GenEd

2020-2021

GLOBAL RECIPROCAL COLLEGES

GENERAL EDUCATION
ETHICS

ETHICS

Prepared by:

Gabriel A.
Palada
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WEEK #4-5
(Oriental or Eastern Ethics)

I. LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Understand the ethical teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Confucianism.

2. Describe the different parameters used to classify acts that are moral and immoral.
3. Incorporate the moral teachings derived from each religion into the Filipino concepts of
morality and values.

II. DISCUSSION

Ethical Teachings in Hinduism

 The primordial religion in India.

 Probably the oldest religion in the world.
 Has no official founder.

Vedas

 Oldest religious writings in existence.

Four types of Vedas:

1. Rig-Veda – is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns.

2. Sama-Veda – is the Veda of melodies and chants.
3. Yajur-Veda – is the Veda of prose mantras – ritual offering said by priest.
4. Atharva-Veda – is the “knowledge storehouse of atharvañas, the procedures for
everyday life”.

Upanishads

 Commentaries of Vedas
 The importance of the Uphanishads is measured according to how they affect the lives
of the Hindus

Aranyakas (forests books)

Samhitas (sacred texts)

Brahmanas (summaries and commentaries)

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Atman – Soul

Maya – illusion

“Atman is a slave of maya”

Brahman – universal essence

 Atman is mandated to relinquish from Maya for its unification with Brahman.

Samsara – reincarnation/metempsychosis

 Hindus believe in Samsara.

 Once Atman annihilates his ignorance under Maya, it reaches the reality of itself.
 Man is Atman.
 Knowledge of the self is a requisite towards the true self’s (Atman) union with
Brahman.
 Hindus believe that righteous life is necessary towards the Atman’s union with the
Brahman.
 Terminal point of morality: realization that one is Atman and that Atman in one with
Brahman.
 For Hindus, to undergo Samsara (reincarnation) mean the breaking of one’s self.
 Hindus believe that the cessation of Samsara is possible only when the person reaches
self-perfection – Moksha
 Nirvana – extinction from all finite conditions
 Moral life: Hinduism is seen as the union of the Atman with the Brahman.

Ethics in Hinduism

 Teaches that man should have an authentic knowledge of himself.

 Teaches love – love to Gods.
 Teaches that man should work as a gesture of service to God.

Ethical Teachings in Buddhism

Buddhism

 Second oldest religion in India.

 Religion of liberation.
 Founded by Siddhartha Guatama Buddha.

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Three Jewels

1. Buddha – everyone who wishes to become Buddha’s follower should first of all know
the life of Buddha.
2. Sangha – Refers to the Buddhist community.
3. Dharma – Refers to the teachings or doctrines taught by Buddha
 Buddha’s ethical school of thought is centered on the truth about suffering and it’s
elimination.

Three Characteristics

1. Dukkha – suffering.
2. Annata – impersonality or insubstantiality – weakness – no soul.
3. Annica – impermanence – temporariness.

Four Noble Truths

1. Life is permeated by suffering (dukkha);

2. The origin is craving (tanha);
3. Suffering can be eliminated through the elimination of craving; and
4. The elimination of suffering is possible through the Eightfold Path

Eightfold Path –Annihilation of suffering

1. Right understanding – man must see life as it is.

2. Right thought – mind must be free from impurities.
3. Right speech – man should be vigilant with his words.
4. Right action – means avoidance from wrong doings.
5. Right livelihood – observance of right occupation.
6. Right effort – intended for self perfection.
7. Right mindfulness – observance of four fundamental elements of mindfulness.
8. Right concentration – refers to the mind’s single objectiveness.
 Eightfold path is the imperatives of Buddhism.
 It is believed that once a man has conquered suffering, man will never be conquered by
suffering again.
 Nirvana is the terminal point of moral life.
 Buddhist ethics has basically two (2) aspects:
1. Positive
2. Negative

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 Buddhism in only a ladder towards human liberation from suffering.

 To be able to save oneself, one must freed from evil by becoming utterly indifferent to
the world.

Ethical Teachings in Confucianism

 In general, Chinese philosophy means humanism.

 Chinese love practical wisdom.
 Philosophy is Che Shueh.
1. Che - wisdom
2. Shueh – study
 The hallmark in Confucian ethics is human-heartedness
 The Chinese character for “ethic” (lun) is “derived from the symbol for the human
heart”
 Human-heartedness in Confucianism runs in congruence with Confucius’s injunction for
harmony with nature.

