Chinese Traditional Religion Essay Example for Free

Chinese Traditional Religion Essay Religious practice in China today has elements as old as the Shang and Zhou dynasties and, dating from the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE), is marked syncretism–the combining of different forms of belief or practice. A good example is the construction of temple altars. It’s not uncommon to find Buddhist and Confucian figures in a Daoist temple. Nor is it extraordinary to see a self-professed Buddhist offer incense at a Daoist temple to a historical figure known for his Confucian virtues. China has been a multi-religion country since the ancient times. It is well known that Confucianism is an indigenous religion and is the soul of Chinese culture, which enjoyed popular support among people and even became the guiding ideology for feudalism society, but it did not develop into a national belief. It makes the culture more tolerant to others, thus, many other religions have been brought into the country in different dynasties, but none of them developed powerful enough in the history of China and they only provide diverse people more spiritual support. Confucianism, not a real religion, is just an ethical and philosophical system, which developed from Confucius’ thoughts and later was treated as a kind of belief to educate common people. Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (Master Kong, 551–479 BC). The Confucius’ teachings contained the beginning of a system of thought and behavior that developed into a sophisticated ethico-religious tradition. Confucianism was adopted by the Han dynasty (206 B. C.E-220 C. E. ) as the intellectual basis for its system of government and its educational program for training officials. Confucius emphasized principles for self-guidance. The key to producing a harmonious life, he wrote, is in how we treat others–our ancestors, leaders, parents, spouses, neighbors, and friends. Two other concepts that were predominant in Confucius’s worldview were Tian (Heaven) and Dao (Way). His heaven represented a celestial power connected with the will of mighty ancestors, such as the widely known Yao, Shun, and Yu. The Way, on the other hand, constituted a natural path for humanity. Whereas Heaven emphasized choice, the Way required a yielding heart-mind (xin); both were crucial for achieving harmony in the earthly realm. Daoism is one of China’s major religions indigenous to the country. The primary belief is in learning and practicing â€Å"The Way† (Dao) which is the ultimate truth to the universe. Also known as Taoism, Daoism traces its roots to 6th Century BC Chinese philosopher Laozi wrote the iconic book Dao De Jing on the tenets of the Dao. In the 1,800 years, Taoism influenced the local culture deeply, especially on traditional medicine and literature. Based on some theories of alchemists such as Wei Boyang in Eastern Han Dynasty, different kinds of medicine prescriptions were created by Sun Simiao and many other doctors. In literature, many fictional characters are closely related with Taoism, such as the Jade Emperor. Their philosophies, though, are like two sides of a coin. Laozi emphasized harmony with the Dao–a referent to something that cannot be named–in order to achieve balance in life. To assist this process, Laozi taught his followers the concepts of non-action (wuwei) and shade and light (yin/yang–primordial, dynamic balancing of opposites). The principle of non-action meant that one should discern the natural course of things and cooperate with that movement. The teachings of Laozi and Confucius were not incorporated into a religious movement until the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The result was a mix of philosophy and religion. Over the centuries that followed, both Confucianism (Rujiao—the teachings of the scholars) and Daoism (Daojiao—the teaching of the Way) developed elaborate rituals and sacred writings. To this day the philosophies of Laozi and Confucius, and the religious movements their lives and teachings inspired, exist in vibrant forms in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese culture as well. When first introduced, Buddhism faced competition from followers of Daoism. While Daoism (also called Taoism) is as old as Buddhism, Daoism was indigenous to China. Daoists do not view life as suffering. They believe in an ordered society and strict morality, but they also hold strong mystical beliefs such as ultimate transformation, where the soul lives after death and travels to the world of the immortals. Because the two beliefs were so competitive, many teachers from both sides borrowed from the other. Today many Chinese believe in elements from both schools of thought. Buddhisms popularity, led to the quick conversion to Buddhism by later Chinese rulers. The subsequent Sui and Tang Dynasties all adopted Buddhism as their religion. The religion was also used by foreign rulers of China, such as the Yuan Dynasty and the Manchus, to connect with the Chinese and justify their rule. The Machus strived to draw a parallel between Buddhism. a foreign religion, and their own reign as foreign leaders. Despite Chinas shift to atheism after the Communists took control of China in 1949, Buddhism continued to grow in China, especially after the economic reforms in the 1980s. Today there are an estimated 100 million followers of Buddhism in China and over 20,000 Buddhist temples. It is the largest religion in China. For most people in China, there is no problem with mixing religious practices. Unlike some other cultures, where religious syncretism and even tolerance are viewed with skepticism or condemnation, the Chinese have always had the ability to select the religious practices and teachings that work best for them at the moment. If a certain deity doesn’t answer a supplicant’s petition, then it’s on to the next temple and deity. In general religious pluralism simply adds to the many options from which the Chinese can choose on their journey toward a harmonious life.

