Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto Summary

 1.	Describe the principles of yang and yin.

The principle of Yang and Yin lets us know that everything and anything complements itself. Such as men and women, night and day, lite and dark and even the seasons. Yang is not greater than Yin and Yin is not greater than Yang. The main thing that takes place is that they have a balance in between them.  While Yang represents the light part, Yin represents the dark, and the dot that is of opposite color in each part shows that they have each part of them.


2.	The main scripture in Daoism is the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). What is the history and importance of this text for the tradition?

This book is considered to be one of the greatest books written. With such different names like the Laozi and the classical book about the way and its power has been dated all the way back to 350 BCE. The importance of this text for the tradition is to inform people that the purpose for this book is political. It was meant to help lead and guide people and the overall meaning of the book is how someone perceives it. After reading it, some people will come away with knowledge that others have not gained and vice versa.



3.	How are Daoist ideals expressed through art? Offer several examples.

The Daoist have many different ideas that are known to be expressed through their art. With a verity of themes in Daodejing, they mainly illustrate water flowing, a block of stone uncarved, and they also illustrate the valley. While in Chinese art, they are known to draw images of nature that is far away in distance or up close. They like draw pictures of different things such as birds, bamboo, and other animals to capture the pure elegance of nature.



4.	What challenges does Daoism face in the modern world?

Daoism faces challenges in the modern world due to it losing their social and culture significance, especially in Asia. Taiwan and Hong Kong have not suffered from the modern world. In order to survive, Daoist temples are said to being rebuilt which will help aid them in the success for China by regaining its popularity. if they are able to accomplish this, then they will not only have more followers in Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, but all over the world as well. 


5.	Explain a situation to which following the Daoist principle of wu wei might be beneficial to you or others. In what situation might following the principle of wu wei be harmful in some way?

Wu Wei is a principle that stands for no action. The meaning behind what Wu Wei means can be considered as good or bad. For myself and others, I believe that it can be good pertaining to someone bickering and arguing about a topic of sports. It does not have to escalate into a huge fight. Where it can be bad is if someone comments a crime or are the mastermind of a crime and no justice has been served.



Confucianism

Write a 175- to 350-word summary on Confucianism that addresses the following topics:

What are the Five Great Relationships?
How is the morally upright person to act?
What is the role of Confucianism in Chinese culture and society today?

The five great relationships include father and son, husband and wife, older and younger siblings, and ruler and subject. Although in today’s world, there is not just a man and wife who can have a marriage. Men can marry men and women can marry women.  The morally upright person is supposed to be respectful of themselves as well as others. They are raised and taught through words and actions about how to act and how to carry themselves as a male or female. Being that lessons are instilled in them, they should be able to take those lessons which have been given to them and carry them through life. Confucianism in Chinese culture and society today plays a big role. In the Chinese culture, a philosopher’s knowledge became what is known as their handbook on government and their policies, in today’s world, it has come together with other nations. Worrall (2016), “The Communist Party has overseen an incredible surge of wealth in China in the past 35 years through old-fashioned capitalism”. This alone has help aid the development of what they have today.
Shinto

Write a 175- to 350-word summary of Shinto practices that still exist today.






















References:


Worrall, S. (2016). Why Is Confucius Still Relevant Today? His Sound Bites Hold Up. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150325-confucius-china-asia-philosophy-communist-party-ngbooktalk/