The Dao of
Confucianism,
Daoism, and Chinese
Buddhism
Mary I. Bockover
Professor of Philosophy
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California 95521
U.S.A.
12.25.07
The Traditional Tri-part Chinese Dao:
The Way of Heaven, Humanity, & Earth
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Tian: “Heaven”
Ren: Humanity
Kun: Earth
The way of heaven (tiandao), the way of humanity
(rendao), and the way of earth (kundao), are different -more or less rarified -- aspects of the same “universe”,
more accurately conceived as a way of change.
The Rendao of Confucius:
A Spiritual Account of Humanity
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Li: the rituals, customs, or conventions that
serve as vehicles for ren or human goodness (li
is also rites, propriety, normative conduct,
civility)
Ren: the goodness of the human spirit
expressed by li (ren is also benevolence,
nobility, authority, ideal humanity)
De: the power of the human spirit to create
goodness in the world (a moral/spiritual force)
Rendao: The way of humanity is noble or great
to the degree that it is aligned with the great way
of heaven
Confucius (Kongfuzi) of the
Analects (Lunyu)
Just as the way of heaven, humanity, and
earth are different aspects of the same
“way” or “ultimate reality”, li and ren are
different aspects of the same ideal human
reality: that of harmonious interaction.
Confucius
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Li draws our attention more to the social or
conventional aspects of benevolent human
conduct
Ren draws our attention more to the moral
and spiritual aspects of that conduct
Together, they comprise a social - moral spiritual human phenomena that can only
be reduced for the purposes of analysis
Confucius
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What it means to be a person: a relational
or social reality that begins with “what is
near” (see 6:28 of the Analects, the
Confucian “Golden Rule”)
To be an “individual” is to be a locus or
starting point for developing humanity
Not to be an autonomous, independent,
self-legislating (exclusively rational) agent
Confucius
The Five Basic Confucian Relations
1) Father - son
2) Older - younger brother
3) Husband - wife
4) Ruler - subject
5) Benefactor - beneficiary (teacher - student)
Confucius
The Five Basic Confucian Relations
Today
1) Parent - child
2) Older - younger sibling (relation)
3) Partner - Partner
4) Official - citizen
5) Person - Person
Confucius
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To be a person is to stand in meaningful
relation with others; to increase humanity
through one’s aims, actions, and interactions
with others
A function of development or cultivation; a
social achievement that points to our
interdependency as persons
To be a good person is to align one’s will with
the greater way of heaven, and to act as a
vessel of that greatness; we can make the
way great!
To be a person is to be responsible to others,
and to the great way of heaven itself
Daoism
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The “Way” is recast in light of the fact that
the way of humanity had been lost (the
warring states period)
The traditional tri-part dao is redefined as
the way of earth (kun), the way of heaven
(tian), and the Way (if it must be named)
Daodejing: “The Way and It’s Power”
by Laozi
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Dao: the ineffable way of life, pattern of the
world, source of all that is (and is not); from the
one came the two (yin - yang) and from the two
came… the 10,000 things (wan or “everything”)
De: the power, potency, or “virtue” of dao;
reflected in action so excellent, balanced, and
harmonious that it seems to be “no action” at all
Wuwei: actionless activity or non-ado
Laozi and The Way of Nature
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Laozi used nature as the model of this way
of beauty, grace, balance, and ultimately
complete “metaphysical” harmony
Dao or “what is not” gave birth to “what is”
in the form of nature and the primal forces
that transform it
And back to dao all that it creates will
return (as a natural part of this process)
Laozi’s Daoism
Yang
Yin
“What Is”
“What Is Not”
Light
Dark
Masculine
Feminine
Creative
Receptive
Active
Non-action
Heaven
Earth
Life
Death
Some other Yin Images
from the Daodejing
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Mother or Mysterious Feminine
Infant
Uncarved Block or Raw Silk
Water
Breath, Vapor, or “Vital Energy” (qi)
Tailor, Warrior, Charioteer… does little
cutting, fighting, and does not rush ahead,
respectively
Zhuangzi
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Presented a more “metaphysical”
encounter; a spiritual and deeply probing
evocation into the mystery of “reality”
Focused on the role of death, uncertainty,
and transformation in a profound way
Challenged (like Laozi) the role of
language and human experience in
understanding Dao -- the way of the
“Great Universe” or “Ultimate Reality”
From the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)
Chuang Tzu’s wife died and Hui Tzu went to offer his condolence.
He found Chuang Tzu squatting on the ground and singing,
beating on an earthen bowl. He said, “Someone has lived with
you, raised children for you and now she has aged and died. Is
it not enough that you should not shed a tear? But now you sing
and beat the bowl. Is this not too much?”
