There are important things to bear in mind in understanding Eastern Traditions.

First,
the core of their religious and theological principles does not point to a higher being, but
more about individual spiritual deepening and the order of things. Second, Eastern religious
traditions view life and the world as a holy union; thus, one must depart from the Western
thinking of distinguishing objectivity from subjectivity. Third, their views are closely related to
human life, how to live a meaningful life, and the like. In short, the Eastern traditions view
religion simply as a way of life.
Introduction to World Religions and
Belief Systems
In this module, you will be able to:

1.Describe the five basic relationships;

2.Give examples of acts showing filial piety
in the family, community, and society; and
3.Give the general historical background of
Confucianism.
 List down at least three relationships you are
involved in right now and identify the power
relations in these relationships by stating if you
are a subordinate, superior, or equal position in
each relationship. Explain the pros and cons of
the said relationships.
 There has always been a debate whether
Confucianism should be regarded as a
religion or a philosophy. Since
Confucianism emphasizes the ethical
dimension of the world, it gives primary
attention to human relationship, thus
advocating social values and ideals which
should serve as the foundation of Chinese
society. Advocates of Confucianism as a
philosophy further argue that Kung Fuzi
seldom touched on religious matters, thus
branding him as a humanist advancing
practical and ethical wisdom.
 Confucianism is considered a
religion because its ideals were
inspirational, not in the supernatural
sense but in the sense of aiming for
excellence in one’s relationships with
others. Moreover, Confucius stressed
the importance of rituals which would
lead them back to the ideal society of
their ancestors when there was
harmony between heaven and earth.
 For these reasons, Confucianism may be viewed both as
philosophy and as a religion. It has become a practical way of
life for so many Chinese for a long time and so has been
intensely embedded in the structure of Chinese societies and
politics.
 Religions in East Asia are not
mutually exclusive, hence one can still be
a Confucian/Confucianist while at the
same time being a Taoist, Buddhist,
Christian or Muslim. Confucianism is
characterized as having a lot of ritual
practice but with little formal worship or
meditation.
Historical Background
The proliferation of
Chinese classical thought
happened within the reign of
the Zhou dynasty. It was the
result of several factors such as
technological and economic
advancement, stronger
political units, political and
social improvement, and even
military development.
 Advances in the said
realms led to the emergence of
competing dynasties who
wanted to establish supremacy
over other dynasties. This led
to the search for political and
social stability through the birth
of philosophies and religions
which attempted to restore
social harmony in China.
Amidst the development and chaos,
China was faced with a dilemma: the
failure of old authority made it
necessary for new guiding values to
restore social order.
It was in this very crucial time that
philosophers would try to find solutions
to the social problems being faced by
society. Incidentally, interest was
focused primarily on society and not
on the individual.
 The name Confucius, a
Latinized combination of the
surname Kong 孔 with an honorific
suffix “Master” (fuzi  夫子 ), has also
come to be used as a global metonym
for different aspects of traditional
East Asian society.
 Major Sources of
Confucianism and Its
Traditions

(a)Confucian
Classics
(b)The Four Books
 Confucian Classics
•The Shijing or Book of Poetry
•The Shujing or Book of
History
•The Chun Qui or Spring and
Autumn Annals
•The Yi Jing or Book of
Changes
•The Liji or Book of Rites
 The Four Books

•The Analects
•Meng Zi
•The Great Learning
•The Doctrine of Mean
 Five Hierarchical Relationships

