hindupridemn
Defender of the Truth
Are there any Taoist or Confucian "sects" or "denominations"?
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I don't think these are sects so much as different ways that people have categorized the different aspects of Taoism.For Taoism I know of:
Shenism (Folk Taoism; Traditional Chinese Folk Religion)
Religious Taoism
And then we have what's called as Philosophical Taoism.
I don't believe they are sects either.I don't think these are sects so much as different ways that people have categorized the different aspects of Taoism.
In Confucianism there is Old Confucianism and New Confucianism in China but I think other countries have adopted their own idea in Confucius' writngs. Personally I do not like Confucianism so much. Because In the Confucianism thinking, a "good woman", has to be beneath her father, her husband and even her son. The practice of "bound feet" comes from Confucian ideas. Also in terms of government good citizens are only supposed to obey rulers instead of in the democratic system where rulers listen to citizens.
Now what you said about the relationships in Confucianism, isn't quite as straightforward as you make it sound, and thus, not even really true. I understand you easily get such an impression, though.
In Confucianism, the Mandate of Heaven is not simply a concept, its a sacred idea, which flows throughout all the relationships concerned. It means that the father, the husband, the leader of a nation...they all are, while superior to their son, wife and citizens, responsible for their actions to Heaven. their mind needs to be pure, their virtue perfected, guiding wisdom filled with good intentions before they can attain the "superior" position. if these requirements are met, then they have the mandate of heaven to act as superior. if they are not met, and the supposed superior acts abusively, a good son doesn't have to obey, good wife doesn't have to submit, and a nation may revolt against their emperor.
THIS is very important to recognize.
Son/Father, Wife/Husband, Citizen/Ruler all follow same idea:
The holder of lower rank obeys the good counsel of the elder, and helps him in matters at hand. The holder of higher rank takes good care of the beforementioned, and ensures his/hers safety, economical standing and future.
I am a Chinese, so I understand Confucianism, as it is in practice. In reality, Confucianism is the thoughts of sex discrimination, because it teaches that men are smarter than women, because a person's intelligence, he is the head of the family. In practice even if a woman shows more intelligence then her husband she cannot be the head of a family.
In addition, some idea of racial prejudice are in Confucianism. The Confucian tradition is deeply rooted in ethnocentric attitude. According to most Confucian sholars, China is the center of the universe, and the Zhou Kingdom is the height of civilization. Confucian books say "barbarians" will automatically think that the teachings of Confucius, this is the truth, of which China must conquer other countries. Even the most important work, "Analects of Confucius", China is superior to every other country.
So why in modern times, should it be accepted? Today we know that men, women, black or white is all equal. This is the point that I objected to.
We have Neo-Confucianism, which is a less spiritual version of Confucianism.