Asian Views:

Hinduism,
Buddhism and
Confucianism
HINDUISM

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 “
Encompasses all the Indian
traditions, beliefs, and
philosophies.

World’s oldest religion

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 “
Hinduism claims neither a
historical hero like:

Gotama the Buddha

Muhammad

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 ◦ “Indians do not have a
VEDAS concrete standard for
earliest form of
writing which they determining the goodness
claim that their
belief started with it. or badness of human acts”

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THE AIMS 1
OF LIFE
Aims of a person
(aka purushartha)

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 common trait in Hinduism

described as innocence

Ahimsa not merely a negative

(nonviolence) abstention but the positive
kindness to all creations

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CASTE – group of people
systematically segregated and
arranged in a hierarchy based on their
differences.
THE
4 Castes:
1) Brahmins or priests
CASTE
2) Kshatriyas or warriors SYSTEM
3) Vaisyas or merchants

4) Sudras or laborers

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 KARMA – moral law that
determines the current state of
the individual; law of cause and
effect.
KARMA &
SAMSARA – known as the endless
SAMSARA cycle of rebirths

“In effect a person’s present caste identity is

only a brief scene in an endless drama of
lives that will end only with moksha,
liberation from the endless round of birth,
death, and rebirth”

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 JNANA BHAKTI KARMA RAJA
THE FOUR YOGA YOGA YOGA YOGA
YOGAS (yoga of
knowledge) aka
(yoga of love) (yoga of work) (yoga of
psychological
path of knowledge exercise)
Yoga – one of the six
orthodox schools that
developed in India It is deeply All the thought
- the word means “union, introspective and actions
Path of
spiritual union of the Path of work meditation
individual soul with the as it tries to rid must be
the self of false as duty or that leads to
Universal soul and is used ultimately
in this sense in the identities. service to transcendence
dedicated to
Vedanta. others
the gods.

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BUDDHISM

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 IMPORTANT NAMES IN BUDDHISM:

Prince King Suddhadona

Siddhartha & Queen
Mahamaya Asita

The Buddha:
Parents of Prince The ancient seer who
enlightened one
Siddhartha (The prophesized that the
Renounced his Buddha) prince would
princely rights to become the Buddha
become an ascetic
monk

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 “
Four Signs that the Prince Must
Avoid to Avoid Being the Buddha:

Old Age, Sickness, Death &

Wandering Sanyasin (Monk)

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Basic Buddhist Beliefs
The Four Noble Truths

The Eightfold Path

The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

The Five Aggregates

Impermanence
 Hina -> lesser
Yana -> path/vehicle
“Lesser Vehicle”; “Way of
elders”
HINAYANA “The Pure Teachings of
Buddha”
THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF
BUDDHISM Hinayana School: Theravada
 Where the adherents
regard themselves as the
true followers of the elders
 Conservative school
Goal: To be an Arhat, one who
has attined spiritual bliss
(nirvana)
◦ Hinayists are atheistic,
they refuse to look upon
Buddha as God
◦ They believe that the
Buddha-nature can only
be achieved at a particular
point and time in the
course of birth and rebirth
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 Maha -> greater
Yana -> vehicle
“greater vehicle”
Liberal and progressive school
MAHAYANA ◦ Believes in the Bodhissattva
(known to help sentient beings
THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF
BUDDHISM achieve enlightenment)
◦ Recognizes the importance
of prayer and worship
◦ They claim that the Buddha-
nature is always present
within us.
Six Perfections
◦ Generosity, discipline,
patience, exertion,
meditation, wisdom
◦ practices Paramita, the
perfection of mental or
moral qualities
Avalokiteshvara
◦ Most popular Bodhissattva
◦ A.k.a “Guanyin” or “Kwan
Yin” who is the Goddess of
mercy and compassion
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General Teachings of
Buddhism
Also known as the “Turning the
Wheel of the Dharma”
For as long as one is still in the
world, one can never be detached
from suffering

Suffering is enmeshed in every

fiber of one’s existence: aging, Life is
Noble Truth 1:

death, and sickness Suffering (Dukkha)

THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

There is essentially no self. The self

that appears to us is only the
combination of the five
aggregates

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 1. 2. 3.
Body or form Feeling refers to the Perception is
explains man’s sensations of related to the six
corporeality. The pleasure, disgust, external objects; it
elements earth, and even neutrality, feeds the self of
wind, fire, and water which depends on
anything mental or
compose the our reception of the
FIVE physical makeup of
physical.
world.
our bodies.
AGGREGATES 4. 5.
(SKHANDAS) Violation is no less Consciousness is
than the reaction our awareness of
of our will to the presence of an
certain objects. It is object or of other
in our will that we things apart from
reap karma seeds – us.
either good or bad.

