
also flourished, attracting both those interested in supernaturalism &
those fascinated by the freedom to be found in the life of the recluse.
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