In the last few decades many in the West have looked askance at their stressful materialistic lives and turned to the East for answers. We try out yoga and mindfulness retreats. We study the interior decorating theories of Feng Shui (according to which we learn that the bed shouldn’t be aligned with door since the dead used to be carried out of the door feet first). Marie Kondo (Konmari) is now a household name standing for joy-driven minimalism. And many have been attracted to Oriental religions. Let’s take a quick look here at the three of them.
Buddhism
Gautama Buddha lived in India 2500 years ago. Gautama sat in the shade of a banyan tree at Bodh Gaya and became enlightened, attaining “nirvana” – becoming free from the world and thus would not be reborn. His teachings (the “dharma” – a term we remember from “Lost”) include the rather stoic observation that “all life involves suffering” and “the cause of suffering is desire and attachment”. He stood against harming living animals (many Buddhists are vegetarian) and advocated avoiding alcohol and drugs, though I don’t think so many Buddhists are teetotal. His teachings were collected in the “Tipitaka”, and eventually found their way away from India (which is not particularly Buddhist any more – the only reason the Dalai Lama is in India is because he isn’t safe in Tibet) to the Far East in two broad forms:
- “Therevada Buddhism” in SE Asia, following Buddha’s original teachings closely
- “Mahayana Buddhism” in China and Japan, including Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Zen Buddhism (the top image is of the Thrangu Tashi Chöling Monastery in Nepal)
Buddhism subscribes to reincarnation. The root of unhappiness is selfish desire, and the aim should be to liberate ourselves from passion and selfishness which keeps us tied to the “wheel of rebirth”.
The pagoda is often associated with Buddhism, but is clearly a Far Eastern architectural form. Another icon of Buddhism is the lotus flower – its roots are in pond mud, but the flower represents enlightenment.
Buddha’s comment that “women are full of passion, envious, stupid, that is why they have no place in public assemblies, do not carry on business…” is surely an embarrassment for anyone claiming his true enlightenment.
In Japan, there are a number of sects (denominations):
- Zen (and some others) of Chinese origin
- Nichiren, Shin and Jo’do are Japanese sects from the 13th century
The Nichiren school of Buddhism is based on the invocation “namu myo’ho’ renge kyo” which was revealed by the Japanese Buddhist teacher Nichiren on the 28th April 1253. The purpose of chanting this “daimoku” (mantra) is to achieve Buddhahood, ie to attain perfect and complete awakening. The phrase means something like “devotion – mystic law – lotusflower – rhythm”. The “gohonzon” is the object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism. It can be any object like a statue or a painted scroll. In private settings, gohonzons are enshrined in an altar called a “butsudan” (“Buddha platform”).
Confucianism
China’s national character was formed by two figures in the 6th century BC, Confucius and Lao-tzu.
Confucius is written 孔夫子, and pronounced “Kǒng Fūzǐ” (in pinyin). The “zi” suffix means ‘master’, “–ius” is confusingly a Latin noun ending. Confucianism is really a deeply conservative philosophy rather than a religion. Confucius was a historian, encyclopaedia compiler and a poet in his own right. The enduring philosophy that bears his name has two parts to it:
- “be good” – the golden rule of “do not do to others what you do not wish done to you”. As far as we know, the best instincts of humanity were recorded around the same time in the World, from Buddhism, Confucianism and the Jewish 10 commandments! Confucius urges us to become a ‘gentleman’, the moral and intelligent perfect man (“junzi” in Chinese)
- “respect the family” – of utmost importance was the concept of “xiaojing”, translated as “filial piety”, meaning children showing respect to their parents. However, the one child policy of many years made some children the spoilt ones, being fussed over by their families
Taoism
Lao-tzu wrote the foundational text for Tao, the preferred religion in Southern China. It is written “道教” (Dàojiào), the first character meaning “way, path” (pronounced with the 4th falling tone), and the second character meaning “guide, lead” (pronounced with the 3rd dipping tone). According to Taoism, the earth and universe regulate themselves according to certain eternal principles (it’s quite ecological). There are many important concepts, from minimalism to “wúwéi”, meaning acting naturally and not interfering with the process of life – nothing should be forced. A person should let things happen rather than try to control events. This sounds rather like Stoicism. And of course there are the opposing forces of yin (darkness, femininity, passivity, nurture) and yang (brightness, masculinity, dynamism) in the universe. We should strive to balance these two categories to achieve harmony in all aspects of our lives.
