ORIENTAL RELIGIONS By: Deocales, Omisol, Palanca,

Mendoza, Confessor
 ORIENTAL
RELIGION
• An introduction to the great religious traditions of the Orient,
including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism,
Shintoism, and some modern religious movements originating in
the East.
 OBJECTIVES
• To determine the different religions under the Oriental
Religions.
• To determine the different culture and traditions of each
religion.
• To determine the founder of the said religions.
• To determine the stand of the different religions.
 Confucianism
• The philosopher Confucius (or
Kongzi, c. 551 to c. 479 BCE) is
the recognized founder of
Confucianism, also referred to
as the Ru-jia doctrine or
School of Literati as it is
known by Western scholars.
Confucianism was developed in
China by Master Kong in 551-
479 BC, who was given the
name Confucius by Jesuit
missionaries who were
visiting there. However, the
fundamental principles of
Confucianism began before his
birth, during the Zhou
 Confucius was China’s most
famous Philosopher. He lived in
Ancient China during the Zhou
Dynasty.
 The Five Virtues of Confucius
• Li for ritual etiquette, manners, gravity
"Men's natures are alike, it is their habits that carry
them far apart.“
• Ren stands for Kindness to the fellow man
“Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses."
• Xin stands for truthfulness, faithfulness and sincerity
“The superior man is modest in his speech, but
exceeds in his actions”
• Yi for righteousness or honesty, generosity
of soul
“When we see men of a contrary
character, we should turn inwards and
examine ourselves”
• Xiao for filial piety, for strong family values
“The strength of a nation derives from the
integrity of the home”

“Chinese language is used in Confucianism.”

 Taoism
• The history of Taoism stretches throughout
Chinese history. Originating in prehistoric
China, it has exerted a powerful influence
over Chinese culture throughout the ages.
Taoism evolved in response to changing
times, with its doctrine and associated
practices being revised and refined.
 Background of
Religion
• Religious Taoism follows two main traditions. Each has a clear hierarchical and well-
organized structure with special headquarters, rules, guidelines, ordination rites and
registration procedures. The celestial masters (Tianshi or Zhengyi) - Temple
Daoism are centered in Taiwan
 Meaning of Taoism
• a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of
Lao-tzu ( fl. 6th century BC), advocating
humility and religious piety.
• is a Chinese word signifying 'way', 'path',
'route', 'road' or sometimes more loosely
'doctrine', 'principle' or 'holistic beliefs'.
 Nature of
Taoism
• Chinese philosophy to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world: simplicity
and selflessness in conformity with the Tao, leading a life of non-purposive action, a
life expressing the essence of spontaneity.. Taoism, also known as Daoism, arose about
the same time as Confucianism.
Sample Language
 Issues of Taoism

• Taoism's origins may be traced to prehistoric Chinese religions in

China; to the composition of the Tao Te Ching (3rd or 4th
century BCE); or to the activity of Zhang Daoling (2nd century
AD). Alternatively, one could argue that Taoism as a religious
identity only arose later, by way of contrast with the newly-arrived
religion of Buddhism, or with the fourth-century codification of
the Shangqing and Lingbao texts.
 Issues of Taoism

• Taoist architecture mainly refers to the Taoist

temple buildings, which basically consist of the
divine hall, the alter, the room for reading
sculptures and practicing asceticism, the living
room, the reception room for pilgrims, and the
park where visitors can have a rest
 Sacred of Taoism

• Tao-te Ching
• As stated earlier, the two most important of these
ancient texts are the Tao-te Ching and the Chuang-tzu. Since
the Tao-te Ching is believed to be the oldest and most
important of the Taoist texts, we'll start with it. The Tao-te
Ching is the chief text of Taoism. Tradition asserts
these texts were authored by Lao-tzu.
 HINDUISM
• Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many
scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000
years.
• Hinduism is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely
practised in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia.
• It’s difficult to trace its origins and history.
• The third-largest religion.
 FOUNDER OF
HINDUISM
• Actually, there is no single founder of
Hinduism as Hinduism was not founded as a
religion.
• It was a culture basically flourished in India.
 HINDU BELIEFS
• Hinduism embraces many religion.
• Most forms of Hinduism are HENOTHEISTIC
• Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara
• One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “ATMAN”
• The goal is to achieve “MOKSHA”
• Hindus strive to achieve dharma
• Hindus revere all living creatures and consider the cow a sacred animals.
 HINDUISM
SYMBOLS
TWO PRIMARY SYMBOLS: SWASTIKA AND OM
• Swastika means “GOOD FURTUNE” or “BEING
HAPPY in Sanskrit.
• OM symbol is composed of three Sanskrit letters and
represents three sounds(a, u and m)
• Found at family shrines and in Hindu templates
 HINDUISM HOLY BOOKS

