Eastern philosophy

In the West, the term Eastern philosophy refers very broadly to the various philosophies of "the East,", including Iran, China, India, Japan, and the general area.

Philosophical and religious traditions

The following is an overview of the major Eastern philosophic traditions. Each tradition has a separate article with more detail on sects, schools, etc. (c.f.)

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Hinduism

Main article: Hinduism

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Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; Sanātana Dharma, roughly Perennial Faith) is generally considered to be the oldest major world religion still practised today and first among Dharma faiths. Hinduism is characterized by a diverse array of belief systems, practices and scriptures. It has its origin in ancient Vedic culture at least as far back as 2000 BC. It is the third largest religion with approximately 1.05 billion followers worldwide, 96% of whom live in the Indian subcontinent.

Related Topics:
Major world religion - Dharma - Vedic - 2000 BC - Billion - Indian subcontinent

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Hinduism rests on the spiritual bedrock of the Vedas, hence Veda Dharma, and their mystic issue, the Upanishads, as well as the teachings of many great Hindu gurus through the ages. Many streams of thought flow from the six Vedic/Hindu schools, Bhakti sects and Tantra Agamic schools into the one ocean of Hinduism, the first of the Dharma religions.

Related Topics:
Vedas - Dharma - Upanishads - Guru - Schools - Bhakti - Tantra

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What can be said to be common to all Hindus is belief in Dharma, reincarnation, karma, and moksha (liberation) of every soul through a variety of moral, action-based, and meditative yogas. Still more fundamental principles include ahimsa (non-violence), the primacy of the Guru, the Divine Word of Aum and the power of mantras, love of Truth in many manifestations as gods and goddessess, and an understanding that the essential spark of the Divine (Atman/Brahman) is in every human and living being, thus allowing for many spiritual paths leading to the One Unitary Truth.

Related Topics:
Dharma - Reincarnation - Karma - Moksha - Yoga - Ahimsa - Guru - Aum - Mantra - Atman - Brahman

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See Also: Hindu philosophy -- Hindu scripture -- Yoga -- Vedanta -- Bhakti -- Hindu deities

Related Topics:
Hindu philosophy - Hindu scripture - Yoga - Vedanta - Bhakti - Hindu deities

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Ayyavazhi

Main article: Ayyavazhi

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Ayyavazhi (???????? Tamil: "path of the father") is a monistic religion originated in South India in the mid-ninteenth century. It was officially an offshoot section of Hinduism. Though it was not officially recognised it was considered autonomous regarding philosophy, religious practices and belifs (See:Ayyavazhi and Hinduism). The thought of Ayyavazhi was based on the teachings of Ayya Vaikundar and the religious book Akilattirattu Ammanai. It has its own mythology (See:Ayyavazhi mythology). According to Ayyavazhi the land surrounding (some area is sunken in Indian Ocean) Kanyakumari was the land of origin of first human life on earth. Some of its thoughts were related to the Smartism and Advaita. Some of its beliefs such as Last Judgement and Kroni were also related to that of Abrahamic religions.

Related Topics:
Tamil - Monistic - South India - Hinduism - Ayyavazhi and Hinduism - Ayya Vaikundar - Akilattirattu Ammanai - Ayyavazhi mythology - Smartism - Advaita - Kroni - Abrahamic religions

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Confucianism

Main article: Confucianism

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Confucianism developed around the teachings of Confucius and is based on a set of Chinese classic texts. It was the mainstream ideology in China and the sinized world since the Han dynasty and may still be a major founder element in Far-East culture. It could be understood as a social ethic and humanist system focusing on human beings and their relationships. Confucianism emphasizes formal rituals in every aspect of life, from quasi-religious ceremonies to strict politeness and deference to one's elders, specifically to one's parents and to the state in the form of the Emperor.

Related Topics:
Confucianism - Confucius - Chinese classic texts - Han dynasty - Ethic - Humanist

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Taoism

Main article : Taoism

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Taoism, whose essence is centered around letting things take their natural course, is the traditional foil of Confucianism. Taoism's central books are the Tao Te Ching, traditionally attributed to Lao Zi (Lao tse) and the Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tse). The core concepts of Taoism are traced far in Chinese History, incorporating elements of mysticism dating back to prehistoric times, linked also with the Book of Changes (I Ching), a divinatory set of 64 geometrical figures describing states and evolutions of the world. Taoism emphasizes Nature, individual freedom, refusal of social bounds, and was a doctrine professed by those who "retreated in mountains". At the end of their lives --or during the night, Confucian officers often behaved as Taoists, writing poetry or trying to "reach immortality". Yet Taoism is also a government doctrine where the ruler's might is ruling through "non-action" (Wuwei).

