Six ways of being religious

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Table of Contents

Introduction
A comparison of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

There are six ways of being religious (Cannon 4) that are known in the world today. The first is ritualism where in a religion certain practices are done in a specific way and the. right words are said at the right time. The second is Morality and it involves doing what is morally correct. Devotion is the third way. Devotion towards the supernatural is believed to bring salvation. Fourth is mysticism which is related to devotion, where people believe they can be connected to the divine in order to fulfill their emotional needs.

Intellectual inquiry is the fifth way of being religious. In this case, Individuals seek for answers concerning the ultimate reality. Individuals further seek answers about where they came from why they are here and what will happen next. The sixth way is shamanic mediation. In every religion there are special individuals who come in between the earthly and the heavenly. Many times they are healers and they also give spiritual guidance.

Confucianism is a religion believed to have begun by Confucius of 551-479 BC Confucius was a teacher and a philosopher who had studied Chinese literature where he constructed the Confucius beliefs (Trimarco 20). On the other hand, Buddhism is a religion that was led by Prince Gautama. This religion is based on the teachings of Buddha (Trimarco 25). Whereas Daoism which is also known as Taoism (Nadeau Para 20) is believed to have began around 200years BC. It is known that Lao Zi was the founder of Daoism.

He was believed to have supernatural powers such as magic and was a seer, besides being able to transform himself. This essay will focus on Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism Ultimate Reality and show how one could be involved in all the three religions. The six ways of being religious will be used in the analysis of Ultimate Reality.

A comparison of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism

Believers of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism do not have faith in many gods. (Nadeau Para 6) argued that Buddha refused that there was a god who was everlasting, knew everything and constant. He even denied the existence of Brahman also referred to as The Over soul who was from his native Hindu culture.

The Confucius has also negated the existence of the supernatural. To them, the belief in gods, ancestors and spirits is an effective way of controlling the behavior of common people. In Taoism, their leaders believe that there are gods. However these gods are inferior to the Taoism religious leaders. Just like the founder of Taoism, the leaders believe that they can control the spirits. They have conviction that they are superior.

Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were founded around the same period. They constitute some elements of Chinese tradition. They share history since they belong to the same region, the East. The central belief of the Confucius is the relationship between man and man (human being). While in Daoism, it is the relationship between man and his nature. In Buddhism, the relationship is an absolute separation of man from sufferings in this world.

The ultimate reality could cause one to be in Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism at the same time. Valea (Para 34) argued that, in Buddhism, the world today is as a result of transition factors and not due to a supernatural being and objects exist as the Ultimate Reality. To them the gods are temporary and resemble human being in discipleship. Therefore, Gods are not to be adored; they are not representatives of morals and they do not have the responsibility to bring joy.

According to Buddhist, the ultimate reality is an inspirational truth which explains the existence of human beings and the whole world. Buddhism considers the ultimate Reality to be the ultimate truth, which they refer to as “truth of emptiness” (Valea Para 36). In their doctrine, the mind and the body are empty. Furthermore “The doctrine of emptiness denies any kind of substantial ultimate reality and affirms that the world is to be seen as a web of interdependent and baseless phenomena” (Valea Para 37).

This emptiness is further categorized into three levels. The first is the Body of Buddha which is a symbol of emptiness. This is ultimate truth that rules the world. The second level is the body of Buddha which is the source of happiness. Those who devote themselves to Buddhism obtain peace. The third level is the body of Buddha which was revealed through Gautama.

In Daoism the Ultimate Reality is both the creator and the perpetual truth of the universe. Tao is responsible for everything that exist in this world both human and objects. Tao has two forms, the female and the male. The female represent darkness and weakness while the male represent the light and success. In addition Tao is the giver of knowledge. Devotion is made to the ancient Chinese deities (Valea Para 42)

Confucianism focuses on the ethics to improve social life. The Ultimate reality is the supremacy of the moral law and universal principles (Valea Para 45)

In all these religions, there was a founder of the religion. In Confucianism, Confucius was the founding father. In Daoism, Lao Zi began the religion where he wrote the scriptures for Taoism. In Buddhism Buddha was the initiator of the religion.

Conclusion

Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism are the most prominent religions in China. Individuals could easily practice all the three religions as they were founded around the same time. Their leaders were constitute history while some practices overlap in the three.

Works Cited

Cannon, Dale. W. Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies Of Religion. USA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1996.

Nadeau, Randall. Confucianism and Taoism: students Guide to World Religion. New York: Greenwood Press, 2011.

Trimarco, Genevieev. World Religions. Arcata, CA: University of Metaphysical Sciences, 2005. Web.

Valea, Ernest. The Ultimate Reality in World Religions. Web.

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Six ways of being religious

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