Philosophies of China and India

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China and India have many philosophical schools of thought. There are multiple similarities as well as a plethora of differences. While China has a wide range of thoughts concerning eternal salvation and everyday rule, India is more narrow-minded in their approach. The differences are astounding and the similarities are few and far between. Each nation has a distinctly different school of thought, which ultimately led to the establishment of their current day societies. China has many different schools of thought, most of which build upon or agree with each other. One of the constant schools of thought is the Mandate of Heaven. The Mandate is seen in many different dynasties throughout the history of China. It was created during the Zhou dynasty and is based on the ideology of Confucianism. It delivers the message that a ruler must follow the will of Tjan (god). If a ruler does not follow his will, the leader will be overthrown and a worthy ruler will be put in place. In addition to the Mandate of Heaven, multiple different schools of thought were created such as Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and Mohism. Confucianism is based on relationships. It emphasizes proper moral, social, political, and religious conduct. The five relationships that you must maintain, also to stay constant with the Mandate of Heaven are from ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend. Another philosophical thought, taking an entirely different approach to life from Confucianism is Taoism. It is based upon non-action. The basic belief of Taoism is human attempts to improve the world ultimately make it worse. Instead, we should base our lives upon softness and spontaneity. We should not worry ab... ... middle of paper ... ...by god. In India, dharma is very similar to the Mandate of Heaven. It recognizes the idea that there is a predetermined order to the world that we must follow, or bad things will happen (karma). Mohism is also very similar to Jainism as both religions emphasize peace and love between one another. However, unlike India, China’s philosophies are not based on works to achieve salvation. There is no caste system and you are not required to complete works to achieve your salvation. Also, in India, unlike China, there is no legalistic school of thought with the ideals that you must authoritatively rule the society in order to obtain results. Both societies have their benefits and drawbacks but one thing is for certain. The ideals and thoughts of the ancient civilizations of these nations have carried over and helped to shape the modern day remnants of their existence.

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