Confucianism vs Buddhism vs Taoism - Realpolitik of the Three Teachings of Ancient China

Summary

This script explores the harmonious yet complex synthesis of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in ancient China. It delves into their early developments, philosophical underpinnings, and the historical process of integration. Despite differences and occasional rivalry, these teachings adapted and borrowed from each other, influenced by political and religious climates. The script highlights how Confucianism maintained political power, while Buddhism and Taoism influenced each other and were influenced by Confucian elites and commoners alike, leading to a rich tapestry of shared beliefs and practices.

Takeaways

• 😀 Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are the three major teachings of ancient China, often thought to be harmoniously synthesized in the Chinese intellectual and spiritual landscape.
• 📚 Confucianism is a scholarly tradition that predates Confucius, focusing on morality and ritual, and does not prescribe a specific god or afterlife.
• 🌐 Taoism is a complex school of thought with the principle of 'wu wei' (action through inaction), and has incorporated various philosophies and local gods into its pantheon.
• 🙏 Buddhism, not native to China, is part of the dharmic religions of India and emphasizes concepts like dharma, reincarnation, and moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth).
• 🛣️ The synthesis of these teachings was not a conscious, directed process but a natural evolution to survive the political and religious climate of China.
• 🏛️ Confucianism held the domain of the elites, with its focus on philosophical ideas and disdain for superstition, while Buddhism and Taoism were more influential among the commoners.
• 🌟 Taoism and Buddhism did not always get along, with periods of rivalry and persecution depending on the emperor's favor.
• 🤝 The Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, which focuses on the liberation of all beings, became predominant in China and incorporated Taoist and Confucian ideas.
• 🧘‍♂️ Neo-Confucianism during the Song dynasty borrowed Buddhist and Taoist concepts, but still maintained its unique stance on morality and ritual.
• 🏵️ The Ming dynasty marked a period when the three teachings were treated equally, with the first Ming emperor showing equal respect to all three.
• 🌈 Despite the saying 'three teachings as one,' it's Confucianism that holds the political power, free to borrow from Taoism and Buddhism without being threatened.

Q & A

What are the three main teachings of ancient China?

The three main teachings of ancient China are Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

How did the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism synthesize in ancient China?

The teachings synthesized through a historical process where they competed and adapted to the political and religious climate, eventually incorporating elements from one another without significant doctrinal violence.

What is Confucianism and how did it develop over time?

Confucianism is a Chinese scholarly tradition that emphasizes morality and ritual. It was not created by Confucius but rather he transmitted and edited ancient moral traditions, which were later expanded upon by other scholars.

What is the principle of 'Wu Wei' in Taoism?

Wu Wei, or 'action through inaction', is a principle in Taoism based on Laozi's teachings, which advocates for effortless action or non-intervention.

How did Taoism evolve to incorporate various philosophies and local gods?

Taoism evolved to include various philosophies, folk religions, and local gods due to its lack of a strong central authority, leading to the emergence of different religious sects and the incorporation of ideas from other traditions.

What is the difference between Mahayana and Theravada traditions in Buddhism?

Mahayana, or the Great Vehicle, focuses on the liberation of all beings, while Theravada, or the School of the Elders, is more concerned with following the Buddha's teachings literally. Mahayana may incorporate elements from other cultures, whereas Theravada adheres more strictly to the original teachings.

How did Buddhism adapt when it entered China?

Buddhism initially faced resistance due to its foreign nature but later incorporated Confucian and Taoist ideas, such as filial piety, and developed into a form of Buddhism that resonated with the Chinese people, known as Chan Buddhism, which later became Zen in Japan.

What was the role of the scholar-bureaucrats in the domain of philosophical and religious interaction in ancient China?

The scholar-bureaucrats, educated in Confucian classics, were more interested in the philosophical aspects of Buddhism and Taoism. They held a disdain for superstition, which influenced their approach to religious ideas.

How did the common people's religious beliefs differ from those of the elites?

Common people were more influenced by the religious aspects of Buddhism and Taoism, where gods and supernatural concepts were shared, borrowed, and reinterpreted. There was less emphasis on philosophical debates and more on practical religious practices.

What historical event illustrates the rivalry between Buddhism and Taoism?

The rivalry is exemplified by the persecution of Buddhism by Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei, who favored Taoism, after discovering weapons in a Buddhist monastery. This rivalry was also depicted in Wuxia movies and series.

