Confucianism Primary Documents

The Spring and Autumn Annals is known as one of the 5 classics of Chinese liturature. It was this text that was a major influence for Confucius to find a way to make society better, he was inspired because this text also reflected basic chinese values. The Spring and Autumn Annals were most likely composed within 5th century BC and the recorded things like marridges, battles, funerals of leaders, specific rituals, and even natural disasters. Normally entires lasted only about ten characters but occasionally they were only one character long. Some people are begining to believe that the Spring and Autumn Annals were not originally meant to be read for people to enjoy, that it was meant for "ancestral spirits."

Daoism Social Impact

The people who believe in Daoism made something material out of their beliefs by creating a giant rock statue of an old man. This is significant because even though people don't know the creator of this statue, they predict that it is actually a statue of a man named Laozi, the creator of Daoism. This glorious statue is located on the Qingyuan Mountain in Fujian, China and is estimated to be about a thousand years old. Untouched nature such as flowers and trees and the rest of the moutain surrounds the statue, connecting to how Daoism focuses on harmonizing with nature.

Confucianism Modern Day Practice

An ancient tradition Confucius introduced when he created Confucianism is visiting your deceased elders, he called it ancestor worship. Ancestor worship is still is and is one of the most practiced rituals in Confucianism. When performing this ritual, one would normally go to where a dead older relative was buried and spend time with them at their grave, and even engage in conversation with them. Confucius believed that spending time with your elders was a strong virtue in filial piety, he thought even after your father dies you should still be loyal to him. Also the earliest date of this practice goes back to 1570-1045 BCE during the Shang Dynasty. After an elder passes away, the family will host a funeral and in many cases afterwords, will instal a household alter to honor that person. People in modern times will often visit loved ones graves and host funerals but the alter tradition had become much less common.

Confucianism Historical Figures

Clearly displayed by his name, Confucius was the creator of the philosophy of Confucianism. He created it based off of his beliefs that he thought that the society around him needed to improve. He thought they could improve by people simply acting they way they were originally supposed to, they needed to fit their roles. If people did this, he thought, it would bring harmony and peace within society. Confucius also believed that filial piety was an enourmous part of life, because everyone needed to respect people. In his eyes, every person needed to have integrety, generosity, loyalty and polietness. He also taught in Confucianism that women basically had no power, they had to move in with their husband at marridge and had to obey their father, husband, and sons. 

Confucianism History

The five key relationships was and still is a major part of Confucianism. They are put in order from most important to least important. It goes ruler and subject, oldest brother and younger brother, father and son, husband and wife, and finally friend and friend. Confucius stressed these relationships because he strongly believed that these people had to have respect for each other in order to keep family life peaceful and that filial piety (respect for your family and elders) was key in life. In these relationships, one person always has more power over the other, for example husband over wife, ruler over subject, and for friend and friend, the older friend has more power in the relationship.

Buddhism Primary Documents

The Buddhavacana is the sacred literature to many different types of Buddhism, it is special to each because for every type of Buddhism, there are different works in their Buddhavacana that they believed were the words of the Buddha, but none are actually proven to be his words. For example, in Theravada Buddhism their Buddhavacana is also known as the Pali Canon, it was origianally passed down orally and it was put together in its current form in 80 BC. In Tibetan Buddhism however, they combined their Buddhavacana along with other texts that they call the Kangyur, and the views on what actually is categorized as the Buddhavacana is extremely close between Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism. The word Buddhavacana itself means "the word of the Buddha. "

Buddhism History

During the Buddhas journey to discover how to end life's suffering, he eventually came to sit and meditate under a tree, the Bodhi tree. It was under this tree he finally reached the goal of his quest, to achieve nirvana also known as enlightenment. This tree is significant because after he achieved enlightenment, this specific tree became a symbol of worship and the Buddhas presence. The Bodhi tree has prominently displayed heart shaped leaves and the tree itself is a type of fig.

Buddhism Social Impact

People who believe in Buddhism made temples to show their worship and to practice their religion. One of the largest Buddhist temples outside of Thailand has been/is being built in Raynham Massachusetts. Some things that Buddhists do in a temple is learn and practice meditation, have public talks, and go on retreats. It is customary to remove your hat and shoes when entering and to wear extremely modest clothing. Another thing is that you aren't allowed to point or climb on the buddha statues that are inside. 

Buddhism Modern Practice

Something people still do today in Buddhism is practice a tea ceremony called chanoyu. This is a very complicated ceremony with around 13 different materials used. The procedure for this ceremony must be performed exactly right with extreme precision, even the flower arrangement used in the ceremony must be perfect. This ritual is based off of the principles of respect, harmony, purity, and tranquility, and is meant to capture the essence of Zen Buddhism. It is said by performing this ceremony and bringing these qualities into your life, you will be completely filled with peace.

Buddhism Religious Figure

Siddhartha Guatama was the first known Buddha. It was said when his mother was pregnant with him that he would either grow up to be a world ruler or a spiritual being.  Siddhartha the prince was raised in an environment that blocked out all bad things in life so he would not see them and realize the real pain in the world, his father did this because he wanted him to become a ruler. When siddhartha eventually found out about the pain and suffering in the world, he immeditaly set out on a journey to find the solution to lifes pain. He eventually learned that the cause of pain in the world is desire and to eliminate all personal desires will make you become enlightened. During this journey he became to be known as the Buddha. 

Hinduism History

The art of meditation is when people think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation. Meditation is a major part of Hinduism because the Hindus believed that it was a key to be able to achieve moksha, because moksha was the ultimate goal for hinduism.

Hinduism social impact

Akshardham is a temple in Dehli India that was built by around 7,000 artisans, is 141ft high, 316 ft wide, and 356 ft long. The temple is not only a big tourist attraction to those visiting the area, but also has a theater, musical fountain, and a large garden that celebrates the culture of India. Many people come here to pray, and rituals are also performed  in honor of the gods in Hinduism. Unfortunately this temple was attacked in 2002 by 2 armed and very dangerous terrorists, 30 people were killed and 80 wounded. This particular temple is special because it shows off spiritual messages, architecture, and important traditions in Hinduism all throughout the complex so people can worship and practice hinduism all around the temple. 

Hinduism Modern Practice

People still practice Hinduism today by going into the Ganges River. You can see there are people in the water, this is because the Ganges river is a sacred water to the Hindus and they go into the river to "wash their sins away" and people still do this today. The Ganges river flows through India and Bangladesh, it's 1,569 miles long, and used for many different purposes in Hinduism. Some of these purposes include bathing, paying homage to their gods, and occasionally spreading ashes of a deceased loved one.

Hinduism primary document

This is a piece of the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda was the Hindus sacred literature, filled with prayers, magic spells, and instructions on how to perform rituals. The Rig Veda was impactful on on how hinduism developed because it influenced the rituals and beliefs of those who followed and practiced Hinduism. It also was originally not written down and was passed on orally, this lead to people having to pay close attention to each story and spell to make sure it was remembered correctly, leading to Hinduism being a big part of their lives. 

Hinduism Religious Figures

Ganesh is a deity in Hinduism that is in the form of an elephant. It was believed to be the remover of all obstacles in a persons life. It was also a deity of science and the arts, which it why in this statue form it is dancing. It is normally a big part of religious ceremony's and is normally honored at the start of the rituals. Ganesh connects back to Hindusim because people would pray to this deity in times hardship, like if there were many difficulties going on in ones life. Ganesh is also said to be the son of a principle god for Hindus, Shiva.