Confucianism emphasizes five

important relationships:
•Parent and child
•Husband and wife
•Elder brother and younger brother
•Friend and friend
•Ruler and minister
 For these relationships to be
harmonious, one has to develop the value
of righteousness of ren. Ren means the
sense of being fully human. The means in
obtaining the fullness of being human is li,
which includes ethical propriety,
cultivation of traditional ritual practices
using musical instruments, good
manners, and ancestor veneration.
Confucian teachings envision a society
that is completely patriarchal (male-
dominated).
 The Concept of “Gentleman”
The term “gentleman” is of noble
origin. It is given to a young son of a
lord and is acquired by birth, not by
merit. However, Confucius redefined
“gentleman” as a goal that everyone
(male) should aspire to be.
Confucian teachings see a gentleman
as someone who possess moral
uprightness, ritual training, good
training, and exemplar moral
behavior. Being a gentleman,
according to Confucius, is not a
birthright, but is a character that
can be achieved through training,
education, and living a moral life.
 One of the central principles of
li is filial conduct (xiao). Filial
piety is shown through obedience
and righteousness towards one’s
parents. In doing so, one develops
bonding and relationships among
members of the family. Xiao
implies mutual obligations between
the child and parents.
 XIAO OR FILIAL PIETY
Xiao, or filial piety, is an attitude of respect for
parents and ancestors in societies influenced by
Confucian thought. Filial piety is demonstrated, in
part, through service to one’s parents. It has
shaped family care giving, intergenerational
equity, old age income support, living
arrangements, and other aspects of individual,
family, social, political
Confucius said that one should be
trained first in home with necessary
virtues, such as xiao, in preparation
for higher purposes or social roles
outside of one’s home. This means
that the home is where all virtues are
harnessed and honed.
It also suggests that it is the prime
obligation of parents to form the
character of their children so that the
children will be prepared to engage in
larger and more complex activities of
society.
 The goal of education is for the student to be capable of
cultivating himself to become respectful and to be a keeper
of peace.
A gentleman has two noble tasks:
•To serve the government;
•To teach the young of the same moral character.
 Is Human Nature Good or Evil?
“Human nature” is translated as xing (hsing) in Chinese.
The Chinese word xing means “mind or heart” and “life.” The
concept is quite similar to the Hebrew notion of lev, which means
the seat of reason and emotions. For Confucian scholars, the
goodness of human nature is not only given as a gift from
heaven but also is something to be worked hard for.
 Mencius (372-289BCE)
He is most famous for his theory
of human nature, according to
which all human beings share an
innate goodness that either can
be cultivated through education
and self-discipline or
squandered through neglect and
negative influences, but never
lost altogether. 
 Mencius’ View of Human Nature
While Mencius views that the human
nature is good, it does not mean that he
disregards or denies the tendency of
human beings to commit evil.
On the contrary, he recognizes the fact
that human beings are capable of
becoming evil. However, beneath this
tendency is the true and original
character of human beings, that is, being
good.
 To prove this claim, Mencius used the
metaphor of the “four sprouts” or beginning
of human nature, namely:
•Compassion
•Shame
•Respect
•Sense of right
and wrong
 Among five important points
Mencius emphasized in understanding
human nature as good:
•Human beings have innate
tendencies to do what is good and
this is because of the “sprouts” in
them.
•Because all human beings have
these “sprouts,” all human beings
are the same. It also implies that
everyone is capable of becoming a
sage.
 Xunxi (310-220BCE)
Believes that man is evil;
human nature is evil. Human
beings, for him, are selfish and
have fondness of profit.
In order for man to be good, one
must be transformed by the
teachings of a master guided
by ritual practices and
principles.
Human beings naturally tend to love self
first, prioritize self-interest, as well as
envy and hate others. Following these
tendencies will lead to chaos and evil
acts.
What Xunzi implies is that moral
character or behavior is not natural
to human beings. Morality is a product
of conscious exertion (function of the
mind) of something unnatural or
artificial to make rules and principles as
governing law of human conduct.
Since human nature is evil and it is
tempered by building mechanisms
to stop its flow from the human
veins, i.e, building artifices like
morality and law, further prevention
can be made through educating
oneself.
For Xunzi, this is precisely the
function of education and training-
to master one's own self.
 Filial Piety, Rituals, and Ancestor Worship
Rituals (Li in Chinese), in general, are expressions of religious life
and belief. Rituals are closely associated to prayer or meditation.
However, the Chinese word etymologically related to a more
general religious practice "worship" and "sacrificial vessel.
The Cult of Heaven
It was a practice under Confucian
tradition in the old times that the emperor
had to offer sacrifices to Heaven and
Earth. The emperor had to go to the
Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to
the god named Shangdi (literally means
"ruler above").
The Temple of Heaven is a complex of imperial
religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of
central Beijing. The complex was visited by the
Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual
ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a good harvest.
The Cult of Ancestors
The ancestral cult is expressed in a form of memorial
services. Chinese people observe and perform such services
either in temples, ancestral graves, or at their homes provided
that tablets with the names of the ancestors are kept.
The Family Rituals
The father-son relationship nurtures essential virtues and
qualities necessary for the son to fulfill his duties and
responsibilities not only, within the family but also in the society
in general.
Confucian teachings give value to family order. Age is a
way of telling the social roles one has to fulfill - such that the
eldest has more responsibility and duties toward younger
siblings, while the younger among siblings is expected to be
subservient to the elder ones.
 Confucianism Today
There are three kinds of people who
try to attempt to revive Confucianism:
1.intellectuals who raise the Confucian
scholarship into a more metaphysical
and philosophical discourse;
2.religious groups trying to build
Confucianism as a world religion; and
3.ordinary people who continually
uphold Confucian values and moral
codes in their daily lives.
 Marriage
In Chinese marriage institution, the children do not decide
for themselves whom they will marry. Instead, an intermediary or
the parents of the children are responsible for the arrangement.
Most of the time, children are forced to marry for convenience
and for other social purposes.
Women
A wife is expected to submit herself
to her husband. In childhood, a young
girl is bound by duty to obey her
father. When she marries, she enters
into the family of her husband. She is
expected to obey and serve both her
husband and his parents. It was only
when her own son gets married that
she would have power over someone
else: her daughters-in-law.