Eastern Philosophy in Values Education
This is Module 2, Lesson 5, Eastern Philosophy in Values Education. This forms part of the course Philosophical and Ethical Foundations for Values Education.
The term Eastern Philosophy is typically used to refer to a broad philosophy in Asia, especially the various philosophies of China, India, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East, the birthplace of the three monotheistic or Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
In the first part of this module, we already mentioned that Western Philosophy is typically fragmentary and specific. If you imagine a Western world, there is a demarcation line that divides the material and the spiritual, the body and the spirit, the visible and the invisible, the sacred and the profane.
On the other hand, the Eastern world does not have this demarcation line. There is no imaginary line that separates the material and the spiritual, or the sacred and the profane. In the world we live in, the visible and the invisible coexist. We exist in this world together with the invisible beings.
Halimbawa, kapag pumupunta tayo sa mga liblib na lugar o kagubatan, nasasabi natin yong mga kataga na “tabi tabi po” o “makikiraan po”. Sa amin sa Bikol, ang kumpletong magic word ay ito: “tabi po apo p’wera galaw po!” Meron din kaming tinatawag na “taong lipod”. Sabi ng mga matatanda, sila yong mga hindi natin nakikita. Kaya pag sapit ng alas sais ng gabi, pinagbabawalan na kaming maglaro sa labas ng bahay.
Isa ito sa mga indikasyon na sa subconscious natin, we acknowledge some creatures that also exist in world we live in. I don`t know if you also have some experiences like this or kung may mga ganito ring paniniwala sa inyong probinsya o rehiyon. Pero this is very interesting at gusto kong makita at mabasa sa comment sections yong mga kaparehong paniniwala sa inyong kultura. Paki koment na po ha.
Then, another thing is that the Western approach to symbolic communication is evaluated along the criterion of Truth, especially the religious and scientific expressions, that should express the true nature of reality. In Eastern philosophy, the concern is how to experience the truth or reality, and how it brings changes and transformation in our lives, not so much about how to think about it.
And the most important characteristic of the Eastern worldview is the awareness of the unity and the mutual interrelation of all things and events, the experience of all phenomena in the world as manifestations of a basic oneness. All things are seen as interdependent and inseparable parts of this cosmic whole; as different manifestations of the same ultimate reality.
As I have said, Eastern Philosophy contains a wide range of philosophies and traditions in Asia. But, in relation to Values Education, we will focus mainly on the philosophies of man that are derived from the religious teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Let’s go and let’s talk about them.
1. Buddhism in Values Education
Let`s start with Buddhism.
Buddhism is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, born in the 5th century BCE, who became the first Buddha or the “awakened one”.
It (Buddhism) encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices that are largely based on the teachings of Buddha and philosophical interpretations from different times and generations.
There is no God in Buddhism. Hence, it is a non-theistic religion.
It relies on its philosophical and moral discipline to attain its goal, the Nirvana, the emptiness or the summum bonum, or the highest good. Nirvana has commonly been interpreted as the extinction of the three fires or three poisons: greed, aversion, and ignorance. When the fire is extinguished, the release from the cycle of rebirth is attained.
Buddhists believe that a person is a chain of life, continuity from womb to tomb or from cradle to grave. Every part of an individual changes physically and mentally in one lifetime. This is the belief that there is no ultimate and unchanging essence in anyone or anything.
Buddhism gives importance to values like love, wisdom, goodness, calm, and self-control.
The Buddha offered metaphysical knowledge of the nature of reality as well as a moral way of life. The Middle Way is an important idea in Buddhist thought and practice. To seek moderation and avoid the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.
The basis of all Buddhist practice is morality. The Buddha recommended certain ways of living as helpful on the path toward nirvana. Buddhists undertake these as rules of training and follow ten precepts as part of their daily lives.
The Ten Precepts are:
- Respect for life – Do not harm any living thing
- Do not steal
- Honor the body – do not misuse senses and sexuality
- Do not lie
- Do not cloud the mind
- Do not speak of others` errors and faults
- Do not elevate the self and blame others
- Do not be stingy – give generously
- Do not be angry – actualize harmony
- Do not defile the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha)
Buddhist teaching is based on the Four Noble Truths.
The first is the truth of suffering, that life is suffering, including birth, disease, old age, and death.