The innate laws of nature are:

1. Ren – means human-heartedness.

 Ren can be understood as love, benevolence, or charity.
 Golden Mean Rule: “Don’t do to others what you yourself do not desire”
2. Yi – means righteousness.
 It refers to the “oughtness” or to the rightness of an action in a given situation.
3. Zhong – conscientiousness.
 Juxtaposed with Shu (altruism).
 Golden mean: “Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you”
4. Li – means propriety.
 Rules of conduct that reflects a person’s good will.
5. Xiao – means filial piety.
 It means respect, reverence and honor of one’s parent, blood relatives and family
members as a whole.

In summary, it is every person’s moral responsibility to become a gentleman or the superior

man.

Ethical Teachings in Jainism

 For thousands of years, Jains have been practicing vegetarianism.

 For thousands of years, Jains have been practicing meditation and yoga.

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 For thousands of years, Jains have been practicing equality.

 For thousands of years, Jains have been environmentalist.
 For thousands of years, Jains have been practicing.

Non-Absolutism

1. Respect other views

2. Truth has many perspectives

Jainism – is an ascetic religion of India that teaches the immortality and pilgrimage of the soul,
denies the existence of a supreme being and emphasizes the art of non-violence.

 The Jain community is composed of monks (Sadhu), nuns (Sadvhi), laymen and
laywomen.
 There are two distinct religious groups: the Digambaras (the sky-clad) and the
Svetambaras (the white clad)

Key figures of Jainism

 Vardhamana Mahavira is the most important figure in Jainism as he was the last in line
of the Tirthankaras.
 He was born in 599 B.C and died in 527 B.C his birthplace was Kundalpur, India.
 His life and teachings were dedicated to the art of ahimsa or non-violence, which is the
central belief of Jainism.
 He grew up in India where Hinduism was the dominant religion. He accepted the
aspects of Hinduism, but felt that some changes needed to be made.
 It was he who built up the Jain Church and laid such a firm foundation for it that it has
existed almost unchanged for more than twenty-five centuries.

Jainism: Key Beliefs

Ahimsa – The central Jain belief is an agreement to avoid physical violence and conduct that
can be mentally and emotionally damaging to oneself or others. It also involves commitment to
all life forms on earth and not engaging in practices which may bring harm.

Karma – The belief that for every action, there is a consequence.

Reincarnation – One’s soul that is reborn into different bodies over the course of many lives.

Proper conduct – Jains are encouraged to make a vow to conduct themselves according to the
following principles:

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1. Non-violence (Ahimsa)
2. Truthfulness (Satya)
3. Non-Stealing (Asteya)
4. Celibacy (Brahma-charya)
5. Non-possession (Aparigraha)

 Moksha – results in the elimination of the effects of karma in one’s life (achieved
through meditation)
 Atomism – Jains believe that every living thing on the planet possesses a soul or “Jiva”.
They also believe that people are bound to act more compassionately if they
acknowledge that everything is composed of a spirit or sould.
 No absolutes – No perspective of any person is wrong despite the fact that different
perspectives have different effects on the specific situation.

Key Practices and Rituals

 Meditation (samayika) – the process of eliminating self-centered thinking and becoming

united with the spirit that governs the universe.
 Mantras – the five homages (panka namaskarias) are recited on a daily basis, usually in
the morning; another mantra called ahimsa vikas, helps Jains to pursue a life without
violence.
 Worship – takes place at stone temples or at wooden shrines near the house which
resemble the temple itself.
 Fasting – occurs at mostly festivals and holy days such as Paryushana Mauna Agyaras
 Small brooms are carried out to sweep insects away from their path.
 Jain nuns and monks do not accept food that is not cooked by themselves, they do not
physically touch people of the opposite sex, and they wear simple white clothes or even
nothing at all.
 A disciplined life is expected from all believers of Jainism, not only the monks or the
nuns.
 Sacred rituals – performed at the temple
 These are some of the rituals:
1. Puja
2. Samayik
3. Namokar Mantra

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Swastika and the Open Pal

 The outline of this picture represents the universe in the Jain description. It is supposed
to resemble a person standing on his feet with his feet apart, and the arms are rested on
the hips.

 There are three dots above the swastika. They represent Right Faith, Right Knowledge,
and Right Conduct. The three dots are the three jewels of Jain philosophy in which they
believe liberation can be found.

 The half moon is where the liberated soul is being kept, and the dot inside of it is the
liberated pure soul.

 The hand below the swastika is a gesture of blessing and protection.

