UNIT 6:

ASIAN ETHICAL TRADITIONS

Introduction:
This lesson is focused in the Asian ethical tradition ethics. This is particularly tackled the
ethics related to Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. This Asian ethics is related to its philosophical
and/or religious teachings.

Learning outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Articulate the basis for ethical behaviour for Buddhism;
2. Analyze how the concept of the oneness of all things in the Brahma serves as a basis for moral
behaviour; and
3. Examine how Confucianism founds ideal human behaviour on the ideas of Ren and Li.

ACTIVATE
The Golden Rule can be best interpreted as saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do
unto you”. Based on this principle, think one of your life experiences that you can best relate with
this value. COMPARE the two version, which one you agree with Jesus version of Confucius…..?
Why?

-JESUS -CONFUCIUS

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ACQUIRE:
There are many theories of ethics in the world. In this lesson, we'll look at the ethics of Eastern
philosophies. One of the simplest ways to explore the many, many theories of human ethics or moral
principles is according to the parts of the world they came from. In general, European cultures ascribe to
the Western theories of ethics. On the other hand, cultures of Asia tend more towards what we
call Eastern philosophy. Eastern philosophies may arrive at the same ethical conclusions as Western
ones but they tend to take different paths getting there. Eastern philosophy is another tradition of thinking
about the good that is worth considering for a fuller understanding of how people orient their lives to the
good. This tradition comes from the great civilizations of the East, particularly from India and China.
In the Philippines, one of the ethical way of thinking that came from Indian and Chinese
traditions is the concept of Karma. With Karma, people believe that if they do bad things, they could be
victims of misfortune later on. Another belief similar from East countries that can be observed here in the
country is the belief that the world is ordered by heaven and that if one wishes to have a good life, one
must understand that order and live one’s life according to it.
The Vedas and Upanishads
Indian philosophy is one of the Asian ethical tradition and may refer to any of several traditions
of philosophical thought that originated in India. This philosophy can also be associated with practice in
everyday life. It takes an introspective approach to reality, concerning itself with knowledge of the inner
life and self of man, rather than with the nature and structure of the physical world.
The Vedas, meaning “knowledge,” are the oldest texts of Hinduism in which is structured in four
different collections containing hymns, poems, prayers, and religious instruction that glorify the Vedic
gods, who are representative of the Devine power of the supreme God. They deal with personal issues,
universal concerns, and theories of creation. The Rg Veda and Atharva Veda, the hymns of the Vedas, are
quite specific about action that can be seen as righteous and moral. Honesty, rectitude, friendship, charity,
nonviolence, truthfulness, modesty, celibacy, religious worship and purity of heart are all listed as
desirable and necessary virtues. And unfortunately, most people take the Vedas to be a handbook or
prescribed rituals. The focus is on the external rituals to realize good fortune, which leads to a rethinking
of the revelations of the Vedas collected in the Upanishads.
The Upanishads teach that in the whole Universe there is only one reality, and that is God.
Everything that ever existed, exists and will exist in the Universe originates from Him, and disappears
back into Him, in the eternal cycle of creation, maintenance and destruction. He is the sun, the moon and
the stars, the planets, every living being, all living and non-living matter and every virtue, every vice, all
the good and the bad, every thought, every feeling and every act. He is time and space and all that exists
in the Universe. He is eternal within the Universe and simultaneously He transcends it. He is unformed,
eternal, boundless and omnipotent. He is saguna (manifest) and nirguna (unmanifest). He is manifest in
His creation and is unmanifest when all that is created disappears in Him. The highest and purest
principle of God is His unmanifest existence, when the whole Universe disappears in Him, when the sun,
the moon, the stars, the planets, all animate and inanimate ceases to exist, and time and space disappear.
This unmanifest essence is the only existing reality. The Upanishads contain one of the highest ideas
about God and His relationship with human beings and the Universe. Rightly they are given the highest
place among the great religious philosophies of the world. The teachings about the immortal soul, the law
of karma, the consequences of actions and the law of evolution of living beings through the process of
rebirth according to their own karma or actions, are based on the Upanishads.

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 LINKS
Para mas ma maintindihan mo pa gid a…

https://youtu.be/wE5NTuzwU0s?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/dUmDV_JgrpY?feature=shared

Kung indi mo ni ma lantaw, basi budlayan ka mag answer…

So… alam na this… kung anu ang gagawin mo kaibigan…

Buddhism

Buddhism was born from the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha who lived between 6 th to
th
4 BCE. A sheltered prince who south the meaning of existence when he realized that human life is
full of suffering. The Buddha’s lifelong search led him to extreme asceticism. However, he
discovered that enlightenment and salvation could be achieved in the ordinary human life if people
enlightened about the nature of suffering. People who seek to arrive at a higher level of
enlightenment where one can see “beyond birth and death,” need to realize four truths called
Chatvari-arya satyani.

