16.Rites of Zhou-one of the oldest surviving documents, stating that Zhou ruled bc of MOH…
All across the world, all throughout time, and expressed in many different forms of writing, is the theme of knowledge. Throughout the semester, this recurring theme has appeared in a variety of texts from The Heart Sutra, written by an unknown author, to Plato’s Republic, two texts from entirely different traditions. The former, perhaps one of the most famous Buddhist texts of all time, describes the nothingness that is human experience and was found on a palm-leaf dated back to 609 CE; the latter is a Socratic dialogue focusing on the concept of justice, written by the esteemed philosopher Plato in 309 BCE. Despite the differences in the origins of these texts, they share the theme of knowledge, a theme that is ever-changing. The Heart Sutra and Plato’s Republic uniquely utilize the dynamic theme of knowledge to benefit the world around them.…
References: Bloom, Alfred. 1965. Shinran’s Gospel of Pure Grace. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. Chen, Kenneth. 1964. Buddhism in China: A Historical Survey. Princeton: Princeton University Press.…
Over its long history Buddhist has developed into a wide variety of forms, ranging from an emphasis on religious rituals and worship of deities to a complete rejection of both rituals and deities in favor of pure meditation. But all share in common a great respect for the teachings of the Buddha, ‘The Enlightened One’”(Religion Facts). Originally Buddhism was centered on the individuals who lived in moderation to decrease their suffering, but evolved into monks and nuns who worshipped Buddha as their god. One of the main beliefs of Buddhism is true enlightenment, also known as nirvana. In this novel the main reason Hsun-ching tried to get the sutra was so Wei-ching could achieve enlightenment but he soon realizes, “It is as Buddha said all along: Enlightenment cannot be found in books. It must be experienced directly! Foolish as I was, I did not take him at his word” (260). Another example of Buddhism in the novel is when Wei-ching talks about how the must temporarily soil themselves to help someone else perform a good deed, “Wei-ching picked his teeth for a moment, then said ‘It is true that one should not eat meat or dink liquor. But it is even more true that Buddhist must be compassionate. That man needed to prepare us a good meal, to redeem himself for ignoring religion during his life. If we had refused, we would have prevented him carrying…
1. The Sūtra in Forty-two Sections: It is about the dream that Emperor Ming had in which he saw a spirit flying around the palace. The minister tell the Emperor that it must be Buddha and the Emperor asked to go and returned with a copy of the Scripture of forty two Sutras and later deposited in a temple. In the Sutras in Forty-two Section also mentioned about the five guidelines they are not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to speak falsely and not to drink alcohol. This Scripture of Sutra in Forty-two Section is also use as the basic book of Buddhism.…
The Tao te Ching is one of the most widely read sacred texts, due to its simplicity and depth. It appeal is universal, and has been found relevant by Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and even Quantum Physicists. Attributed to Lao-tzu, (580-500 B.C.), it may predate him by few centuries. The earliest known copy of the Tao te Ching date to the third century B.C (Sacred Text).…
“The Third Noble Truth is the Truth of the Stopping of Sorrow: It is complete stopping of that craving…being released from it, giving no place to it” (Document1). The spread of Buddhism in China was due to the appeal it had on the people and the influence it made on the culture, like the Third Noble Truth states, stopping sorrow leads to one being content and being released from any heavy sorrow weighing you down, a life which describes and explains the spread of this particular religion in China, the way of life appealed to the people. Although many officials and scholars disagreed to the Buddhist ways, it did not stop others from converting and spreading the religion. In this essay I will discuss the spread of Buddhism in China and the impact…
While feudal warlords fought over land, the people of China suffered. Even in the midst of this semi-civil war, they had to deal with the nomadic Mongolians attacking their northern border. The people needed something to put their faith in, and that is where they found Buddhism. In a time of so much death, destruction, and despair, Buddhism alleviated people’s sorrows by explaining how to stop the miseries of their lives through the Four Noble Truths. (Document # 1) People like the scholar Zhi Dun promised that those who followed the Buddhist Scriptures and lived the Buddhist lifestyle would be rewarded with Nirvana, the extinction of desires, and the in the afterlife. (Document # 2) Zhi Dun would have followed Buddhism because the invading nomads were driven by greed to pillage and plunder, that having no desire for material things would lead to peace. Those who converted to Buddhism gave up the Confucian way of life, which put importance on family, property, and having a place in society. In the work, “The Disposition of Error”, a Chinese scholar defends Buddhism by saying these things were decadent luxuries of the bourgeoisies, which only provide a desire for more of the luxurious items/activities. He argued that failure to fulfill desires only leads to sorrow, and that wisdom and the Buddhist way of life could replace those desires, therefore replacing the sorrow. (Document # 3) Due to of all said wondrous promises, and the fact that the…