The second is the truth of the Cause, that suffering is caused by our desires and ignorance.
The third is the truth of Cessation, that suffering can be ended if its causes, desires, and ignorance are removed.
And the fourth is the truth of the Way, which is the Middle Way, between the extremes of asceticism and indulgence, or the Eightfold Path, which includes the following:
Right Knowledge and understanding or Views, seeing the world and life as it really is; Right Resolve or right intention and thoughts, resisting evil, thinking with kindness and compassion; Right Speech, saying nothing to hurt others; Right Conduct or Action, not harming living things, not taking what is not given, not having harmful sexual relationships, not taking drugs or drink which cloud the mind; Right Livelihood or, earning a living in a fair and honest way that does not injure others; Right Effort or, using what energy you have in the right way; Right Mindfulness or being attentive to what is going inside you and around you; and Right Meditation or Concentration, applying the mind to meditation and concentrating on what you are doing.
The word right means what is appropriate to help a person progress toward enlightenment.
In Values Education, we incorporate the Buddhist perspective of the human person as a chain of life from womb to tomb; the only being capable of attaining enlightenment; the emphasis on moral development, discipline, meditation, wisdom, self-control, goodness, mindfulness, calmness and the Middle Way or moderation.
In Buddhism, we find philosophical support for Values Education to push our students towards enlightenment, freedom from ignorance, and continuous development that includes the process of learning, unlearning, and relearning.
Buddhist practices like meditation, mindfulness, tranquility, self-control, and moderation are even more applicable to our contemporary students who are living in a busy and noisy world.
Moreover, Buddhist doctrines on meditation and mindfulness, when properly applied, can help us counter some of our Filipino weaknesses like lack of discipline and lack of self-analysis and self-reflection.
Although there are parallel practices in the Christian tradition, Buddhist practices are a very good alternative for our Filipino students who are not all Christians.
So, that is Buddhism under Eastern philosophy and its relevance to Values Education.
2. Taoism in Values Education
Let’s now move to Taoism.
Taoism is China’s indigenous religion and philosophy. Tao (pronounced ‘Dao’) can be defined as ‘path’, or ‘road’. It emphasizes harmony with the Tao or “Way”. The Tao Te Ching, which is attributed to Laozi, and the writings of Zhuangzi, are widely considered fruits of Taoism.
Taoism is a religion of unity and opposites, as evident in its best-known symbol, the circle of yin and yang. This represents two primal opposite forces in the universe: light and dark, male and female, hot and cold.
Taoism is not just a religion or philosophy, it is a way of life and a way of thinking about things. Taoists believe that if you look at life and think about things in the right way, you will be much happier. The Tao or the WAY encourages us to trust our own inner nature and discover who we are.
The way of the Tao is the way of Nature and of ultimate reality. Tao is often described as a force that flows through all life. A happy and virtuous life is one that is in harmony with the Tao, with Nature. The philosophy of Taoism understands Tao as the One Thing which exists and connects many things.
In Taoism, human beings are seen as a microcosm of the universe. That is why, it is believed that a deeper understanding of the universe can be achieved by understanding oneself. To make it possible, it is important to strive for harmony between humanity and nature.
The human nature of Taoism is having harmony within the body. According to Taoist principles, illness can be viewed as a lack of alignment, or harmony, within the body. For example, an imbalance of yin and yang within the body can prevent qi or breath from flowing freely, which in turn, causes pain and physical illness.
Zhong Dao-song, a Taoist master at Baiyun Temple in China said: “The basic idea of the Taoist is to enable people to realize that… the life which makes sense are those which are in harmony with nature. Although different countries and various regions have their own cultures, if we pursue harmony between humanity and nature, there will be no friction and no violence.”
Chinese culture emphasizes co-existence, and one way to achieve that is through Taoism. Wide hearts embrace all, and all rivers run into the sea. That is the beauty of peace and harmony.
In education, Taoism emphasizes self-cultivation pedagogy that promotes self-awareness and self-transformation. In a way, Taoism is inclined to the student-centered type of education.
In Lao Tzu’s opinion, the highest level of wisdom is knowing oneself; the most powerful success is conquering oneself; the most everlasting people are those who can hold their own center. Non-Tao people identify with externals. They do not know who they are, they compete with others. They lose their center and change their will just to cater to others.