How did the synthesization of the three teachings manifest in the Ming Dynasty?

During the Ming Dynasty, the three teachings were treated equally, with the first Ming Emperor showing respect to all three. Neo-Confucianism also borrowed concepts from Buddhism and Taoism, and there was a mutual assimilation of deities and practices.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Early Developments and Synthesis of Chinese Teachings

This paragraph delves into the historical synthesis of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in ancient China. It challenges the notion of a harmonious blend by examining the early developments of these philosophies. Confucianism, predated by Ruism, emphasizes moral virtues and rituals without prescribing a specific god or afterlife. Taoism, with its principle of 'Wu Wei' and complex origins, incorporated various ideas, including those from Buddhism. Buddhism, an import from India, underwent significant adaptation in China, influencing and being influenced by Taoism. The paragraph also touches on the political and religious rivalries between these teachings throughout Chinese history.

05:02

🏛 The Interplay of Elite and Commoner Domains in Chinese Philosophy

The second paragraph explores the interaction between the elite and commoner domains in the context of Chinese philosophical and religious traditions. It highlights how Confucianism dominated the elite sphere, with its classics forming the basis of the imperial examination system. The philosophical aspects of Buddhism and Taoism were of interest to the scholar-bureaucrats, while the religious aspects were more influential among the common people. The paragraph discusses the historical conflicts and assimilations between Buddhism and Taoism, including periods of persecution and favor by different emperors. It also notes the eventual synthesis of the three teachings during the Ming dynasty, facilitated by the equal respect granted by the first Ming emperor.

10:04

🌏 The Political and Cultural Synthesis of Chinese Teachings

The final paragraph provides insight into the political backdrop of the synthesis of the three teachings in China. It explains how Confucianism maintained its political power due to its secular nature and ability to borrow concepts without threat to its dominance. The paragraph contrasts the philosophical borrowings of the elite with the religious syncretism of the commoners, where gods and deities from different traditions were freely adopted and reinterpreted. It also touches on the global assimilation practices of monotheistic religions and ends with a teaser for future content, inviting the audience to subscribe for more historical insights.

Keywords

💡Confucianism

Confucianism is a Chinese scholarly tradition that emphasizes moral integrity, social harmony, and ritual propriety. It predates Confucius and was further developed by him, who is often seen as a transmitter rather than the creator of these traditions. In the video, Confucianism is highlighted as a significant philosophical influence that coexisted and interacted with other teachings like Buddhism and Taoism, especially in shaping the moral and social fabric of ancient China.

💡Buddhism

Buddhism is a non-native religious and philosophical tradition that originated in India and was later introduced to China. It focuses on concepts such as dharma, reincarnation, and moksha, which is the liberation from the cycle of rebirth. The video discusses how Buddhism adapted to Chinese culture by incorporating elements of Confucianism and Taoism, particularly through the development of Chan Buddhism, which later became Zen in Japan.

💡Taoism

Taoism is a complex Chinese philosophy and religion that advocates for living in harmony with the Tao, the natural way of the universe. It is characterized by the principle of 'wu wei' or effortless action. The script mentions Taoism's early development, its syncretic nature, and how it absorbed various philosophies and deities, including Buddhist ones, reflecting its adaptability and the breadth of its influence.

💡Synthesis

Synthesis in the context of the video refers to the historical process where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were integrated into a cohesive Chinese intellectual and spiritual landscape. It was not a consciously directed process but a natural evolution influenced by political and religious climates, leading to a harmonious coexistence of these teachings despite their differences.

💡Warring States Period

The Warring States Period was a time of conflict and competition among various schools of thought in China, known as the 'Hundred Schools of Thought.' The video uses this period to illustrate the malleable nature of the teachings and how they competed for influence, which is crucial for understanding their later synthesis.

💡Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism, particularly mentioned in the context of the Song Dynasty, is a revival and reinterpretation of Confucian ideas that incorporated elements from Buddhism and Taoism. The video highlights how thinkers like Zhu Xi integrated these concepts while maintaining the core Confucian values, showing the flexibility and adaptability of Confucian thought.

💡Mahayana

Mahayana, or the Great Vehicle tradition in Buddhism, is concerned with the liberation of all beings from the cycle of rebirth. The video explains how Mahayana Buddhism, with its inclusive approach and adaptation to local cultures, became the predominant form of Buddhism in China and influenced the development of Chinese Buddhism.