 First truth- life is suffering or dukkha. In the cycle of death, life, and rebirth, there is constant
suffering.

 Second truth- action and karma. This is the cause of this suffering, particularly “non-virtuous
action” and the negative mental actions. These are the affections of the mind such as desire,
hatred, and ignorance which rooted in the wrong valuation of self or atman. The extreme valuing
of the self, the desire to preserve the “I” is the cause of suffering. People need only to awaken the
truth that there is no self to preserve. And as long people keep believing that this is the human
being’s task to cultivate the self, people will be trapped in egoism and selflessness.

 Third truth- There is an end to suffering and the path beyond suffering is to transcend this illusion
and enter the state of nirvana. Nirvana is the dissolution of suffering which is the fruit of
surrender of the ego. Meditation (Dhyana) refers to the developing sufficient level of
concentration to make the mind a suitable tool for breaking through the illusion of self to the

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 vision of nirvana. Wisdom is insight, at a deep level of concentration, into the fact that there is no
self. Such wisdom is said not only to prevent the accumulation of future karma but to destroy all
past karma so that upon death, one is not reborn but passes into nirvana. The path to Nirvana
offers a foundation for living a good life and acting according to the good. It requires a
disciplined form of life in order to realize human fullness.

 Fourth truth- how human beings ought to live a life free from suffering by following the
Eightfold Path or Astangika-marga. These eight elements of the path are:

1. Right understanding: Understanding that the Four Noble Truths are noble and
true.
2. Right thought: Determining and resolving to practice Buddhist faith.
3. Right speech: Avoiding slander, gossip, lying, and all forms of untrue and abusive
speech.
4. Right conduct: Adhering to the idea of nonviolence (ahimsa), as well as refraining
from any form of stealing or sexual impropriety.
5. Right means of making a living: Not slaughtering animals or working at jobs that
force you to violate others.
6. Right mental attitude or effort: Avoiding negative thoughts and emotions, such as
anger and jealousy.
7. Right mindfulness: Having a clear sense of one’s mental state and bodily health and
feelings.
8. Right concentration: Using meditation to reach the highest level of enlightenment.

The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, to sum up, they are (1) the
truth of suffering, (2) the truth of the cause of suffering, (3) the truth of the end of suffering, and (4) the
truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

With these examples of Indian thoughts, we can see that ethical traditions is not only a quest to
articulate good action but to realize genuinely human existence leading to the fullness of transcendence

LINKS
https://youtu.be/uaKB9BY7rfY?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/lNdgT6VCuu0?feature=shared

Chinese Philosophy and Confucian Ethics

Confucianism is the most influential of the three main philosophies and pillars of Chinese culture
(along with Buddhism and Taoism)—today. It is composed of 5 main ideas that define and guide human
relationships and is named after Kongfuzi (pronounced ‘kong-foo-dzih’ and Latinized as Confucius), a
scholar and bureaucrat from the 5th century BC. Kongfuzi’s teachings were written down many years

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after his death and collected into a book called The Analects. He taught on many subjects, but especially
ethics and religion, and in these areas his main ideas include:

The 5 Bonds

Kongfuzi taught that all human life takes place within a system of relationships. He categorized
these relationships into the 5 Bonds: (1) ruler and subject; (2) parent and child; (3) husband and wife; (4)
elder sibling and younger sibling; (5) elder friend and younger friend. Each relationship is governed by its
own form of li—which translates as ‘duty’ or ‘proper behavior.’

Jen and Li

Jen and li are central concepts in Confucian ethics and form the first two of what are commonly
called the "Five Constant Virtues" of Confucianism. Confucian philosophy emphasizes the role of moral
development in determining who is fit to govern and lead society. As such, it focuses not only on
adherence to rules and principles, but also the proper cultivation of moral character in all who would be
governors.

Jen

Jen (pronounced "ren") is translated into English as "humanity" or "humaneness." It is the

highest Confucian principle. People cultivated by it are humane individuals who exhibit benevolence and
care toward others. They are motivated by a deep empathy for others - what might be called "human-
heartedness."

According to Confucius, all people have the capacity to be people of jen or humaneness mainly
because all people are intrinsically good. This is a fundamental assumption of the Confucian worldview -
that all people are inherently good and, thus, capable of operating in a way that is empathetic, humane and
full of care for others. When people are not educated or developed properly, this intrinsic quality breaks
down - people become hateful, rash, uncaring, undisciplined - and chaos comes into life at every level.