Before 570 C.E., a majority of Chinese scholars viewed Buddhism as a positive aspect of their culture. Right after the fall of the Han empire, China was in chaos and was not as unified as they used to be. The bureaucracy was weakened and China was politically unstable. The common people and the scholar-gentry class needed something to look to. Documents one, two, and three were all written before 570 C.E. and they demonstrate how Buddhism’s teachings benefit all people. Document one is according to Buddhist tradition and states that life is full of sorrow and that the only way to stop sorrow is by stopping cravings and selfish desires. By following the Four Noble Truths, people will be relived from their sorrow. Document two, written by Zhi Dun, states that whoever follows Buddhism’s beliefs and lives their lives purely will reach Nirvana and will not have to suffer anymore. Because of Zhi Dun’s high status…
Among Buddha’s teachings are three primary concepts: The Three Marks of Reality, The Four Noble Truths, and The Noble Eightfold Path.…
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel which takes place during the French Revolution. In this novel there are many characters who often have conflicts in their interactions. Sometimes these conflicts take place on a personal level and at other times they occur on a social level. There are many examples of revenge in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.…
The Tang dynasty is one of the most spectacular dynasties of Imperial China. It saw its founding in 618 by the Li family and knew, thereafter a majestic expansion and an extremely diverse growth and development for almost the rest 200 years. From these developments, the abundance of poetry is particularly distinguishable, as it was an era of intellectual, artistic and literal productivity. Since poetry occupied a paramount position, it was also a reflection of the singular conditions of the Dynasty, the way people lived during that period of time, and most of all the way of thinking and their ideologies philosophies and doctrines. Therefore, those poems highlights the essence of Confucianism and Daoism, two major schools…
In Romeo and Juliet, each character has a specific role and for the main character, Romeo, seems to be the one who changes the most. Romeo changes throughout the play as he is constantly become mature. As Romeo’s thoughts, feelings and actions have revealed his great changes among all other characters. According to the play, Romeo presented three palpable changes as the followings, he gets over Rosaline right after meeting Juliet, his hatred towards Tybalt changes into love back and forth, and he forgets about his desire to die right after receiving the message from Nurse. These changes made Romeo’s character even more important and appealing, which presented the love, hatred and violence of play. Firstly, Romeo changes the most because he quickly gets over Rosaline right after meeting Juliet in the first Act. Romeo is first presented as a lovesick boy who is greatly depressed about Rosaline’s refusals. But then, after Romeo encounters Juliet in the Capulet’s party, he apparently forgets about Rosaline and falls in love with Juliet. Meanwhile his mood changes from vulnerable to excited and confident, this has shown that Romeo is quite fickle and immature in love. For example, in the play when Romeo first sees Rosaline in the party he mutters “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” (I. v. 52-53). He completely forgets about Rosaline that he loved so much before and how fast he falls in love with Juliet at first sight. Also, in the play when Romeo leaves Juliet’s balcony to Friar Lawrence place, he informs Friar Lawrence about his plan for marring Juliet, “With Rosaline, my ghostly father? No!/ I have forgot that name, and that name woe.” (II. iii. 46-47). Romeo even forgets Rosaline’s name with the sorrow she brings him. Indeed, Romeo is becoming positive and enthusiastic about love again while he gets over Rosaline after meeting Juliet. Soon, Romeo’s love changes to…
When analyzing readings and writings of academic discourse, readings and writings found outside the college setting, there are common patterns and disciplines that are evident in these writings. In her essay titled “Teaching the Conventions of Academic Discourse” English professor Teresa Thonney argues that “there are shared features that unite academic writing and that by introducing these features to first year students we provide them with knowledge they can apply and refine in each new discipline they encounter”(Thonney 347). By saying this, she believes that showing these conventions to undergrad students, it will prepare them to read and write academic texts. In her essay, she discusses six standard moves that she finds while analyzing twenty-four research articles, articles which were randomly selected from peer-reviewed journals.…
Following the collapse of the Han Dynasty, Buddhism's popularity gradually began to grow in China. Based on these documents, there were two distinct responses China had do to control the spread of Buddhism. Firstly, they needed support from Chinese scholars and citizens and secondly disdain towards it from those in direct power of China. Part of the reason Buddhism spread was because it was a missionary religion. Many educated Chinese supported the religion as they created written records highlighting the appealing aspects of the religion.Those in direct control over China showed their opposition towards the religion by describing it as a threat to China and its people.…
