REL 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Lightdark
Document Summary
Beliefs: spirits: early system was polytheistic; spirits active in nature, shang ti or tian: high power ruling the universe; a personal god, ancestor worship: ancestors die, become spirits watching over us, yang and yin: male/female, strong/weak, light/dark; opposite but complimentary, divination: the block of changed, i ching; methods of knowing future, harsh life, natural catastrophes; forced to understand patterns of nature to live in harmony. Life of confucius: name k"ung ch"iu, given title king fu tzu (great teacher, born in noble family, father died when he was a child, was a tax collector, then became a teacher, later part of life became minister in government. Main concepts in confucianism: ren (jen); love for humanity, li, propriety; being appropriate, having right etiquettes, xiao, filial piety (respect for elders), five relationships, father son, elder brother younger brother, husband wife, friend friend, ruler citizen, wen, appreciation for aesthetic values, such as art, literature, music a.