• Hindus value many sacred writings as

opposed to one holy book.
• The primary sacred texts, know as
VEDAS, were composed around 1,500
B.C
 VEDAS ARE MADE UP OF

• The Rig veda

• The Samaveda
• Yajurveda
• Atharvaveda
 Origins of Hinduism
• Most scholars believe Hinduism started somewhere
between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley,
near modern-day Pakistan.
• Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to
the Indus Valley, and their language and culture blended
with that of the indigenous people living in the region.
 HINDU GODS
• Hindus worship many gods and
goddesses in addition to Brahman, who is
believed to be the supreme God force
present in all things.
 Some of the most prominent deities include:

• Brahma: the god responsible for the creation of the world and all living
things
• Vishnu: the god that preserves and protects the universe
• Shiva: the god that destroys the universe in order to recreate it
• Devi: the goddess that fights to restore dharma
• Krishna: the god of compassion, tenderness and love
• Lakshmi: the goddess of wealth and purity
• Saraswati: the goddess of learning
 BUDDHISM
• Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development
leading to Insight into the true nature of reality.
• Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing
yourself in order to develop the qualities of awareness,
kindness, and wisdom.
• Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator
god.
 FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM

• Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word ‘Buddha’ is a title,

which means ‘one who is awake’ in the sense of having ‘woken
up to reality’. The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in
Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a god or a
prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened,
understanding life in the deepest way possible.
 FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM

• Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a

small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border.
According to the traditional story he had a
privileged upbringing, but was jolted out of his
sheltered life on realizing that life includes the
harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death.
 BUDDHISM BELIEFS
• The ideals at the heart of Buddhism are collectively known as the ‘Three
Jewels’, or the ‘Three Treasures’. These are the Buddha (the yellow jewel),
the Dharma (the blue jewel), and the Sangha (the red jewel). It is by
making these the central principles of your life that you become a
Buddhist.
• Threefold Way of ethics, meditation, and wisdom.
• The Four Aryan (or Noble) Truths are perhaps the most basic
formulation of the Buddha’s teaching.
 FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

• All existence is dukkha. The word dukkha has been variously

translated as ‘suffering’, ‘anguish’, ‘pain’, or ‘unsatisfactoriness’.
• The cause of dukkha is craving. The natural human tendency is
to blame our difficulties on things outside ourselves. But the
Buddha says that their actual root is to be found in the mind
itself.
 FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS
• The cessation of dukkha comes with the cessation of craving. As we
are the ultimate cause of our difficulties, we are also the solution. We
cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our
responses.
• There is a path that leads from dukkha. Although the Buddha throws
responsibility back on to the individual he also taught methods
through which we can change ourselves, for example the Noble
Eightfold Path.
 NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

• Right Understanding or Perfect Vision

• Right Resolve or Perfect Emotion
• Right Speech or Perfect Speech
• Right Action or Perfect Action
 NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

• Right Livelihood or Perfect Livelihood

• Right Effort or Perfect Effort
• Right Mindfulness or Perfect Awareness
• Right Meditation or Perfect Samadhi
 PRACTICES

• MEDITATION
• REFLECTIONS
• RITUAL AND DEVOTION
• ETHICS
• MIND AND BODY
 CELEBRATIONS
• Buddha Day: the celebration of the Buddha’s Enlightenment (the full moon
of May/June)
• Dharma Day: the celebration of the Buddha’s teaching (the full moon of
July)
• Sangha Day: the celebration of spiritual community (the full moon of
November)
• Parinirvana Day: the death of the Buddha (in Triratna, the 15th of February)
 REINCARNATION
• Humans are essentially spiritual beings that possess eternal life and reincarnate many
times between the Real World and this world. We are never thrown into this world
accidentally; we are born into this Earth with a purpose and a mission.
Each time a soul reincarnates on earth as a human, it loses all memories of the Real
World and memories of its past lives on earth.
• Hell spirits are only able to reincarnate after they have reflected on the errors of their
own minds and have returned to heaven. Thus, everyone who is born on earth has
been reincarnated from heaven.