💡Taoist Canons (Daozang)

The Taoist Canons, or Daozang, is a vast collection of Taoist texts that grew to include over 5000 books. The script mentions the Daozang to illustrate the syncretic nature of Taoism and how it absorbed various philosophies and practices, including Buddhist elements, into its religious framework.

💡Elites and Commoners

The video distinguishes between the philosophical and religious interactions of the elites (scholar-bureaucrats) and commoners in ancient China. It explains how the elites were more influenced by the philosophical aspects of Buddhism and Taoism, while commoners experienced a blending of religious ideas, showing the different levels of synthesis in society.

💡Political Power

The concept of political power in the video is closely tied to Confucianism, which provided the ideological justification for rulership in ancient China. It discusses how Confucianism's secular nature and its non-threatening stance towards other teachings allowed it to maintain its political influence while borrowing from Buddhism and Taoism.

💡Cultural Assimilation

Cultural assimilation refers to the process where different religious and philosophical ideas are absorbed and reinterpreted within a culture. The video uses this concept to explain how gods and deities from Buddhism and Taoism were incorporated into each other's pantheons, demonstrating the non-violent syncretism in the commoners' religious domain.

Highlights

Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are the three teachings of ancient China, which were harmoniously synthesized into the Chinese intellectual and spiritual landscape.

The historical process of synthesization of these teachings was not always harmonious, involving competition and conflict.

Confucianism, predated by Confucius, promotes the virtue of legendary kings and is a living tradition expanded by various scholars over time.

Taoism is a complex school of thought with the principle of 'Wu Wei' or effortless action, and has incorporated various philosophies and local gods.

Buddhism, originating from India, entered China during the Han dynasty and incorporated Taoist and Confucian ideas to develop into Chinese Buddhism.

The Mahayana tradition of Buddhism is concerned with the liberation of all beings and may incorporate gods and religious traditions of other cultures.

There were disagreements and debates between different Buddhist traditions, but no violent conflicts ensued.

Taoism and Buddhism had periods of rivalry and persecution, especially when one gained favor over the other with the emperor.

The synthesization of the three teachings is a result of their natural evolution to survive the political and religious climate.

Neo-Confucianism during the Song dynasty borrowed Buddhist and Taoist concepts while maintaining its own unique perspective.

The Ming dynasty marked a period when the three teachings were treated equally, with the first Ming emperor showing equal respect to all.

In the domain of the elites, Confucian scholars were more interested in the philosophical aspects of Buddhism and Taoism.

Among the commoners, religious ideas from Buddhism and Taoism were shared, reinterpreted, and integrated without significant conflict.

Polytheistic religions like Buddhism and Taoism adopted a non-violent method of assimilation by incorporating and redefining gods from each other.

In contrast to polytheistic religions, monotheistic religions insist on one god and doctrinal purity, leading to less flexibility in assimilation.

Despite the saying 'three teachings as one,' it is Confucianism that holds the political power and was free to borrow from Taoism and Buddhism without threat.

The rivalry between Taoism and Buddhism in the commoners' domain was relatively tame, with gods often borrowed and shared between the two religions.