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 Inside the hand, there is a wheel of 24 spokes, and this represents Jinas. In the middle of
the wheel, a word is inscribed which says: “ahimsa”

III. ACTIVITIES

I. Differentiate Hinduism from Buddhism

Hinduism is about understanding Brahma, existence, from within the Atman,
which roughly means "self" or "soul," whereas Buddhism is about finding
the Anatman "not soul" or "not self." In Hinduism, attaining the highest life is a
process of removing the bodily distractions from life, allowing one to eventually
understand the Brahma nature within. In Buddhism, one follows a disciplined life
to move through and understand that nothing in oneself is "me," such that one
dispels the very illusion of existence. In so doing, one realizes Nirvana.

II. Differentiate Buddhism from Confucianism

Buddhism practice Meditation, the Eightfold Path; right view, right aspiration,
right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right
concentration. While Confucianism Visit to temples to pay homage to Ti'en while it
can refer to God or Heaven, it traditionally refers to social power, Confucius, and
ancestors; To practice Jing zuo, or 'Quiet Sitting', a neo-Confucian seeking of self-
cultivation. Buddhism originates in India while Confucianism originates in China.
Their belief in Gods greatly differs in Buddhism the idea of an omniscient,
omnipotent, omnipresent creator is rejected by Buddhists. The Buddha himself
refuted the theistic argument that the universe was created by a self-conscious,
personal God. In Confucianism Depending on the religion held, usually Buddhist.
Confucianism is not strictly a religion but rather advises a schema of social order.

III. Explain the teachings of Confucius

Confucius expounded a system of social and political philosophy which he
conveyed to a group of disciples. Confucius expounded a system of social and
political philosophy which he conveyed to a group of disciples. His teachings and
sayings were later collected by the disciples of Confucius in a book known in the
West as the Analects. Confucius was also traditionally believed to have been the
author or at least the editor of the classic Confucian texts called the Five Classics.
Confucius was also traditionally believed to have been the author or at least the
editor of the classic Confucian texts called the Five Classics.

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IV. Why do we need to study the Oriental ethics?

One reason to study ethics is that ethics is inescapable. The study of ethics should
also lead one to develop skills in articulating your own values, to provide others
with reasons for your actions and give you the means of questioning the values of
others. For it teacher us also new different meaning of morality we humans should
possessed.

V. Seatwork: Identify what is being asked by the statement by unscrambling the word.

1. He is the founder of Confucianism.

(ciusfucon)
Answer. Confucius

2. The basic virtue that can be understood as love, benevolence or charity

(ern)
Answer. Ren

3. It refers to the “oughtness” or the rightness of an action in a given situation.

(iy)
Answer. Yi

4. Behavior that show a desire to help.

(trualism) or (hus)
Answer. Altruism and Shu

5. It means respect, reverence and honor of one’s parent, blood relatives and family
members as a whole.
(aoxi)
Answer. Xiao

6. An ascetic religion of India that teaches the immortality and pilgrimage of the soul,
denies the existence of a supreme being and emphasizes the art of non-violence.
(jasniim)
Answer. Jainism

7. These are the sky-clads who believed that women cannot attain enlightenment in the
same birth.
(rasmadigba)
Answer. Digambaras

8. He is the most important figure in Jainism.

(havardnama haramavi)
Answer. Vardhamana Mahavira

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9. It is an agreement to avoid physical violence and conduct that can be mentally and
emotionally damaging to oneself or others.
(himasa)
Answer. Ahimsa

10. In the symbol of Jainism, it represents the soul in which it can be reborn and
reincarnated into during the time it is in the universe.
(stiwakas)
Answer. Swastika

IV. SUMMARY

Oriental or Eastern Ethics

1. Ethical Teachings in Hinduism

2. Ethical Teachings in Buddhism

3. Ethical Teachings in Confucianism

4. Ethical Teachings in Jainism

5. Ethical Teachings in Taoism

6. Ethical Teachings in Islam

V. ASSIGNMENT

1. Prepare for your preliminary examination

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VI. REFERENCES

ETHICS
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Van Zyl, L. L. (2019). Virtue Ethics : A Contemporary Introduction . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Ariola, M. M. (2018). Ethics . Unlimited Books .

Buenaflor, L. E. (2018). Unraveling the Absolute Principle : Ethics for Filipino Students . Books Atbp.
Publishing Corp. .

Cariño, J. V. (2018). Fundamentals of Ethics . C & E Publiching, Inc.

Leaño, R. D. (2018). Ethics for College Students : CHED Curriculum - Compliant . Mindshapers Co., Inc.

Pasco, M. O. (2018). Ethics . C & E Publiching, Inc.

Saidali, M. A. (2015). Values and Work Ethics . Mindshapers Co., Inc.

Cebreros, N. (2015). Universal Ethics and Contemporary Values . Mindshapers Co., Inc.

ETHICS
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