Intriguing Use of Plot in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay

Intriguing Use of Plot in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily The plotline of standard narratives would most aptly be diagramed as a triangle, with the rising action on one side, the falling action on the other side, and the climax marking the angle at the apex. The diagram of the plotline of William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," however, would look like a simple line with a positive slope. The story's chronology is abandoned in favor of a simpler and more effective geometry. Faulkner discards the method of unfolding events in the order of their occurrence. Instead, he raises tension in the reader and creates a climate of curiosity through revealing events in ascending order of intrigue. The beginning of Faulkner's story is the end for Miss Emily. Faulkner presents images of the townspeople dutifully attending the funeral of this fallen fixture. As soon as the reader becomes acclimated to this setting, however, Faulkner subtly takes the reader back in time: "Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Satoris, the mayor, [. . .] remitted her taxes" (Faulkner 75). Faulkner inserts exposition into the middle of what was a section of falling action. Rather than returning the reader to the scene of Miss Emily's funeral, Faulkner trudges forward from 1894, bringing the reader up to date on the issue of Miss Emily's taxes. While explaining the exemption from taxes in Jefferson that Miss Emily enjoyed, Faulkner craftily incorporates the fact that Miss Emily "ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier" (76). Miss Emily is now dead, having refused to pay her taxes and having retired from her china-painting t... ...horrifying truth of Miss Emily's murder of Homer Barron for the final section of the story, and introducing Emily's necrophilia in the story's closing sentence, speaks volumes about Faulkner's abilities in his craft. He has successfully arranged the events of a disturbed woman's life to present them in order of interest and excitement rather than in traditional chronological order. This use of plot enables Faulkner to write a great ghost story, because a ghost story needs to end on this kind of high note. Faulkner creates a plot line that resembles the upper line of a crescendo, a graph of emotional tension that starts at the lowest of points and travels steadily upward to the highest of human horrors. Works Cited Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Comp. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002. 75-81.

Case Presentation “Please Dont Let Me Die” Essay

The ethical principal showcased in this case presentation was beneficence. The nurses were not thinking beneficially of the resident in any aspect of their practice. A professional nurse would not consider leaving a floor with only three nursing assistants to care for 100 patients. The nursing assistants do not have the authority to manage a floor, the license to ensure patient care, nor do they possess the required knowledge to assess patients or delegate tasks. The institutional constraint would be the state of severe understaffing. For a facility of one hundred patients to be cared for by only three nurses significantly lowers the standard of care. According to a chart in the Journal of Scholarly Nursing (2010), Ohio standards are to have a ratio of one licensed nurse to every fifteen direct care patients in a nursing home facility (p 91). This presentation, even with the ten additional nursing assistants, was still understaffed with these standards. Although understaffed, the nurses are culpable because the patient was not thoroughly assessed. As a part of the scope and standard of nursing, an assessment would have revealed the need for a focused assessment. The focused assessment would have directed the nurses to signs and symptoms of the bowel obstruction, or led to further investigation. Provision Six is associated with the presentation in that it is essentially concentrating on ethical decision making in the workplace. Stated in Provision Six (2010), â€Å"Professional nurses make decisions that significantly affect the lives of others on a daily basis† (p.72). The nurses caring for Loren Richards should have used Provision Six in deciding when to take a break. There are several characteristics I would have changed about the presentation. Firstly, none of the nurses voiced the aversion for the short staffing. I feel strongly about this being a issue and would have mentioned something to management or the director of nursing. Secondly, the amount of professionals taking a break at the same time was exceptionally unethical. Scattering breaks throughout the shift would have been a more superior decision. Finally, pain is the fifth vital sign and when a patient is complaining, it is a nursing standard to assess. To add vomiting to his signs, and no action was taken, is complete contrary to my nursing practice. References Harrington, C., Choiniere, J., Goldmann, M., Jacobsen, F., Lloyd, L., McGregor, M., & †¦ Szebehely, M. (2012). Nursing Home Staffing Standards and Staffing Levels in Six Countries. Journal Of Nursing Scholarship, 44(1), 88-98. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01430.x Olson, L. (2010). Provision Six. In Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses (p. 72). Silver Spring , Maryland: nursesbooks.org.

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 2147 Words

The Duality of Humanity Often in situations regarding conflict, a question of morals arises. Conflict is reduced to a battle of â€Å"good versus evil† in order to make a distinction between options and determine an outcome. However, good and evil are not entirely separate entities within humans; rather, actions fall on a scale between the two extremes making the morality of such actions difficult to judge. The ability to separate the opposing forces of good and evil within an individual is a topic discussed extensively by Scottish author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson in his fictional novel â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde†. Stevenson also discusses the effects that class, appearance, and public opinion can have on the morality†¦show more content†¦Jekyll is drawn to an experiment concerning human nature both by his own belief â€Å"that man is not truly one, but truly two† (104) and his desire to indulge once again in the wilder as pects of life without the judgement of society. Anxious to experience a pleasure not afforded to a man of his class and reputation, Jekyll sets about using science to prove his theory of an individual being both moral and immoral. Jekyll, through this experiment, allows himself to experience the pure evil he believes lies within each person without fear of facing consequences socially or monetarily for his actions. Despite the chaos and wickedness of his actions when left unchecked by a moral figure, Jekyll maintains his conscience to a degree that he is aware that he must be stopped. Jekyll is seen constantly conflicted by his decisions, at war with his decision to partake in his social experiment. Choosing to die rather than allow the destruction caused by said experiment to continue, Jekyll commits suicide as an act of heroism that conveniently also salvages his reputation(Singh and Chakrabarti). In order for Jekyll to stop Hyde’s unruly and destructive behavior, he must not only kill Hyde but himself as well in the process. Jekyll’s conscience maintains the idea that while good, and evil are equipotent, good conquers evil due to the ability of conscience to recognize times in which wrongdoing crosses an unspoken line and take necessary precautions