Transcripts

confucianism buddhism and taoism these

are the three teachings of ancient china

it is often thought that these three

teachings were harmoniously synthesized

into the chinese intellectual and

spiritual landscape

but how is it possible for three very

different philosophical and some would

call religious traditions to mess

together so well

or did they

in this episode we will look at the

historical process of synthesization of

these teachings

and it ain't all sunshine and rainbows

okay let's start by looking at the early

developments of these three teachings by

knowing the malleable nature of these

teachings we are going to get very

important clues on how they can be

synthesized rather easily during the

warring stage period of china various

schools of salt competed for the hearts

and minds of the lords and commoners

confucianism or rule as it is known in

east asia is one among those so-called

hundred schools of thought ruism is a

chinese scholarly tradition that

predated confucius

confucius is the latinization of the

name kung futsu confucianism extol the

virtue of the legendary kings of

pre-dynastic and early dynasties of

china and the early tour dynasty kings

and dukes as confucius had claimed

himself he was not a creator but rather

a transmitter of these ancient moral

traditions to be fair he actually edited

a lot of these ancient documents and

promoted the essex not only to nobles

but also to commoners and as i have

covered in more details in a previous

episode it is a living tradition which

was expanded upon over time by

manchester unjung-su jusi wang ming and

others

this philosophy is very particular about

their brand of morality and ritual but

they do not prescribe for the belief in

a particular god or afterlife that's why

christian confusion converts shu guangxi

claims that christianity is compatible

with confucianism

as for taoism it's quite complex as i

have discussed in another video it is a

bit like a kitchen sink of ideas this

school of thought was first identified

by sumachen in his book records of the

grand historian its proponents practiced

the principle of wu e action through

inaction or effortless action which is

based on laozi's writing daughter jin

ideas such as pakwa yin yang and using

the five phases were not present in

daughter jin they are actually later

additions borrowed from other schools of

sorts it may not have started as a

standalone philosophical school of salt

either as one of the earliest taoist

school of assault in history was huanglo

taoism it is a school of sorts or

perhaps religion that identified lords

together with the legendary figure of

yellow emperor which was one of the more

prominent ideology in court at the time

eventually a recognizable religious

movement emerged later at the end of the

han dynasty the way of the celestial

master which was started by zhang

daoling

but taoism never had a strong central

authority and other religious taoist sex

started to emerge and so did the yellow

turban rebellion that hastened the end

of the hun dynasty being polytheistic

taoists have incorporated various

philosophies folk religions and local

gods into their pantheon including

buddhist ones

the collection of tao's canons taotsang

even grew to an unmanageable size of

over 5000 books at the very least

buddhism is a religious philosophical

tradition that was started by sitata

gotama also known as the buddha it is

not native to china and it is considered

to be one of the many dharmic religions

of india which includes hinduism jainism

buddhism and sikhism they share many

common features such as the concept of

dharma reincarnation and moksha which is

the liberation from the cycle of rebirth

however there are fundamental

differences in the interpretation of

each of these concepts among those

religions and even within buddhism

itself as it was separated into a few

different traditions the mahayana

tradition or the great vehicle tradition

is concerned with the liberation of

everyone from the cycle of birth and

reapers and it may incorporate the gods

and religious traditions of other

cultures in order to appeal to more

believers some of them may disparage the

teravatans as hinayana or lesser vehicle

saying that the therapharans are more

concerned with following buddha's

teaching to the letter rather than the

spirit of his teaching on the other hand

the terrafada tradition or the school of

the elders may think that the mahayana

tradition have strayed too far from

buddha's original teachings i wonder if

this has to do with the vegetarian

starbucks inside the fukuang sun buddha

museum yep i've been there

despite their disagreements there

weren't any cause for violent conflict

even the historic nalanda mahafira which

the explorer monk shunsang famously

attended taught both mahayana and

sarawada texts as for fajrayana it is an

offshoot of mahayana and it is focused

on tantric experiences

the buddhist tradition that's

predominant in china is mahayana when

buddhism entered china during the khan

dynasty it did not immediately succeed

at first it was considered to be too

foreign but eventually it started to

incorporate taoist and confusion ideas

such as filial piety into its own

tradition and developed into tan

buddhism in the 5th century which was

eventually brought to japan as zen

buddhism likewise taoism also borrowed

quite a few buddhist ideas even though

they would hate to admit it but the

influence can be seen in the early

taoist canons

now i must distinguish the two different

domains of the philosophical and

religious interaction

the elites and commoners the elites

would be the scholar bureaucrats of

ancient china this domain was firmly

held by the confusion as most of them

were educated in the confusion classics

and even more so since the tang dynasty

because the imperial examination system

was standardized and the confusion

classics are the test subjects

the elites would be more interested in

the philosophical side of buddhism and

taoism because confucianism in general

holds particular disdain for

superstition even though the book of

definition eaching is considered as one

of the five confucian classics well i

guess they just don't want to go too far

