Week 1 Midterm PDF

Lesson 5: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts Come and Share! Have you thought about the purpose of your life? Which of the following picture represents your goal before you reach old age? A B C D E Do...

Lesson 5: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts Come and Share! Have you thought about the purpose of your life? Which of the following picture represents your goal before you reach old age? A B C D E Do we exist for ourselves or for others? Do we live for self-realization or for self- actualization or do we live for the common good? This is how the western and eastern perspectives about the “self” differ.  Defining Eastern and Western Western- represents Europe and Northern America Eastern- also called Oriental; represents Asia Individualism vs. Collectivism  Individualism is an orientation concerned with the independence and self-reliance of the individual. This is the Western conception of the self. It puts more on promoting the individual and the immediate family’s welfare. It emphasizes the uniqueness of every individual and is predicated on egoism or self-orientedness. It describes the self as existing and distinct from others. The goal of the self is towards self-realization or actualization and is free to express itself. People in a culture with this orientation describe themselves as “brave, generous, loyal and honest.” Countries with this culture include New Zealand, Germany, Austria. Greece. Poland, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Spain and Finland.  Collectivism is an orientation characterized by belongingness to larger groups or collectives. This is the Eastern conception of the self. It gives more importance to loyalty in the group, which in turn takes care of the individual’s welfare. It values relationships, roles, duties, obligations and the preservation of culture and tradition, prioritizing the goals and needs of society over the needs and goals of every individual and is founded on the belief that people are socially connected.  It is others-oriented because it encourages people to be kind, benevolent, charitable, dependable and sensitive to the needs of others. The goal of the self is to promote the common good. People in a culture with this orientation describe themselves in terms of their social relationships and roles, e.g. “a law-abiding citizen, loyal friend.” Countries with this culture include Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Indonesia, Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Portugal. Comparison of Western and Eastern Concepts of Self Western Eastern Self-oriented Other-oriented Duality- you are distinct from other Other persons are part of your self Persons Talk about their personal attributes Talk about their social roles Highlights personal achievements Keeps a low profile and avoid boastfulness Individualistic- focus on the person Collectivistic- group and social relations are more important Values freedom and choice Values relationship and social obligations Values competition Values cooperation Values equality Values hierarchy Eastern Philosophies  Buddhism The Buddha taught that an individual is a combination of five aggregates of existence, also called the Five Skandhas or the five heaps.  Five Skandhas 1. Form- our physical form 2. Sensation- made up of our feelings -- both emotional and physical -- and our senses -- seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling. 3. Perception- means thinking -- conceptualization, cognition, reasoning.  Five Skandhas 4. Mental Formations- includes habits, prejudices, and predispositions, and volition or willfulness 5. Consciousness- awareness of or sensitivity to an object, but without conceptualization Doctrine of Anatman The doctrine of anatman (Sanskrit; anatta in Pali) is the core teaching of Buddhism. According to this doctrine, there is no "self" in the sense of a permanent, integral, autonomous being within an individual existence. What we think of as our self, the "me" that inhabits our body, is just an ephemeral experience. Doctrine of Anatman Humans have no real knowledge of the self or a clear proof of claiming that there is a self. Everything is just an illusion, a flux of momentary perceptions, thoughts and feelings. There is also no enduring or eternal self. It does not consider humans as having fixed and unified identity. Doctrine of Anatman The process of identification is subtle and often hidden from awareness. Self-identification is connected to the physical body, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, responses and the flow of consciousness. Doctrine of Anatman Anatman or Anatta is not a denial of existence but the absence of words to define the present moment of existence. Nirvana The ultimate goal is Nirvana (enlightenment). The English word enlightenment sometimes refers to heightened intellect and reason. The original Buddhists used the word bodhi, which means "awakened." The word Buddha is derived from bodhi and means "the awakened one."  Confucianism Confucianism is a system of ethics devised by the Chinese scholar K’ung Fu- tzu (Latinised to Confucius) in sixth century BC China. Self is characterized by relational identity which means that a person is defined by his/her significant relationships  Confucianism Self-cultivation/ self-realization is seen as the ultimate purpose of life. The chun-tzu (man of virtue or noble character; commonly translated as “gentleman” or “superior man”) is, above all, a man of self-cultivation.  To be a chun-tzu, man has to live by these principles: Li is the principle of self-restraint and sense of propriety. It includes following social etiquette and mannerisms. Cheng means sincerity and unwavering devotion to the good. Hsiao is love for the immediate family and then society. Yi is the principle of righteousness.  To be a chun-tzu, man has to live by these principles: Xin is the principle of honesty in life. Jen is the most important of all principles. It means being kind and humane to your fellow beings. It is about helping out others. Chung is loyalty to one's family and to one's country.  