| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Mencius | First Confucian philosopher, believed that human nature is morally good but we need to cultivate the seeds of it to realize the full potential |
| Xun Zi (Hsun-tzu) | a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Xun Zi believed man's inborn tendencies need to be curbed through education and ritual, counter to Mencius's view that man is innately good.[1] He believed that ethical norms had been invented to rectify mankind. |
| Mo-tzu | Hippie like, believed in Universal Love, like a Utilitarian, hated Confucius |
| Ko Hung | best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and techniques of longevity. Yet religious and esoteric writing represents only a portion of Ge's considerable literary output, which as a whole, spans a broad range of content and genres. |
| Chang Tao-ling | went on to found the first regular Daoist church/community as noted above. A major change instituted by the new Covenant was the rejection of food and animal sacrifices. Also, the teachings of Lao Zi as transmitted by Zhang Daoling included the first true Taoist religious pantheon as distinguished from the prior ancient religion of China. Ancestral Celestial Master |
| Shakyamuni | The historical Buddha, named Sidhartha Gautama |
| Amitaba | Buddha of Infinite Light, Buddha of the Pure Land, chanted for Pure Land sect |
| Bodhidharma | Buddhist monk from India, brought the Ch'an concept to China |
| Hui-neng | peasant, given transmission and became the 6th patriarch, started Chan in Southern china |
| Ch'i | the life force in everything |
| T'ien (tian) | concept of Heaven from Zhou |
| Te (de) | Moral character, integrity |
| Yin / Yang | are complementary opposites within a greater whole. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, which constantly interact, never existing in absolute stasis. |
| Five pecks of rice | The movement of Celestial Masters, qi pervaded everything, and in order to achieve immortality, the correct balance of qi had to be present within the body. |
| Wu-wei | non-action, meaning refrain from unnatural action |
| Filial piety | a respect for the parents and ancestors, major concept in Confucius thought |
| Chun-tzu | translated as "gentleman" or "superior person" and sometimes "exemplary person, Confucius came up with the concept |
| Great peace movement | First known Chinese movement to take the idea of Daoist saint as ruler and use it as basis for political movement: economic distress and political alienation from the Empire led peasants to repeatedly turn to messianic and millenarian movements of this sort. Later dissident movements animated by Daoism vision of a perfect government; secret societies with magic charms for identification of other members. |
| Mandate of heaven | a traditional Chinese philosophical concept. Tian would bless the authority of a just ruler, but would be displeased with a despotic ruler and would withdraw its mandate. The Mandate of Heaven would then transfer to those who would rule best. |
| Hsien | spiritually immortal; transcendent; super-human; celestial being |
| Rectification of names | To rectify names means to know one's roles in the web of relationships that create community, and behaving accordingly so as to ensure social harmony. (Confucianism, 57) Since [social harmony] is of utmost importance, without the proper rectification of names, society would essentially crumble and "undertakings [would] not [be] completed." (Taylor, 48) |
| Cinnabar | red mercury sulfate, used by Daoist alchemists to attempt immortality |
| Qiqong | exercises to cultivate one's chi |
| Tao | While the character itself translates as 'way', 'path', or 'route', or sometimes more loosely as 'doctrine' or 'principle', it is used philosophically to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world. |
| Shang | 14th - 11th bce. Ritual, divination, sacrifice. Bronze age, |
| Chou (Zhou) | 1045-221 bce. Doctrine of Mandate of Heaven, beginnings of Five Classics, Confucius, Lao-tzu |
| Ch'in (Qin) | 221-207. Legalism as government ideology |
| Han | 206 bc - 220 ce. Confucianism becomes state orthodoxy, Beginnings of Daoism religion, Buddhism enters China |
| Period of disunity | 220-589. Daoism, Buddhism flourish / Confucius declines |
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