Class of October 24th, 2011

Today we started a new chapter: China and Japan. We are now studying Daoism. We took notes on the book pages all of class and answered the question. New vocab is:

Yang: In China, the male side of the Dao. It is exemplified in bright, warm, and dry conditions. Its opposite is the Yin, the female side of the Dao.

Yin: In China, the female side of the Dao. It is exemplified in dark, cool, and moist conditions. Its opposite is Yang, the male side of the Dao.

Dao (Tao): In China or in Daoism, the path, course, or way of the universe. Although its influence is in nature, the eternal Dao is believed to be hidden from empirical experience.

Yijing (I Ching): An ancient book of China that assists people in deciding how to plan their lives in accord with the forces of the universe. The Yijing influenced both Daoism and Confucianism.

Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching): The Way and Its Power. A book attributed to Laozi, founder of Daoism.

Daoists (Taoists): Followers of a philosophy or religion expressed in the Dao De Jing, attributed to Laozi, a sage of ancient China.

Laozi (Lao Tzu): The sage of China believed to have been the author of the Dao De Jin. He is regarded as the founder of Daoism.

Wuwei: the Daoist principle of accomplishing tasks without assertion. Individuals in harmony with the flow of the Dao can accomplish more than individuals who assert themselves.

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu): A later Daosit. Zhuangzi wrote, in part, to distinguish Daoism from Confucianism.

Shang Di: In China, the lord of heaven. Ancestors are believed to be obedient to Shang Di as living persons are to the emperor.

Jade Emperor: A mythical emperor of ancient China. In 1012 C.E., the emperor (Chen Tsung), claimed to have received revelation from Huang Di, the Jade Emperor.

Zaoshen (Tsao Shen): In Daoism, the god of the stove. The stove was essential in family life and in the work of the Daoist alchemists.

Three Purities: In China, three deities of Daosim: Ling Bao, the Jade Emperor, and Laozi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuGouNqFVK8

Taixi: In Daoism, the art of embryonic breathing, a method of holding one’s breath in contemplation.

Shouyi: In Daoism, to preserve the One or to meditate on the One. It includes methods of meditation on the One.