Li

Li is a companion virtue to jen in many respects - the other side of the same coin, so to speak. It is
translated as "ritual" "propriety" or "etiquette." It is this dimension of Confucian philosophy and
ethics that makes it "religious" more than anything else - the element of ritual. Within each of the five
relationships, we have duties. For example, subjects have the duty to loyally obey their leader, whereas
leaders have the duty to protect their subjects and not abuse their trust. Each of the 5 Bonds carries its
own set of duties and responsibilities.

Li is the mechanism by which all of life is ritualized and declared "sacred" in a

sense. Through it, life is properly ordered and harmony is established. Although the concept of li existed
in ancient ritualized ancestor worship in a limited and narrowly religious form, Confucius broadened it to
apply to all activities in life so that all of life takes on the air of religiousness or seriousness. Bowing in
greeting to someone, wearing certain colors of clothing on certain days, behaving in certain ways around
those older than you, observing proper manners at a meal or meeting, and so much more - all these are
examples of li in everyday life.

Jen & Li Combined

"To master and control the self and return to li, that is jen."

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(Analects 12.1)

Together, these two virtues create a highly cultivated and disciplined person who behaves
properly in every situation and who is motivated by deep care and empathy for people. This person is
the junzi, or superior person, mentioned above. They control their actions, impulses and desires in
accordance with the demands of li and jen. As such, they exhibit a strong sense of personal power -
called te in Confucianism - that compels people to follow their example.

This exceptional quality, combined with other knowledge and skill, makes them the ideal people
to create and govern a harmonious society. For this reason, the entire corpus of Confucian teaching, texts
and traditions in focused on the cultivation of moral character in people who have the intellectual
capacity to learn the things necessary for government. Intellectual capacity alone for leaders and
governors is not sufficient; moral character must accompany it, otherwise these governors and leaders
will drive society into lawlessness and chaos.

Conclusion

This section only seeks to give the student a sense of what the main trends of Asian ethical
thought are. Buddhism and Confucianism are only two of the major traditions from this continent and its
long history of philosophizing. These two are the most relevant to the student given their influence among
the Filipino people.

They are also worth exploring in this chapter because they give a general insight into the ethos of
the great Asian traditions. And this is what is most notable. When Asian thinkers philosophize about
doing the good, they do not think about rules or guidelines for deciding what good action is or what
makes a norm universal. They are not so keen about articulating rules and norm for autonomous persons
to decide what is an acceptable act for a rational, free, and autonomous person. Their main concern is how
to live a good life and be a good person by gaining an insight into the transcendent and eternal order of
the universe, and from that insight how to attune one’s life to that order.

Asian ethical systems are less about becoming an autonomous, rational legislator of one’s own
laws. Rather, they are a quest to articulate human connectedness and oneness to the deepest order of the
reality. Thus, much of their codes of behavior are concerned more with the process of coming to
attunement with the source of order and harmony. And the good person, therefore, is a person in
communion with his/her fellow humans, with fellow beings, and with the ground of reality itself. Once a
communion attained, one begins to act as a good person, a person whose self-realization is immediately
harmonious and non-destructive.

It is worthwhile for the student to explore some books that deepen his/her understanding of Asia
philosophy. These books are accessible to most readers because they are written in non-technical or
specialist language. And so, anyone without training can understand what they are saying. However,
because they are poetic and symbolic, it takes years of reflection and re-reading to begin to harvest their
richness.

LINKS
https://youtu.be/IZx0Fki17hk?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/q9wcw4wiUb4?feature=shared

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Apply
1. How do Confucian teachings about filial piety and family as the foundation of society apply in a
country where hundreds of millions of people are separated from their families for most of the
year?
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Assess
1. In Buddhism, there are four truths called Chatvari-arya satyani. Out of this four truths, what do
you think is the most relevant truth that everyone should know based on what is happening right
now.
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2. As Buddhism claims, life is just suffering. Do you see it as the same way or do you see life as
wonderful rather than filled with suffering? Explain your answer.
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3. Can you understand the need of Confucians to emphasize Li in their ethical systems? How does it
guide a person to becoming a person who is Ren?
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References:
Confucianism. (n.d.). Philosophy Terms. Retrieved May 19, 2020 from
https://philosophyterms.com/confucianism/amp/
Early Civilizations in the Indian Subcontinent. (n.d.). OER Services. Retrieved May 19, 2020 from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-vedas/
Jen & Li – Confucian Virtues. (2010-2018). World-Religions-Professor.com. Retrieved May 19, 2020 from
https://www.world-religions-professor.com/jen.html
Mucato, C. (2003-2020). Eastern Theories of Ethics. Study.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020 from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/eastern-theories-of-ethics.html
Pasco, M. D., et al., (2018). Ethics. Quezon City: Philippines. C & E Publishing., Inc.
Vedas and Upanishads. (2008). Sanatan Kultura. Retrieved May 19, 2020 from
http://www.sanatankultura.com/index.php/en/vedas-and-upanishads

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