Confucius specifies the five important relationships King to subject Father to son Husband to wife Older brother to younger brother Friend to friend  The Subdued Self The self in Confucianism is a subdued self. It is conditioned to respond to perceptions, not of its own needs and aspirations, but of social requirements and obligations. To subdue oneself is to practice ren (human-heartedness), a Confucian virtue marked by altruistic behavior such as love, benevolence or charity.  Taoism Taoism is a religious or philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao or the Way. Tao denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists.  Self as Manifestation of the Tao Taoism disavows a hierarchical view of the self, society, or cosmos. The self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the cosmos.  Perfection in Selflessness The perfect man has no self; the spiritual man has no achievement; the true sage has no name. The ideal is thus selflessness. The selfless person leads a balanced life, in harmony with both nature and society. When selflessness is attained, the distinction between "I" and "other" disappears. One may then act with complete spontaneity.  Hinduism The oldest religion in the world which came from India. Upanishads, “The Story of Creation: “Before the world was created all that existed was the Self, the Self alone. Nothing else was, nothing whatsoever stirred. Then the Self thought. “Let me create the worlds.”  Self as one with the Brahman From the Hindu story of creation, we can imply that the creator is the same as the creation. The self is one with the Brahman, the absolute and transcendental power. It perceives the atman as a spiritual, immaterial being that must be detached from the material world and worldly possessions.  The Purpose of Reincarnation According to Hinduism, a soul gets separated from the Brahman, gets caught in the world, reincarnates again and again on earth until it becomes perfect and reunites with it Source. During this process the soul enters into many bodies, assumes many forms and passes through many births and deaths. The Soul’s Separation from the Brahman Individual soul gets separated from the Brahman is drawn and is bound to a false personality called jiva (any living being), also called embodied self or elemental self Parts of the Jiva inner subtle body (linga sarira) – contains the soul. It is made up of the subtle senses, the subtle mind, breath, ego and intelligence. outer gross body - made up of the gross mind (animal mind), the elemental body and its organs  Anava as the Reason for Reincarnation Ego-sense (anava) – self-sense arising from perceptions, knowledge, memories, desires, attachments and the notion of diversity and separation Because of the ego-sense, the jiva remains ignorant about its true identity and experiences delusion (moha), duality (dvanda) and attraction (raga) and aversion (dvesa) to the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, or pain and pleasure. As a result of attachments (pasas) and delusion, the jivas acts selfishly as if they are different from the rest of creation. Due to egoism, desire-ridden actions and selfishness, they end up suffering, caught hopelessly in the phenomenal world.  The Soul’s Journey in Death At the time of death, the physical body and the gross mind return to the elements of the earth. But part of the subtle body survives and accompanies the soul to the next world. Depending upon the nature of their past deeds, and the extent of subtle bodies they develop, the jivas either ascend to the ancestral heaven (pitr lok) or descend into the hell. There are multiple heavens above and hells below in Hindu belief. Heavens: 1. Devas - sun filled, inhabited by gods 2. Anityas – for celestial beings, forever immortal souls who would never be subject to mortal life 3. Muktas - for freed souls who were once bound to the mortal world but liberated by the grace of God or the merit of their actions 4. Pitr lok – ancestral heaven; temporary rest Asurya Lokas – hells, described as dark and demonic worlds, populated by evil and demonic beings who are forever intent upon creating chaos and disturbing the order and regularity of the worlds. The individual souls enter these worlds according to their deeds. They do not stay there permanently. Hiding the indwelling spirit in its core, the subtle being stays in these worlds until the fruits of its good or bad actions are fully exhausted. Having squared off the karma and learned new lessons, it then returns to the earth to take another birth and repeat the process.  Which Oriental Philosophy 1. believes that the self is just an ephemeral experience, changing perceptions, thoughts and feelings and that there is no enduring or eternal self?  Which Oriental Philosophy 1. believes that the self is just an ephemeral experience, changing perceptions, thoughts and feelings and that there is no enduring or eternal self? BUDDHISM  Which Oriental Philosophy 2. believes that the self must undergo a process of birth and rebirth until it attain perfection and return to its source?  Which Oriental Philosophy 2. believes that the self must undergo a process of birth and rebirth until it attain perfection and return to its source? HINDUISM  Which Oriental Philosophy 3. believes that the self is an extension of the cosmos and must live in harmony with it?  Which Oriental Philosophy 3. believes that the self is an extension of the cosmos and must live in harmony with it? TAOISM  Which Oriental Philosophy 4. believes that the self must be conditioned to respond to perceptions, not to its own needs and aspirations, but to social requirements and obligations?  Which Oriental Philosophy 4. believes that the self must be conditioned to respond to perceptions, not to its own needs and aspirations, but to social requirements and obligations? CONFUCIANISM WESTERN OR EASTERN? OTHER-CENTEREDNESS WESTERN OR EASTERN? VALUES COMPETITION WESTERN OR EASTERN? VALUES FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE WESTERN OR EASTERN? COLLECTIVISTIC