Confusion

Below is a free term papers summary of the paper "Confusion." If you sign up, you can be reading the rest of this term papers in under two minutes. Registered users should login to view this term paper.

Term Paper Title	Confusion
# of Words	2001
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	8

confusion

[Category]:

Religion

[Paper Title]:

confusion

[Text]:

In the view of the Chinese common man, life on earth is but a temporary stop
on his journey to death and other reincarnations. Since death is viewed as
inexorable and inherent in the human condition, the Chinese accepts it with
composure. It was a common custom in China, especially in rural areas, for
people to have a coffin ready in their houses as a preparation for death that
may come ten or twenty years in the future. Well-to-do people used to build
their own tombs long before they felt they were approaching death. This
composure should not be construed as absence of sadness and regret. The Chinese
believe that, in spite of its seamy side, life is still better than death which
is shrouded in mystery. Death, for Chinese, does not mean total disappearance.
Only the corporeal frame is disintegrated, and the spirit survives and
perpetuates itself in a series of reincarnations. The belief of the survival of
the soul forms the spiritual basis for ancestor worship while the feeling of
gratitude ant affection for one's ancestors forms its moral foundation. Among
the Chinese, the honest man is born amidst traditions and rites; as an
adolescent, he seeks to improve himself through culture; and in maturity, he
aims at wisdom through following the spiritual path. This pattern is not an
abstract ideal but a way of life, which often leads to an attitude of tolerance
and detachment. The bulk of the Chinese people lived for centuries in this
environment of ancestral beliefs and religious doctrines.

Confucianism is more of a religious and social philosophy than a religion in
the accepted meaning of the word. It has no church, no clergy, and no Bible. It
advocates a code of social behavior that man ought to observe so as to live in
harmony with society and attain happiness in his individual life. There is
little concern about death, the world beyond, and spiritual feelings in this
religion. Confucius, or Kung Fu-tzo (551-479 B.C.), the founder of this
religion, stressed the improvement of the moral self as the basic duty of the
individual as well as the statesman. In order to rule the world, one must rule
one's country; in order to rule the country, one must rule one's family; and in
order to rule the family, one must have control of oneself. Consequently, the
improvement of the moral self is the cornerstone of Confucianism. Confucius
believed that man is born with an essentially good nature which b...

This is not the end of the termpaper! Register below to see the complete version of this term paper.

Membership Plans	Credit Card	Check

1 month membership

3 month membership (You Save 50%)

6 month membership (You Save 67%)

Copyright © 2002-2007 Mid Term Papers. All rights reserved. This term papers website is used for research purposes only.
If you have forgotten your username or password, please click here.
If you like to cancel your account, please click here.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22