Related Topics:
Tao Te Ching - Lao Zi - Zhuang Zi - Mysticism - Prehistoric times - Book of Changes

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Legalism

Main article: Legalism

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Legalism advocated a strict interpretation of the law in every respect. Morality was not important; adherence to the letter of the law was paramount. Officials who exceeded expectations were as liable for punishment as were those who underperformed their duties, since both were not adhering exactly to their duties. Legalism was the principal philosophic basis of the Qin Dynasty in China. Confucian scholars were persecuted under Legalist rule.

Related Topics:
Qin Dynasty - China

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Buddhism

Main article: Buddhism

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Buddhism is a system of beliefs based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince later known as the Buddha, or one who is Awake - derived from the Sanskrit 'bud', 'to awaken'. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion, one whose tenets are not especially concerned with the existence or nonexistence of a God or gods. The Buddha himself expressly disavowed any special divine status or inspiration, and said that anyone, anywhere could achieve all the insight that he had. The question of God is largely irrelevant in Buddhism, though some sects (notably Tibetan Buddhism) do venerate a number of gods drawn in from local indigenous belief systems.

Related Topics:
Siddhartha Gautama - Buddha - Tibetan Buddhism - Venerate

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The Buddhist soteriology is summed up in the Four Noble Truths:

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• Dukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.
• Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance.
• Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.
• Marga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.

However, Buddhist philosophy as such has its foundations more in the doctrines of anatta, which specifies that all is without substantial metaphysical being, pratitya-samutpada, which delineates the Buddhist concept of causality, and Buddhist phenomenological analysis of dharmas, or phenomenological constituents.

Related Topics:
Anatta - Metaphysical - Pratitya-samutpada - Causality - Phenomenological - Dharmas

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Most Buddhist sects believe in karma, a cause-and-effect relationship between all that has been done and all that will be done. Events that occur are held to be the direct result of previous events. One effect of karma is rebirth. At death, the karma from a given life determines the nature of the next life's existence. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist practitioner is to eliminate karma (both good and bad), end the cycle of rebirth and suffering, and attain Nirvana, translated as nothingness or blissful oblivion and characterized as the state of being one with the entire universe.

Related Topics:
Karma - Nirvana

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See also: Buddhist philosophy -- Schools of Buddhism -- Buddhism in China

Related Topics:
Buddhist philosophy - Schools of Buddhism - Buddhism in China

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Zen Buddhism

Zen is a fusion of Mahayana Buddhism with Taoist principles. Bodhidharma was a semilegendary Indian monk who traveled to China in the 5th century. There, at the Shaolin temple, he began the Ch'an school of Buddhism, known in Japan and in the West as Zen Buddhism. Zen philosophy places emphasis on existing in the moment, right now. Zen teaches that the entire universe is one's mind, and if one cannot realize enlightenment in one's own mind now, one cannot ever achieve enlightenment.

Related Topics:
Zen - Mahayana - Bodhidharma - China - 5th century - Shaolin - Japan

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Zen practitioners engage in zazen (just sitting) meditation. Several schools of Zen have developed various other techniques for provoking satori, or enlightenment, ranging from whacking acolytes with a stick to shock them into the present moment to koans, Zen riddles designed to force the student to abandon futile attempts to understand the nature of the universe through logic. Entheogens are also used in some Zen sects, especially in the West.

Related Topics:
Zazen - Satori - Koan - Entheogens

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Maoism

Maoism is a Communist philosophy based on the teachings of 20th century Communist Party of China revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. It is based partially on earlier theories by Marx and Lenin, but rejects the urban proletariat and Leninist emphasis on heavy industrialization in favor of a revolution supported by the peasantry, and a decentralized agrarian economy based on many collectively worked farms.

Related Topics:
Maoism - Communist - 20th century - Communist Party of China - Mao Zedong - Proletariat - Leninist

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Many people believe that though the implementation of Maoism in Mainland China led to the victory of communist revolution, it also contributed to the widespread famine, with millions of people starving to death. Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping reinterpreted Maoism to allow for the introduction of market economics, which eventually enabled the country to recover. As a philosophy, Deng's chief contribution was to reject the supremacy of theory in interpreting Marxism and to argue for a policy of seeking truth from facts.

Related Topics:
Mainland China - Famine - Deng Xiaoping

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Despite this, Maoism has remained a popular ideology for various Communist revolutionary groups around the world, notably the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Sendero Luminoso in Peru, and an ongoing (as of early 2005) Maoist insurrection in Nepal.

Related Topics:
Khmer Rouge - Cambodia - Sendero Luminoso - Peru - 2005 - Nepal

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Shinto

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan, a sophisticated form of animism that holds that spirits called kami inhabit all things. Worship is at public shrines, or in small shrines constructed in one's home.

Related Topics:
Shinto - Animism - Kami

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