The Self in the Eastern Thought
The Self in the Eastern Thought
In the East there is no meaning of self that
is independent of a person‘s relations to
others.
This social-oriented self-view emphasizes
interdependence, role-obligation,
moderation and harmony within one‘s
social relationships.
Asians frequently exhibit a tendency to
self-criticism and self-effacement which
help to cultivate a modest self who is
considerate to others‘ needs and sensitive
to social mandates making him a better
member of society.
The Self in Individualistic and Collective
Cultures
Individualism is defined as a situation in
which people are concerned with
themselves and close family members
only
Collectivism is defined as a situation in
which people feel they belong to larger in-
groups or collectives which care for them
in exchange for loyalty and vice versa
(Hofstede & Bond, 1984).
Notions of the Self in Classical Eastern
Thoughts
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and
Taoism or Daoism
Hinduism
Hinduism is a religion, a way of life, a
philosophy as well as a social system.
Hinduism centers on the Vedic notion of
Atman or soul.
The Atman is the true self that lies at the
inner core of man‘s human identity, and it
is only this inner core that is identical with
Brahman.
The Brahman is essentially the sacred,
the Self-God who is the God of the
Cosmos – the Universe. Within each
individual there is the Self-God,
Brahman.
Three (3) states of existence hindu philoaophy
1. Waking (Jagrta)
2. Dream (Swapna)
3. Deep Dreamless Sleep (Sushupti).
The three states of existence – Deep Sleep,
Dream, and Waking are linked to the three forms
of bodies the Hindus believe in – Causal body
(Kaarana), Subtle body (Sukshma), and Gross
body (Sthula) respectively.
Turkiya
described as the self that is identical with
the larger self.
Buddhism
Founded in India by Gautama Siddharta
(563 -483 BCE) better known as Buddha,
a term which means the “Enlightened
One”.
Buddhism in essence, is not a religion nor
is it a philosophy but rather a way of
salvation.
Four (4) Noble Truths
1. Life is suffering
2. The cause of suffering is desire
3. The end of suffering is achieved by
extinguishing the desire, and
4. Nirvana is achieved by adopting a series
of moral attitudes, beliefs, and actions.
Nirvana, meaning ―to extinguish
Buddha collectively calls the Noble eightfold
paths
1. Adopt right views that are free from
superstition or delusion.
2. Have right aims that are high and worthy
of the intelligent person.
3. Practice right speech which is kind, open,
and truthful.
4. Perform right conduct that is peaceful,
honest, and pure.
5. Adopt a right livelihood that brings no
harm or danger to living things.
6. Put forth the right effort in self-training
and self-control.
7. Have right mindfulness insofar as you
are fully aware of the present moment and
not preoccupied with hopes or worries.
8. Engage in right concentration which
involves proper meditation that leads to
Nirvana.
The Eightfold path endorses many of the values
that since childhood a person been taught to
adopt.
Confucianism
 Confucius (551 – 479 BCE) was born in 1. Compassion, kindness, love (ci)
China‘s Shandong province. His family 2. Moderation, simplicity, frugality (jian)
name was “Kung” and the name 3. Humility, and modesty (Bugan wei tian
“Confucius” is a Latinized version of xia xian)
“Kung Fu Tzu” which means Master King
Its purpose is to achieve harmony, the
most important social value.
Confucianism strongly emphasizes
mercy, social order, and fulfilment of
responsibilities.
“Ren” is the central ethical principle, and
is equivalent to the concepts of love,
mercy, and humanity.
Golden Rule: Do not do to others what you do
not want done to yourself.
Seeking goodness and happiness not in
nature or beyond nature but in humanity
itself.
A central value in Confucianism is filial
piety wherein the family is the center/core
and comes before the individual.
Five (5) cardinal relations
1. Ruler and Minister
2. Father and Son
3. Elder and Younger Brother
4. Husband and Wife
5. Between Friends

Taoism/Daoism
Founder of Taoism: Lao-tzu and Chuang-
tzu.
The path of understanding Taoism is
accepting oneself.
Taoism represents the Chinese counter
culture.
To them, the good life is the simple life,
spontaneous, in harmony with nature, and
unaffected by societal regulations.
The Taoist‘s self is without a center and is
not hierarchically organized. It does not
seek sovereignty.
He is a selfless person whose mind is
likened to a mirror according to Chuang-
tzu.
By seeing through the self and others, the
person is able to mirror things as they are.
Taoism teaches a person to live in his
heart, to accept life as it is, and following
his breath to find peace. Taoism also
teaches a person to drop expectations.
The expectations a person has in his life,
the less he will become.
Three (3) jewels (virtues) of Tao