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Suffering does not happen by chance, it’s a part and
parcel of our existence because of various causes
and conditions.

Cravings and aversions are the roots of suffering,

which are grounded in the Twelve Links of
Origination

Dependent Origination
There is a
Noble Truth 2:

Cause of Suffering
◦ (Pratitya-Samutpada or Paticca-Sumuppada)
(Dukkhasamudaya)
◦ Explains that things appear because of relative THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

causes that constitute dependent conditions

◦ Seen as a circular phenomenon of cause and

effect

◦ Samsara: the cycle of rebirth or reincarnation in

Hindu

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 Samsara
1. Ignorance gives rise to

2. Volitional action, which in turn gives rise to

3. Conditioned consciousness, which in turn gives rise

to

4. Name-and-form, which in turn gives rise to

5. The Six Senses (the five senses plus the mind),

which in turn gives rise to
 Samsara (Cont.)
6. Sense-impressions (contact), which in turn gives rise to

7. Feelings, which in turn gives rise to

8. Desire or craving, which in turn gives rise to

9. Attachment, which in turn gives rise to

10. Becoming (the life or rebirth process, which in turn gives

rise to

11. Birth (or rebirth), which in turn gives rise to

12. Aging and death

This lies in the different plane known as
nirvana where the flame of desire is dead,
and no cycle of rebirth can ever occur.

Nirvana means “blowing out” of the fire of

greed, hate and delusion.
There is an
Noble Truth 3:

End to Suffering
It is seen as a supreme happiness or
ultimate bliss where one does not repeat the (Dukkhanirodha)
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
cycle of rebirth anymore

Nirvana is seen as the goal of the Buddhist

ideal

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Buddhist Eightfold Path:

1.Right understanding

2.Right Thought
There is a
Noble Truth 4:
3.Right Speech
Way that Leads to
4.Right Action End of Suffering
(Dukkhanirodhagaminipratipat)
5. Right Livelihood THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

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 3 Main Divisions of
Eightfold Path:
1. Wisdom: This involves right understanding
and right thought,

2. Morality: This includes right speech, right

action, right livelihood, and right effort.

3. Concentration: This concerns right

mindfulness and right concentration.
CONFUCIANISM

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 CONFUCIUS
Kong Zi or Master Kung

The degradation of his

country was his inspiration to
advocate for reform.

His hard work made

him the greatest teacher
China has ever known.
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 ◦ Found in the Analects ( Lun Yu)

◦ Wisdom of Ancient Thought

(Tao) + Chinese belief (Te).
CONFUCIAN ◦ Tao = Iogos (of the West)
VIRTUES ◦ Te = Virtue

◦ All these are believed to be a gift

of man from T’ien Ming
(Heaven)
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 To promote goodness and happiness:
Confucius proposes “a
socio-politico-moral
philosophy founded on
Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety,
Wisdom and Sincerity”

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 To be a man of Jen, is to be a
man of others and not just for
the self.
It is to promote the well-

JEN being of others first before

one’s own.
The application of the
Confucian Golden Rule

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 A man of Li displays proper
conduct instilled by

LI
tradition.

It can be shown in his

practice of the traditional
customs, such as religious
rituals, personal manners &
social rites

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 A man of Yi does something

YI
for the sake of what is right
than doing something for the
sake of profit and personal
motive.

Person’s moral character

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 A man of Hsiao ought to
respect, love and obey one’s
parents.

It does not only mean by

caring one’s parents
HSIAO
physically but also
emotionally and spiritually.

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 RECTIFICATION OF
NAMES (CHENG-MING)
= To live up to the responsibilities
attached to our names
= Our names are rectified, there would be
a harmonious society, free from greed
and envy
THANKS!
Any questions?

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