Buddhism and Confucianism

Buddhism and Confucianism share many similarities, such as their influence on Chinese society and also teaching their people to be virtuous. They do though, differ in their beliefs and on a fundamental point; Buddhism is spiritual, while Confucianism is entirely secular. Buddhism and Confucianism are parallel in several ways. First, as mentioned before, they both influenced Chinese society in a way. Buddhism influenced China by the improvements of landscape painting. Their belief teaches compassion, karma, reincarnation, meditation, enlightenment, and respect of Heaven and Earth. The influence of Buddhism grew o such an extent that vast amounts of finical and human resources were expended on the creation and establishment of impressive works of art and elaborate temples. This growing interest in Buddhism helped to inspire new ways of depicting deities, new types of architectural spaces in which to worship them, and new ritual motions and actions. Confucians influences the basis of society, family structure, and the government for thousands of years. Buddhism encourages a respect for life; in China it helped modify the cruel punishments call for under Legalism. Buddhism espoused respect for all forms of life. Buddhism encouraged the people to be charitable and monasteries became the cultural centers of learning and scholarship. On the other hand, Confucianism had a great impact on the Chinese civilization. It greatly influenced their attitude toward life and it also set their patterns of living and standards of social value. Because of their influence on Chinese society, Buddhism and Confucianism also taught their followers good conduct. The Buddha taught that nirvana, or union with the universal spirit, can be reached through an understanding of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, not through reincarnations from one cast to another. Confucianism taught that social order, harmony, and good government should be based on strong family relationships. Education was also important both to the welfare of an individual and to society and the respect to parents and elders were important to a well-ordered society, too While they may be similar on several levels, Confucianism and Buddhism can certainly be worlds apart in some aspects. One of them, and most important of all the differences, is the distinction between the secular and the spiritual. Confucianism, for one, is very spiritual, as it believes in the afterlife, the spirit that unties everything (Brahman), as well as believing the reincarnation. Even though Buddhism somewhat believe in reincarnation, they desperately try to avoid it, as they want to achieve Nirvana, or union with the universal spirit, which offers release from human suffering. Buddhists focus on minimizing or eliminating suffering. They try to master and reduce the desires and attachments that cause suffering. They are also very big on the cultivation of compassion towards all beings that can suffer. Confucianism, on the other hand, is entirely secular. Its followers devote their time solely to the principal of reciprocity and also the three essential values: Xiao, Ren, and Li. It also focuses mainly on the cultivation of character and human-heartedness, along with fulfilling ones duties to family and country. And because of their differences between their †¦.. t leads to their difference in their belief system. Buddhism is a religion while Confucianism is more of a philosophy. Confucianism believes that you should be improved by education and development of your character, while Buddhism belief is that there will always be negativity in life, and that all life has a lot of suffering in it. Therefore, you cannot change that. This is why Buddhists think reincarnation is a bad thing Also, the Confucians believed you need to understand the relationship with family, and to follow the five goals of Confucianism. The Buddhists had a totally different idea for this though†¦ they believe that you just need to follow behavior in the ways of the eightfold path As you can see Confucianism and Buddhism are very different, but at the same time they are very similar. Each belief has its unique view on basic beliefs, overall goals, goals of the individual believer, view of life, rules of behavior, views of society and influence on China. Even though some of the views are negative, it is the only way the people of that belief know.

Development Program for BMW & NETFLIX Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Development Program for BMW & NETFLIX - Essay Example One environmental concern the firm is trying to address is the environment. The employment of BMW Efficient Dynamics seeks to achieve compliance with the Kyoto protocol targets by designing the automobiles so that they consume less energy. The steps are as follows: production of highly efficient engines, active aerodynamics, and the use of lightweight materials and intelligent energy management within the vehicle. Also, in the medium term, it will seek to increase electrification of the drivetrain and hybridization. In the long term, it will be the use of hydrogen on a larger scale in combustion engines which generate no carbon emissions. Â  The BMW Groups method of achieving innovation in Global Research is called lateral thinking. There is also a constant dialog with scientists so that solutions can be achieved through the fusion of knowledge across all scientific disciplines. Â  One technique that may be cited is networked information systems. Instead of completing tasks sequentially, new development processes involve seeing to it that as many individual tasks as possible are accomplished simultaneously, and integrated into an end result according to a multi-layered plan. Â  Aside from its internal research efforts, and interaction with scientific organizations worldwide, it is continuously looking for and inviting ideas and innovative concepts from outside the organization. "We are not only interested in our own research and development departments, but also in the creative minds outside the BMW Group." (BMW website). Â  

Aristotles Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aristotles Politics - Essay Example As Swanson and Corbin (2009) maintain, â€Å"His critical analysis of things political and intellectual emanates from a perspective that sees a necessary and objective linkage between politics and ethics.† (Swanson and Corbin, 1) Therefore, it is important to recognize that one of the essential factors contributing to the universal approval of this work is that it establishes the connection between politics and ethics. In a careful analysis of this classic work by Aristotle, it becomes lucid that it is one of the best examples of philosophical writings on the relationship between politics and ethics and it deals with various crucial aspects of politics. Aristotle is also explicit and clear about the qualities of people who rule the state, the people who are ruled (citizen), and the merits and demerits of different types of government. A profound exploration of Aristotle’s Politics confirms that Aristotle is highly effective and convincing in proving that politics is the fundamental feature of human beings and that no human being can neglect the prime role of politics. In other words, Aristotle’s Politics establishes that man is essentially a political animal, and this is one of the best explanations of human nature. Therefore, Aristotle underlines the fact that politics is ultimately linked to man’s basic nature. According to him, â€Å"it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. And he who by nature and not by mere accident is without a state, is either a bad man or above humanity.