3 Paths of Faith/Philosophers
People in ancient China were always trying to decide on the best way to live life and the best way to control the empire. Some people even dedicated their whole life to sharing their ideas or philosophy of living. Today we call these people philosophers. In ancient China, three important ideas were shared on how people should live. These were called the Three Paths of Faith. These three ideas were started by three different people.
Three important thinkers (philosophers) in China were:
Laozi (Lowd-Zoo) - Daoism
Siddharta Guatama - Buddha
Confucius was a great thinker and teacher. He thought every individual needed to understand and accept his or her job or duty in life. Doing your job would allow the whole empire to be successful. Confucius taught that one must also put the needs of others before their own. Treating people with respect and kindness were important. Simple ideas like honoring your promises, working hard to improve, and treating others like you want to be treated were important to Confucius. He believed in the Golden Rule. He said "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Confucius also encouraged people to seek education and knowledge. Education would make you a better person. Eventually, his ideas were written in books. One, called the Analects, has many of his famous sayings. They are still popular throughout the world today.
Daoism is another philosophy from ancient China. It came from a man named Laozi (Lowd-Zoo). Daoism taught that nature was the path to happiness. Turning to nature and living in harmony will help people be happier. The balance of opposites also keeps the world in order - like the balance of day and night and sun and rain. This is shown in the yin-yang symbol. Daoism focuses on the inner peace a person has and to seek peace within yourself. Kind of like meditation or relying on yourself to make you happy. His famous writings were called The Book of the Way. One popular quote from Daoism is that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with just a single step."
The Buddha also known as Siddhartha Gautama was a prince who lived thousands of years ago. He was raised in luxury because his parents were rich, but he was still not happy. One day he met a monk. A monk is a person who gives up all his belongings to focus on prayer. Siddhartha decided to do the same. He left the palace and lived a whole different life. He prayed and gave up all his possessions. He also fasted or did not eat very much. He thought this helped him find the answers and meaning to life. After years of searching, he taught others what he had learned about true happiness. Buddha thought one must give up what they want to be truly happy. Buddha told others that if you give up your worries and what you want, it will lead you to your true happiness. Buddhism teaches that living a more simple life is the best. The path to happiness is a middle path which means not too much and not too little.
ALL 3 of these ideas are still popular today and have spread to other parts of the world from China. Some people just take the ideas they like from each one to follow.
Place the FOUR correct bullets in each box on your study guide. We will watch the video below of "cartoon girl" talking about these ideas after our notes are done.