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Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are among the most influential Asian philosophies, and they all happened to influence China in particular. From China, they spread to Korea and Japan together with the writing system, which had a noticeable impact on their cultures. Although the degree of spirituality of the philosophies varies, they laid the foundation for the way Asian people think and act. This essay will compare the philosophies to one another, highlight their similarities and unique features.
The first pair of philosophies that will be analyzed is Taoism and Confucianism, as they are both originally from China. They appeared around the same time, before the Warring Period, and tried to provide the answer as to how a person should live. Both philosophies valued humility, with Confucianism focusing on the child humility, and had a spiritual element, which allowed to them to become religions ( Confucius and Confucianism 00:03:10-00:03:35; Taoism. The Philosophy of Flow 00:03:10-00:03:23). However, Confucianism has a practical element in it, as one of its central questions is how to be a good ruler, and the remaining energy should be spent on that ( Confucius and Confucianism ). Meanwhile, Taoism values non-action, the process over the result, and has a mostly spiritual approach to existing ( Taoism. The Philosophy of Flow ). Overall, despite sharing some similarities, the two philosophies are quite different, but both focus on reaching the golden balance.
The next pair of philosophies that will be compared are Taoism and Buddhism, which are both highly spiritual. They are similar in their emphasis on focus, which allows a Buddhist to reach Nirvana and a Taoist to perform a task at hand ( Taoism. The Philosophy of Flow 00:03:33; What is Buddhism? What Do Buddhists Believe? 00:04:50-00:04:55). The ways to achieve the focus are different for the two, as Buddhism offers deliberate steps to it (Eightfold Path), while Taoism finds virtue in non-action, which is a simpler and more approachable way. However, Buddhism promotes non-violence as one of the steps, and it might be similar to non-action from Taoism ( What is Buddhism? What Do Buddhists Believe? 00:01:23-00:01:30). In general, the two philosophies are spiritual, but they offer different ways to come in touch with ones inner concentration.
It may appear that Confucianism and Buddhism do not have anything in common, but there are some points that connect them. Those points are hidden within the Eightfold Part, which partially mirrors Confucianism. They both focus on the right speech, especially the absence of rudeness, and the right livelihood, although both have different definitions of what it means ( Confucius and Confucianism 00:03:42-00:04:12; What is Buddhism? What Do Buddhists Believe? ). For a Buddhist, the right livelihood would probably mean possessing only essential things, leading an ascetic lifestyle, while a follower of Confucianism would still be attached to material things. After all, Buddhism is entirely spiritual, and Confucianism strives to have practical use.
In conclusion, the three philosophies discussed in this paper have some similarities and differences that have shaped the Asian way of behaving. They are all similar in a way that they offer a virtuous way of living that can lead one to achieve something, but their ways are unique. Still, Asian countries allowed them to co-exist and influence one another, and what one might consider a bad feature of an Asian persons behavior might be a virtue according to one of the philosophies.
Works Cited
Confucius and Confucianism. YouTube, uploaded by Khan Academy. 2017, Web.
Taoism. The Philosophy of Flow. YouTube, uploaded by Einzelgänger. 2019, Web.
What is Buddhism? What Do Buddhists Believe? YouTube, uploaded by I Am Your Target Demographic. 2019, Web.
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