Review of the 3 philosophies of
China and analyze quotes as a
primary source documents
Cornell Notes: 3 philosophies of China
Buddhism:
Summary:
Taoism:
Summary:
Confucianism:
Summary:
•Buddhism teaches …
•In order to get rid of pain…
Buddhism
Buddhism teaches that people suffer in life because
they have desires, or things that they want. People
have pain in their life because they want things.
When people die, they are born again and again to
suffer and have pain. Buddhism says that in order to
get rid of pain and suffering in life, one has to get rid
of wanting and desiring things.
The Buddha wanted people to live a life called the
“Middle Way”. The Middle Way involved being kind
to others and making others happy, and working
hard to get rid of wanting and desiring things too
much.
Summary ( write it down )
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Buddhism teaches that there is suffering in life.
Buddhism states that there is a way out of this
suffering.
Buddhists believe in being kind to others and
working hard to get rid of desires and wants.
Taoism or Daoism – [one for each paragraph]
According to legend, Taoism was started by a person
named Lao Tzu. It’s a legend because no one really
knows for sure if Lao Tzu was even really a person –
it’s possible that somebody made his name up.
Taoism teaches that a person should not get involved in
things like government or politics or war. According to
Taoism, a person should live a simple life, not trying to
control things that they cannot control.
The goal of a person that believes in Taoism is to achieve
“the Tao”. It is hard to translate into English exactly
what “Tao” means, but one can think of it as “balance”.
A Taoist was supposed to live a balanced life.
Taoism Summary

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Taoism was founded by a person named Lao
Tzu.
Taoism teaches that people should live a
simple, balanced life.
The goal of Taoists is to achieve a goal called
the “Tao” - balance.
Confucianism – [1 note from the first, 2 from the second]
Confucianism is a set of ideas that were first taught by a teacher
named Confucius. According to history, Confucius lived around the
400’s BC. He believed that if a ruler followed his ideas, he could
create a perfect country.
There are two main parts of Confucius' teachings. First, Confucianism
teaches that every person has a place, or level in society. A person
should act and behave in a certain way according to their place in
society, and were supposed to respect people both above them –
such as children for their parents. Secondly, Confucianism states
that a person who becomes better educated can become a better
person and rise up in society, and they should always try to become
better.
Confucianism
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Confucianism was founded by a person named
Confucius.
Confucianism teaches that a person's level in
society determined how they should act, and
that they should respect people above them..
Confucianism states that a person who is better
educated can become a better person.
Now let’s see how well you
understood the 3 philosophies
• You will be given 6 quotes – 6 primary sources
from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Buddha
• You will work with a partner to analyze the
quote, determine the meaning of the quote and
figure out who said it.
• Then you will answer the questions using IQIA
Quote #1
“Success depends upon previous preparation, and
without such preparation there is sure to be
failure.”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Quote # 2
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won
by those who let it go. But when you try and try.
The world is beyond the winning.”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Quote # 3
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous
changes. Don't resist them - that only creates
sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow
naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Quote #4
“Without feelings of respect, what is there to
distinguish men from beasts?”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Quote 5
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the
future, concentrate the mind on the present
moment.”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Quote 6
“Do not overrate what you have received, nor
envy others. He who envies others does not
obtain peace of mind.”
1. Copy the quote
2. Identify which philosopher might say it.
3. What does the quote mean?
4. Hypothesize why did the author said it?
Chinese Philosophies Project:
Foldable=30 pts and Essay=100 pts (100pts)
The assignment: You will create a foldable using 3 different
philosophies from China: Buddhism, Confucianism, and
Daoism( Taoism) .
Each philosophy must have a neat, colored, and detailed
drawings as well as explanations of who founded the
religion and what the major believes or principles are.
Then you will write a letter to the emperor Kublai Khan (5
paragraph essay) to justify which philosophy should
be adopted for China and why. Remember to have 3
reasons to convince him to adopt the philosophy.
Remember to use evidence from the text, including the
quotes and lots of details to describe your reasons.