RELI 448N Week 4 Discussion: Chinese Religion
RELI 448N Week 4 Discussion: Chinese Religion
We have arrived at Week 4, our midway point! You may start posting for credit on Sunday 11/15/20. Your Discussion for week 4, once again gives you the choice of two options. One deals with Confucian terminology and ideas of social harmony. The second deals with the Daoist concept of wuwei. Please make your TWO posts each week on any of the eight days allotted from preview Sunday to closing Sunday that work with your schedule. Both posts may be on the same day.
Don’t forget that you are to use on outside resource in the main post,and don’t forget to take a look at the discussion rubric as you are working on your initial post. Please contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have.
Here are some articles that former students have found to be very helpful with this weeks topics.
The Confucian Revival https://www.britannica.com/topic/Confucianism/The-Confucian-revivalLinks to an external site.
The Five Virtues https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=1728f958-8eac-471e-8c27-149ee01888a1%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=70894481&db=f5hLinks to an external site.
Wu Wei: The Taoist Principle of Action in Non-Action https://www.learnreligions.com/wu-wei-the-action-of-non-action-3183209Links to an external site.
The Analects http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat3/sub9/entry-5557.htmlLinks to an external site.
Daoist Philosophy https://www.iep.utm.edu/daoism/Links to an external site.
China’s Three Teachings and Relationship of Heaven, Earth and Humanity https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1163/156853511X617803
The Influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on Chinese Business https://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr19/tianbo.htmLinks to an external site.
Chinese Ethics https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-chinese/Links to an external site.
Confucius Biography https://www.biography.com/scholar/confuciusLinks to an external site.
Confucian Virgue Ethics https://study.com/academy/lesson/confucian-virtue-ethics-definition-theory.htmlLinks to an external site.
The Principle of Wu Wei And How it Can Improve Your LIfe https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-principle-of-wu-wei-and-how-it-can-improve-your-life-d6ce45d623b9Links to an external site.
Is Confucianism Impacting the World Today? https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=fb156c01-5441-4743-b4f6-c0ce49cb10cd%40sdc-v-sessmgr06&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=119394766&db=a9hLinks to an external site.
A Critique of Confucius’ Philosophy https://www-tandfonline-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1080/09552367.2016.1240918
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In the article of Wuwei, it states “One of Taoism’s most important concepts is wu wei, which is sometimes translated as “non-doing” or “non-action” (Reninger 2020). This ideal can be translated as effortless action. How do we cultivate Wu Wei? When cultivating Wuwei, a person can relax the body and the mind, rest and take off from work when needed, let go of the anything negative, do not act on impulse but know when to respond and how. Those examples are way of how Wuwei is practiced. Daoist ideal of Wuwei contributes to harmony with heaven because it promotes peace with the inner nature and external movements. When practicing Daoist the idea is based on belief in nature and life in the natural manner; However, when speaking about Confucian, this ideal is based on how a person conducts themselves. (Sungmoon 2020). When practicing Confucian, one should be intentional, meditate, write to release their thoughts, explore the world, keep your health first, and love yourself are just a few on how one should live. Living in Wuwei, it is important not to hold onto the past but to look forward to the future without begging for a better future. Another example of living in the world of practicing Wuwei, is going with the flow, if the flow of things is off, stop go and relax to avoid difficult situations. Also, not forcing yourself to love something that you do not love, is living by Wuwei. All the examples are how one should follow Wuwei. In my profession as a nurse, I feel Confucius is an approach that I might try in my practice. You are asked to release and let go, relax, meditate, yoga, keep your health first which are all things that one should do in order to avoid being overwhelmed as a nurse. As a nurse, depending upon how fast paced or slow paced your job may be, this approach can definitely assist with burnout in nurses; our job can become too much for us on a day to day basis.
Thanks
Fatimah Williams-Terry
References
Reninger, Elizabeth. “Wu Wei: The Taoist Principle of Action in Non-Action.” Learn Religions, Aug. 29, 2020, learnreligions.com/wu-wei-the-action-of-non-action-3183209.
By: Kim, Sungmoon. American Journal of Economics & Sociology. Jan2015, Vol. 74 Issue 1, p149-185. 37p. DOI: 10.1111/ajes.12084.
Wu Wei or “the alignment with the rhythms of the elements both within and outside our bodies. It is a kind of ebb and flow, an effortless surrender to natural cycles of the world.” (Stead, 2018) I liked that you were able to give examples of how to incorporate wu wei into the practice of nursing. During this pandemic I have definitely noticed that more nurses are experiencing ‘burnout’ and are quitting their jobs. I too believe that if we were able to incorporate wu wei and be able to leave the stress of our jobs at work rather than letting that stress follow us home and into our personal lives then we would be much happier and less likely to feel burned out.
Stead, H. J. (2018, May 14). The Principle Of Wu Wei And How It Can Improve Your Life. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-principle-of-wu-wei-and-how-it-can-improve-your-life-d6ce45d623b9
It is true that the wuwei concept can be considered a good ideal as it works on clearing one’s vision and can relieve the stress by learning when and what needs a response, an action, a reflection, and what does not. However, this concept might be interpreted as an invitation to adapt a negative position towards one’s surroundings all the time as deciding when to act and when to take the passive action is a tricky task. Furthermore, reaching the inner and outer harmony demands receding from all the stress and pressure the current life produces which is also considered infeasible.
“Forcing yourself to love something that you do not “
I often think about this concept when it comes to religious studies. There are many things that we love that may be good, yet, there are many things that are bad. I admit that there are moments throughout the day I act in selfishness because I “love” something more for myself than others. I also argue that perhaps we are to do things we don’t love. For example, I hate walking far from a parking spot, but the right thing is to let someone who needs the spot take it first. There was an interesting thing where some malls were putting pictures of pregnant women, elderly, and handicapped people by parking spots to deter people from parking close to the entrance. I wonder how well it worked…
Within the beliefs of Confucianism are ren, li, yi, zhi, and zin which are the five virtues. The virtue of ren is to consider others in your actions and exhibiting sympathy and empathy. To align your actions in life with the ‘proper’ behavior is the virtue of li (Molloy, 2018, pp. 225 ). The virtue of yi is to be able to differentiate what is good and what is bad, and to act in the way that is good. To be not only knowledgeable but to have the wisdom to use that knowledge to make the right choices is the virtue of zhi. And xin is the virtue of living your life honestly and being trustworthy (Takigami, 2019).
The virtue of yi, also known as the virtue of righteousness, greatly contributes to social harmony. By following a path of righteousness, you are making ethical choices in your life. This positively impacts not only your life, but the people around you. If you were making unethical choices it could negatively impact several people surrounding you. And living a life composed of ethical choices influences others around you to uphold themselves to the same standards. I do not personally have a religious background to speak on. However, I believe that making ethical choices aligns with my personal beliefs. And I’m sure that many other religions/people feel the same way.
I witness the virtue of yi in action in many different areas in my work. Nurses have access to a variety of medications at work and choose to only give them to their patients when they could potentially take them for themselves. They treat patients who are unkind to them and do not show them respect. And even in these scenarios they provide the same care that they give to patients that are kind and respectful.
Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (pp. 225) (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill
Takigami, N. (2019). Essence of Confucius and Confucianism: “Yi,” “Zhi,” and “Xin”. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://inst-east-and-west.org/en/learning/2019/002725.html
