Journal 7 to 10

Journal 7
The Mayana is the doctrine of Atman that implies to all arising dharma (phenomenon). The sunyta is emptiness. The Theravada means doctrine of the elders. Hinayama means lesser vehicle. Mahayana is the great vehicle, it says do not give up what is important to you, just don’t attach to other things.

What attracts people to Buddhism?

Buddhist doctrine is enlightened for anyone.
It offers moksha, which is the release of the soul.

My thoughts:
Buddhism is something that a lot of people become attracted to. I’ve noticed that some people who watch and enjoy a lot of Asian cultural things may sometimes revert from their religion to Buddhism. People who watch Japanese animation become interested in Japanese Buddhism for a reason. Japanese and Chinese culture has become popular in the United States.

Theravada accepts the doctrines of Antman. Mahayana extends the doctrine to everything. Mahayana is split up into schools. These schools are the Madhyamika which cannot conduct in metaphysical reality and their ultimate reality is empty.
Schools:
a) Yogacara – idealist school, independently unveiled
b) Nichirin – a school in Japan
c) Zen – mature product of Chinese Taoism

Buddha emphasizes compassion for enlightment. Bodhisattva puts off Buddha in order to assist others to obtain Nirvana. Bodhisattva does not enter Nirvana though. The doctrine of Parinamana is the transfer of merit, you get what you deserve.

Important!
j/ren – humanity
j/ren j/ren – person of j/ren
chun tzu – game

Journal 8
Confucius believes than the jen ren equals goodness. He also believes in benevolence. Confucius uses fu-li to follow the rituals of society. First, what is fu-li? In Schubert’s lecture, fu stands for discipline or submission of self and li stands for ritual. So fu-li means the path that trend to ____.

Through Hsun Tzu, social relations are developed.
a) ruler/minister
b) father/son
c) older brother/younger brother
d) husband/wife
e) friend/friend

Hsun Tzu’s social relations are also in the modern time today. We have friends; we have a father and a mother. People become married. Some have younger brothers or sisters. The father/son relationship can also be like teacher/student relationship.
In the excerpts from Mo Tzu, human nature has different people thinking if it is good or bad. Mencius thinks it starts out good and ends to be good. Hsun Tzu thinks the human nature is evil or bad. Kao Tzu thinks it is neutral. All of them are Confucians. Also all of them think people can become good.

Analogical Arguments are used in Mo Tzu. Analogical arguments have a structure.
X, Y: things
A, B: properties (features)
The structure:
X has A
Y has B
X has B
Then Y has B

Mo Tzu describes the nature of man and a willow tree has righteousness and can become wooden cups and wicker baskets. They are not originally good and they require outside influence.

Journal 9
For an introduction of the new section of lectures that we will be studying I want to introduce Tao which is pronounced (Dao) and Te which is pronounced (Day). Tao is the world and its reality in its totality. The Te is one’s particular appropriate relationship to the world. Tao Te can also mean “what is our relationship to the world?”

In class I received a handout that tells more about the symbol of Tao. The character for Tao is composed of several ideograms. The square with two horizontal dashes inside it represents a head with little tuffs of hair on top, the head of a leader. It is combined with the marks of feet running and stopping, which is now written in modernized script, and means “to advance.” Together they symbolize the higher mind, along with the feet, advancing on the same path.

Everyone has noticed the yin-yang symbol on martial arts uniforms or Asian media. The symbol is not authentic. The yin and yang are two alternate premeditates. The world arises from the interplay of the yin and the yang. The yin and the yang also permit change. The yin can be described as the cloudy and the overcast. The yin is yielding. The yang can be described as banners waving in the wind. It can be known as the sun. It is firm and easy to be understood. The yin and yang can be described as the dark and light side of mountains or rivers.

Journal 10
Before we begin going through Tao Te Ching, we have to understand the way of the Chinese language. Without knowing how the Chinese language is written it is hard to understand and of Chaung Tzu or Tao Te Ching.

The Chinese language has many oral “dialects”, many of which are, in linguistic terms, full languages and can be as different as French is from German. Even those who may speak the same linguistic language, e.g. Cantonese, may have trouble understanding each other, similar to how people who speak the British English might have trouble understanding people who speak English in the deep Southern United States. In fact, sometimes a person from one village will have trouble understanding a person from a neighboring village in China.

In contrast to the diversity of oral languages, there is only one written Chinese language. No matter what oral dialect a person speaks, all literate Chinese people can understand the written Chinese language. So no matter where you go in China, if you know the written Chinese language, you can always communicate with the literal locals.

There are two forms of each character. There is traditional and simplified. The simplified characters are now the main use in the main lands and in classroom at Chinese schools. Unlike Western languages, Chinese does not have an alphabet. Each character represents a whole word or an idea. This is from another handout I received. It is true because in Southern China I went to a village and my dialect was a little different than the people speaking there.