“No,” replied Chuang Tzu. “When she died, how could I help being
affected? But as I think the matter over, I realize that originally
she had no life; and not only no life, she had no form; not only
no form, she had no material force (chi, qi). In the limbo of
existence and non-existence, there was transformation and the
material force was evolved. The material force was transformed
to be form, form was transformed to become life, and now birth
has transformed to become death. This is like the rotation of the
four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter. Now she lies
asleep in the great house (the universe). For me to go about
weeping and wailing would be to show my ignorance of destiny.
Therefore, I desist.” (ch. 18, 6:31b-32a; Wing Tsit Chan)
Daoism
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The Way is so great that it defies human
understanding (words, ideas, distinctions)
The Way is change itself, the source of all that
exists (“what is” & “what is not”) -- the primal
forces that allow for further transformation, e.g.,
from the first moments of life, until death, and
beyond…
The Way is mystical, magical, and perfect: a
spiritual reality that eludes identification
Chinese Buddhism
The Way of Chinese Buddhism is a middle
way: a path (8-fold) away from “suffering”
(dukkha) and toward abiding joy (nirvana).
Brought to China from India, the middle
way, as a general practice, sought to avoid
the pitfalls of living according to false
views (false dichotomies)...
One False Dichotomy that Gave
Rise to the Need for a Middle
Way
Essentialism
Materialism
Brahman: “God”
There is no God
Atman: “The Soul”
There is no Soul
The Divine is the only true
or Ultimate Reality:
Literally, there is nothing but
material realities:
Unchanging
Ever-changing unto death
Eternal (no beginning or
end); Permanent
Finite (with beginning and
end); Impermanent
With, and without
Qualities
Always with (material)
qualities only
The Middle Way:
Philosophically Conceived
“Reality” is Neither “Essential” Nor “Material”
(as Traditionally Conceived)
There is no God: But there is Divinity (the Promise of Abiding Joy)
There is no Soul: But there is Spirituality (Dependent Origination)
“Spiritual” and “Material Realities” are:
Neither only Ever-changing, nor only Finite, ending in Death
All Qualities simply cannot be captured by the Traditional
Essentialist/Materialist -- Dichotomy
Dependent Origination
“Things” or “qualities” are what they are:
(1) only in relation to other things (and their
conditions of existence); e.g., the “self” consists
of the five skandhas of form, feelings,
perceptions, will, consciousness, that are also
interdependently conditioned),
and
(2) ultimately, in relation to the Great Dao, with
the promise of Nirvana or a condition of abiding
joy, free from suffering and death (free from the
cycle of samsara).
The General Truths that Follow
from Dependent Origination
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Annica: All Things are Transient, EverChanging, and Interdependently Conditioned
Anatta: Nothing has a Permanent, Unchanging
Soul
Sunya: Everything is Empty, or without an
Unchanging Essential Nature or Independent
Reality
The Fourfold Noble Truth of Existence
1)
2)
3)
4)
Ordinary Existence is dukkha, filled with
“suffering” and ultimately unsatisfactory.
Dukkha arises from attachment or selfish
desire (trishna or “thirst”).
Dukkha can be stopped, leading to a life of
nirvana or abiding joy.
The Middle Way: a practice that will remove dukkha by
removing the shackles of False Views, Immoral Conduct, and
Spiritual Immaturity (8-fold).
The Buddhist 8-Fold Path
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
right view
right intention
right speech
right behavior
right livelihood
right effort
right mindfulness
right concentration
WISDOM
(1 & 2)
MORAL CONDUCT COMPASSION
(3 - 5)
MENTAL - SPIRITUAL
DISCIPLINE
(7 & 8)
Chinese Buddhism
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The concept of Dependent Origination led to a new concept of
dharma: the conditions (or truths) of existence. Dharma was
formerly the calling to “do one’s duty” or fulfill one’s nature
(svadharma is caste-duty or the calling of one’s station), to make
spiritual progress on the path toward moksha or liberation from
samsara (the cycle of birth, death, rebirth, and redeath)
The Buddhist Dharma is the (fourfold) Noble Truth of Existence – the
conditions that bind all things to the cycle of samsara and the way to
be liberated from that cycle, which is the (Eightfold) Path or way
(dao) from suffering (dukkha), toward abiding joy (nirvana)
Karma is action and its necessary and appropriate consequences,
including across lifetimes, and good karma is action that leads to
spiritual progress by following the (eightfold) path of right living
Buddhism is a practical guide, or way for turning suffering into joy