Unit 2.3 Classical Civilization of Asia The ‘Eastern World’ -- Religion and Philosophy =) You will oftentimes hear people, including your awesome history teacher, use terms like the ‘Eastern World’, and the ‘Western World.’ The ‘Western World’ can be thought of as countries that are similar to the United States. The ‘Western World’ consists of cultures, countries, and people with similar ideas on religion (Christianity mostly), politics, culture, and everything in between. The classical civilizations of the Western world include Ancient Greece and Rome! It is from these early ‘Western’ civilizations that we today take many of our ideas on government, economics, religion, etc. Western World = United States and European Influenced Countries The ‘Eastern World’ ​ ​ then is the part of the world that includes the continent of Asia! It is here, in the ‘Eastern World’, that philosophies, ideas, and perspectives on religion, politics, culture, and life have developed very differently than in the ‘Western World.’ United States and Europe = ‘Western World’ Western Vs. Eastern Philosophy of Religion… Just like in the Western World, where there are literally thousands of different Sects, or different types of Christians (Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc), there are ​ many different types and sects of Eastern religious philosophies and cultures. Even though there are major differences in religious texts (holy books), philosophies, and ideas generally, there are some uniting features surrounding religion in the Eastern World! Most people who live in the Western World in places like the United States are monotheistic -- meaning they believe in one God and one God only. This God, ​ named ‘Yahweh’ in the Old Testament, is seperate from the physical universe and is often referred to as ‘God the Father.’ The roots of Western monotheism began with Judaism! Judaism was probably the 1st religion on the planet to believe in one God, and to believe that God took a direct interest in the affairs and well-being of human beings. Eastern Religious Philosophies... In the Eastern World however, God is usually not thought of as something or someone separate from the Universe itself. Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions, and is the main religion in the country of India today. Hindus worship literally hundreds of thousands of different gods. You can go from one Indian village to the next and see that each village is worshiping their own version of God, or in Hindu -- Brahmin. According to Hindu religion and culture, Brahmin is the ​ ​ ​ ​ underlying one true God that is the same thing as the Universe itself. However, most Hindus believe that you may worship God in anyway you choose to, in any ‘form.’ Underlying these different forms is one connected ‘Brahmin’ according to ​ ​ Hinduism however. “God is one, but wise people know it by many names.” -- Hindu Proverb From the Hindu perspective of the world, Brahmin is everything -- the nature of existence itself is God, or Brahmin. This is very different from ‘Western’ religious ​ ​ philosophy. For Hindus, and other Eastern religions and philosophies, you and I are as much God (Hindu = Brahmin) as is the desk we’re sitting in or the tree bending in the wind just outside. “All is one, one is all.” It may be helpful when trying to ​ ​ understand Eastern religion to think of the Universe as one, interconnected, ‘dance’ of sorts. For dancing to work between two people, it must be a state of ‘flow’, in which both dancing partners determine their next move based on what their partner is doing. Great dancing partners don’t seem to be individual people at all, they instead appear to be one ‘thing’ flowing across the dancefloor. You’ve probably seen the Yin and Yang symbol that is depicted below... The Yin and Yang symbol comes from another Eastern Religion that began in Ancient China -- ‘Taoism’ or ‘Daoism.’ This symbol basically represents the ‘dance’ of the Tao’, or the Universe itself, of which we are just as much apart as anything else in the Universe -- according to Eastern philosophy that is! To go a little bit deeper, the Taoist Yin and Yang symbol represents the interconnectivity of all things -- even those that seem to have no connection at all. For example, it is common to see the Ying-Yang symbol as representing the very different ideas of masculinity (‘manliness’) and femininity (‘womanliness’). To the Taoist, these ideas are not separate at all. In fact, you couldn’t have one without the other! If all people were ‘masculine’ or all people were ‘feminine’, then no one would be masculine or feminine from the Taoist’s point of view! It is only in the differences of opposites that the universe as it is, the ‘Tao’, can be truly ​ ​ understood. Think of it in this way, you can’t have up ⬆ without down ⬇. You can’t have brightness without darkness. You can’t have good without bad, or wet without dry. It is within these apparent oppositions that reality (Including you and I), flow! -- According to Taoism and other eastern religious philosophies that is! Meditation in Eastern Religious Philosophy In The Western World, some Christians believe that you should go to Church on Sunday -- others believe that you should go on Saturday! Yet, essentially all Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind from sin. This is just like differences in religion in the ‘Eastern World.’ Despite all of the different ideas on customs like what you should eat and wear for example, most eastern religious philosophies believe that meditation is a key to being spiritually ​ ​ satisfied (feeling like you belong in the world). For example, within the Indian religion of Hinduism, spiritual fulfillment may be reached by using meditation as a way of feeling that you are united with Brahman (God). Hindus call Union with ​ ​ God ‘Moksha.’ ​ But what is meditation? Meditation as used and thought of in eastern religious traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism is simply paying attention to what arises in ‘consciousness.’ In other words, simply feeling and thinking whatever it is you are thinking and feeling in a non-judgemental way. You don’t need to cross your legs or wear anything special in order to meditate -- you simply ‘watch’ your thoughts, emotions, feelings, and bodily sensations as they show up -- almost like watching a river flow by. The ‘point’ of meditation is to not actively try to control your thoughts, emotions, actions, and bodily sensations. According to eastern religious thought, it is through meditation that an individual can truly understand the nature of his or her own mind and thus reach Enlightenment (Buddhism) or Moksha (Hinduism). ​ ​ ​ ​ Buddhism is another eastern religion that has a very similar view, but uses different language to describe it and different ideas to try and think about it. Within Buddhism, meditation allows the individual person to ‘wake-up’, or to become ‘enlightened.’ It sounds different than what Hindus are after, but in reality it’s the ​ same! To be ‘enlightened’ within a Buddhist culture means to understand that you ​ ​ are flowing with the universe, that you are ‘unified with God’ just as everything else in the universe is -- “All is one, one is all.” ​ Meditation is a very tricky thing for us westerners to understand. It seems like you’re just sitting there, doing nothing, wasting time that you could be using to make or produce something! For one thing, this is because of our culture in the Western world. Ever heard the phrase “idle hands are the devil’s workshop?” This is a uniquely western idea! “If you’re not doing anything, you’re doing something wrong!” <<<< If you’ve ever looked at a 100 dollar bill, you’ve seen the American historical legend Benjamin Franklin. His ​ ​ famous quote shown to the left perfectly summarizes Western ideas and values when it comes to work and the use of an individual’s time. <<<< For people who belong to eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism however, the ‘point’ of meditation is to see that there is no difference between you as an individual, and the rest of the universe… it all flows… almost like a river! Your thoughts, according to Eastern religion, flow just like a river does. Your body is constantly ‘flowing’ by doing just what it does. Buddhists and Hindus would point to the fact that you and I don’t have to struggle to produce blood, or to digest food, we don’t need to think of every single word and sentence before we say it... It just flows!! -- Meditation brings this idea closer to an individual's attention. Through meditation, Eastern religious thinkers believe people can come to understand themselves as going with nature and the universe, rather than a separate individual within the Universe that has to fight against it. Buddhists and Hindus often believe that this feeling of being separated from the Universe creates negative emotions like anger, depression, anxiety, etc. Meditation is Important in Most Eastern Religious Philosophies and Ideologies Imagine putting a drop of water in a giant river. As soon as the drop hits the water, it is no longer a separate drop… it is, instead, the entire river! -- Flowing as one. This is the basis and core of Eastern religious philosophy! You shouldn’t define yourself as ‘honors’ or ‘non-honors.’ If you want to put in the work and make yourself a more thoughtful, intelligent, and ultimately stronger person -- you can. All you have to do is apply yourself, what you get in return is a better and stronger you tomorrow and for the rest of your life. Non- Honors