with a superstition

but it never stopped some emperors and

officials from being superstitious

now here in the commoners domain is

where the religious ideas mesh and

intermingle god's and supernatural

concepts were borrowed shared and

reinterpreted the religious side of

buddhism and taoism would make this

place their ideological battleground for

the most part but sometimes they would

influence and appeal to kings and

emperors too buddhism and taoism did not

get along well before the ming dynasty

there is actually a historical reason

why they are depicted as rivals in all

those wusha movies and series as in

certain dynasties they would be

persecuted in turn depending on which

side was able to get the emperor's favor

or more accurately which side was

threatening that rule emperor taiwu of

northern way who favored taoism

discovered that some rebels had stored

their weapon in a buddhist monastery so

buddhism was persecuted this lasted

until his buddhist grandson took the

throne a few years later this is quite

ironic because you would imagine that

the toba royalty would favor buddhism

since it was considered to be a who

religion and they had the nomadic shanpe

ancestry meanwhile the southern liang

dynasty which had ethnic han royalty

favored buddhism the foreign religion

and persecuted taoism during the tang

and song dynasty taoism was the

state-sponsored religion despite that

buddhism became very popular with the

masses

then during the mongol expansion and the

yuan dynasty the mongol khans like

monger khan and kublai khan often

invited buddhists and taoists for

debates in those occasions all the

different buddhist sects joined together

to defeat the taoist multiple times

leading to the burning of countless

towers cannons

the buddhists wrote the laughing at the

taoist essay which accused them of

stealing buddhist ideas and the taoist

wrote the converting the who classic

claiming that buddha was a disciple of

laotz because according to legend he

traveled to the west buddhism they

claimed is just a corruption of taoist

teaching this whole kerfuffle between

the two is very interesting i may cover

it in more details in the future anyway

despite this in general taoists and

buddhist monks were still treated fairly

by the mongols and taoist activities

continued

since it was relatively harmless and did

not threaten those in power the

synthesization of the three teachings is

a long process that wasn't consciously

directed it is just the result of the

natural evolution of these three

teachings in order to survive the

political and religious climate in the

song dynasty neoconfusion zusi borrowed

buddhist and taoist concepts but he

still disliked the buddhist monasticism

and withdrawal from family

responsibility it was only around the

ming dynasty when the three teachings

were treated equally because the first

ming emperor zu yuen zhang gave them the

same amounts of respect main tendency

confusion wang yangming also borrowed

buddhist meditation methods in his

teaching to put this synthesization into

context let's compare the differences

between the elites and commoners the

philosophical ideas are freely borrowed

by the confucian elites because they do

not threaten the rule of the emperors

the mandatory of heaven is still

strictly a confusion concept it is an

agnostic concept that doesn't specify

which heaven or god gives the ruler the

mandate of heaven buddhism being a

monastic religion and taoism being

disdainful of politics and hierarchy

does not challenge the confucian

justification to rule and in the

commoners domain due to the fact that

those religions are polytheistic there

wasn't much religious and doctrinal

violence either despite all the rivalry

polytheistic religion have a very simple

non-violent method to counter their

rivals religion and that is to steal

their god

yep just change the label and redefine

them in their own terms it is similar to

how the romans took the greek gods and

combined them with their own nurture one

of the taoist gods had buddhist indian

origin and guangkong who was based on

the historical general guanyu became

both taoist and buddhist god in japan

some buddhists also claimed that the

japanese gods were reincarnation of

certain buddhas in modern day hinduism

some sects considered jesus and buddha

to be avatars of visnu the thing about

monotheistic religion is that the

prominent ones such as judaism

christianity and islam insist on just

having one god and doctrinal purity the

ruler's justification to rule used to

hinge on the blessing of their one god

however in instances when they did not

feel politically threatened by the gods

of other religions they would also play

the same assimilation game for example

the legend of the buddha had been

adopted by the catholics into the legend

of saint barlum and josephat where the

name josefat is the corruption of the

sanskrit word bodhisattva various

catholic celebration and saints were

also influenced by the pagan roman

religion so despite the common saying

three teachings as one it is really

confucianism that firmly holds the

political power and since it is secular

enough and wasn't politically threatened

by those other teachings it was free to

borrow concepts from taoism and buddhism

or at least the ones from the orthodox

sets because there were quite a lot of

cults that encouraged rebellion that

appeared from time to time the rivalry

in the commoners domain is pretty tame

too most lay believers in ancient china

won't really know much about the

difference between taoist and buddhist

gods because they kept boring from each

other that's why in classic literatures

such as journey to the west and

investiture of the gods we see buddhists

and taoist gods interacting with each

other but we can see which author favors

which religion more because in the

journey to the west the buddha is

depicted to be more powerful than the

jade emperor only he could subdue sonu

and in investiture of the gods the

buddhas are just side characters even

though the synthesized buddhist deities

are featured prominently so there you go

that was the rare politique behind the

harmonious teachings

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