Confucianism vs Taoism Essay - 953 Words

The Teachings of Confucius versus the Tao Te Ching The teachings of Confucius and the Tao Te Ching are two important schools of thought in China. In Confucius’s Analects, he talks mostly of political and social issues and also speaks about how people must govern by following rules and displaying virtuous qualities such as honesty and integrity. Lao Zi on the other hand talks of how the world has a propensity towards balancing itself and that people should govern by â€Å"going with the flow† while the cosmos sort out the events of life. He also mentions that people should have a detachment from many things in life such as material objects. Ultimately, the main difference between the Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Confucius is that the Tao†¦show more content†¦Overall, the method of governing mentioned by Confucius involves worldly actions while Laozi’s method involves inaction and faith in an otherworldly force to sort issues out. The film Confucius was released in 2010 starring Chow Yun Fat. Given that Chow is a â€Å"superstar,† his casting tends to overshadow the verisimilitude of the film. For example, much of Confucius’ personal life in the film is fictionalized as we are introduced to his wife and daughter. Similarly, a scene in the movie is dedicated to the legendary meeting between Confucius and Lao Zi in which Confucius asks for and gets advice. †¦ [clip three at 17:30]. The scene is a bit romanticized though because it features Confucius and Lao Zi meeting on a mountain above clouds. Nevertheless, this scene reflects the ideas of Confucius as a scholar that believes in governing by morality and Lao Zi as one that believes in governing by inaction. On the mountain, Lao Zi mentions that Confucius believes in acting through â€Å"rituals and benevolence† while Lao Zi himself has the belief that one should act by doing nothing and should gain an otherworldly detachment from things such as desire. He offers Confucius this insight but Confucius politely refuses, saying that he must â€Å"follow his own path† and describing Lao Zi’s ideas as too ethereal for him to follow (Clip 3). Their conversation illustrates the basis of these two men’s ideas. The film portrays Laozi as oneShow MoreRelatedConfucianism Vs Taoism1378 Words   |  6 Pages Confucianism and Taoism are some of the major religions in China. They have greatly influenced the culture of the Chinese people as well as their world view. The connection between the two religions has influenced many people over time. It can also be said that when the principles of both philosophies are put together, the outcome is a well-rounded person. 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