The Tao Te Ching says:
“Those who know others are clever;
Those who know themselves are truly wise.
Those who conquer others are strong;
Those who conquer themselves have true power.”
In relation to Values Education, the principles of Taoism have a wide range of benefits when applied to Values Education. The concept of self-cultivation pedagogy can help our students in the process of self-awareness and self-transformation.
In the area of peace education, human rights education, and environmental education, Taoism`s harmony with nature can teach us basic and practical advice on how to learn to live together, and how to value our natural habitat as common citizens of the global village.
And lastly, the idea of harmony with nature can help us and our students to cultivate harmony within ourselves. That is learning to resolve the conflicts within each of us that cause conflict outside.
Indeed, many of our problems and issues are coming from the lack of harmony within us, the lack of harmony in our minds, hearts, words, and actions; and the lack of harmony in our life goals and our ways of doing things.
So, that is Taoism, Eastern Philosophy in Values Education.
3. Confucianism in Values Education
Let’s move to the last part, Confucianism.
Confucianism developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius around the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. Confucianism is a social code of behavior, a set of very rigid codes of behavior that honor ancestors and ancient rituals.
The core of Confucianism is humanistic, focused on human development, family, and social harmony – not the metaphysical or invisible world. Confucianism considers this secular world as a sacred world. It transcends the dichotomy between religion and humanism by considering the ordinary activities of human life, especially our human relationships, as manifestations of the sacred. That is because these sacred manifestations are also the expressions of humanity’s moral nature, anchored or rooted in Heaven.
For Confucianism, human beings are born good. What spoiled men was a bad environment. (In this part, Confucianism sounds like Rosseau.) The worldly concern of Confucianism rests upon the belief that human beings are fundamentally good, teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavors, especially self-cultivation and self-creation. So, Confucianism focuses on the cultivation of virtue in a morally organized world.
Moreover, Confucian discussion of human nature and heart/mind are directly related to their concern about human destiny. Its concern is not about life in the other world, but about the life fulfilled in this world, not about the possibility of salvation from without but about the process of transformation or self-transcendence through moral cultivation and social engagement.
Some of the basic Confucian ethical concepts and practices include benevolence or humaneness, righteousness or justice, propriety or rites, wisdom or knowledge, and sincerity or faithfulness. These ethical codes are described as humanistic and may be practiced by all members of society.
Another Confucian ethical practice is the ren or humaneness practice, which we know as the golden rule: “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.”
The basic teachings of Confucianism stress the importance of education for character development or moral development of the individual so that the state can be governed by moral virtue rather than by the use of coercive laws. Confucius also believes that by nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, we are wide, and we are different from each other.
In relation to Values Education, Confucianism contributes to the cultivation of morality through the cultivation of virtues and human relationships.
One of our objectives in Values Education is to develop Filipinos who are social beings with a sense of responsibility for their community and committed to the progress of the nation.
The Confucian ethical concepts and practices, like humanity, justice, and duty-consciousness, that are not highly theological and abstract, can be incorporated in the cultivation of values among our students.
And lastly, Confucianism provides us with an underlying principle for asserting that one of the primary purposes of education is the moral development of our students. In Values Education, we provide an ethical vision of right and wrong and increase our students` concern for the public good, and provide an ethical basis for their characterization of virtues, because virtuous people are necessary for the well-functioning of a society.
So, that is Confucianism in relation to Values of Education.
Recap of Eastern Philosophy in Values Education
To recap, we discussed the philosophies of man from Eastern Philosophical traditions that are derived mainly from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. We related Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism) to Values Education.
If you would like to listen to this lecture on existentialism in Values Education, this is available on YouTube (check the attached video below). For other lectures, kindly check the links below.
Existentialism in Values Education
Modern period philosophies of man in the context of Values Education
Medieval philosophies of man in the context of Values Education
Socratic period philosophies of man in the context of Values Education
Introduction to Philosophical and Ethical Foundations of Values Education
References of Eastern Philosophy in Values Education
- https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d7a…
- https://www.patheos.com/library/taois…
- Rita Mei-Ching Ng (2009) College and Character: What Did Confucius Teach Us About The Importance of Integrating Ethics, Character, Learning, and Education?, Journal of College and Character, 10:4, , DOI: 10.2202/1940-1639.1045
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/1….
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confuci…
