Lecture 2 - Ancient concepts of the soul: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India and Persia Flashcards
Pre-scientific and scientific interpretations of behaviour and its mechanisms
Did the human ancestors reflect on
behavior and its mechanism (the soul, psyche)?
“ Psychology has a short history but a long past”
(Herman Ebbinghaus) 145 years vs. millennia
- Scarcity of available documents about the ancestors, yet
- Neolithic human brain and IQ were probably as fit as ours
- Surviving in harsh conditions (climate, cataclysms, famine, beasts)
- Communicating, sharing, hunting, hoping, playing, praying
- reflect on the powerful forces of nature and superior divine powers
- behaviour and its animating agency, the anima, soul or psyche
The early human reflections
What makes me act?
What makes the body alive?
Where goes “the breath of life” or the soul after death?
Does my neighbour feel like me?
How people communicate to hunt, defend, survive?
How do we express and share our joy and sorrow?
Who is the Supreme Spirit & how to communicate with it?
How to behave to deserve the Spirit’s support and eternity?
- Pre-scientific ‘psychologies’ within:
- Anthropomorphism
- Animism
- Magic
- Religion
- Philosophy
- Scientific psychology
Anthropomorphism: everything is animated by the spirit, like the
human spirit
-an attribution of human thoughts & feelings to:
- other persons
- gods, goddesses
- animals
- forces of nature (volcano, wind, sea)
- non-living objects
Animism: the pneuma resides in living organisms only, when it leaves,
the body dies
A life-supporting agent
- called “the anima”, “the pneuma” or “the soul” -
is located within the
- human body and
- animal body
and prompts, animates, and guides its actions.
Close link between the body and anima
Only to the living organism
-can leave temporarily like in the case of dreams?
Unlike anthropomorphism, which gives human traits to the non-living as well
Magic: the human immortal spirit is a part of the powerful cosmic Spirit
An individual spirit:
- a part of the cosmic Spirit, thus eternal
- detachable and mobile
- controlling its habitat and other person/object
Loose link between the body and anima
Religion: to deserve eternity, the human soul observes the divine rules
of ethics
Liaison with the divine Spirit (theo (god)- & anthro(human)po-morphism)
Divine privileges and obligations:
- responsibility for the action
- caring for others
- protecting the community
- moral conduct and the free will
Meaning of life and transcendental values
Belief in the afterlife and reunification with God
Philosophy: the search for meaning transcending physical limitation
guides us
The universe and the existence within it:
- its nature (ontology)
- its perception and understanding (epistemology)
- the transient vs. eternal values (ethics)
- the meaning and purpose of existence
- the human destiny.
Psychology: the psyche and mind integrate the bodily and spiritual,
temporary and eternal, personal and collective, the human past and
present experiences with the future hopes and expectations into a
symbolic system of meaning – the unique person.
A rational and methodologically strict study of
the biological, socio-cultural and experiential
mechanisms of the:
- behavior
- psyche (awareness) and
- the mind (consciousness)
Religious concepts of the human psyche
The ancient Hebrews “the wonderers”
Biblical story:
Abraham’s clan from Ur to Canaan (Hebron);
grandson Jacob called “Israel”, thus “The Israelites”
Israelites welcome in Egypt by Hyksos dynasty:
Jacob’s son a royal adviser , Moses adopted by pharaoh’s daughter
XIII c. BC. Ramses II (from Egyptian dynasty) - turned them into slaves
Exodus of 12 Israelite tribes led by Moses
On Mt. Sinai, God reveals to Moses “The Decalogue”
Ten Commandments
Decalogue, a basis of the Judeo-Christian
ethics for centuries
* Respect your God (submission & gratitude)
* Respect your parents (honour & protect them)
* Respect your neighbors (care, truth, decency)
* Respect the life
Cultivation of religion, traditions and languages:
Hebrew & Aramaic
250 BC. Jewish sect “The Essenes”; Qumran, near Dead Sea
“The Dead Sea Scrolls” - the books of
The Old Testament
JEWISH CULTURE
* Monotheism: The Lord, caring and loving Father
but demands obedience and submission
* Divine law (Decalogue).. a universal code of ethics valid in the world for
centuries
* Meritocratic religious leaders (Patriarchs)… patriarchs rather than kings
* Tribal solidarity, respect/care for elders, family, tradition
* Paternal authority: care for children but severe discipline
* Judeo-Christian mentality:
- responsibility, fear of sins and sense of guilt
- humility, obedience and submission to moral authority
- belief in eternal existence
First monotheist religions:
1- Hebrew
2- Akhenaton (in Egypt)
3- Zoroastrianism (Persian)
Early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome
Beginning of civilizations
in the Neolithic Age
From a nomadic to a civic lifestyle
Jericho (Tel-As-Sultan), near the Dead Sea
natural “walls”
Settlements and early civilizations in
Mesopotamian Sumeria, Greece, Egypt, China
-Semitic tribes: Arabs, Akkadians, Assyrians, Hyksos,
Canaanites and Hebrews
The Hebrews wondered from the Arabian Peninsula to
Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Egypt; and back to Canaan
-A non-Semitic tribe: Sumerians from the Persian Golf
settled in South Mesopotamia
SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION ca. 6000 - 2000 B.C.
Cities: Ur, Uruk (now Warka), Nippur, Lagash, Kish
Fertile land: between two flooding rivers, agriculture
Communal work: agriculture, flood prevention,
storage of products, transport
The 1st written scripts: records of commercial transactions,
marital contract, royal victories and
dynastic lists, laws,
prayers, poems, myths
Polytheism: An, Inanna, Ninkasi and many other
Multiple role of the temple Ziggurats
Treatment of the wounds
Treatment of pain and anxiety
Writing systems
Writing:
From royal seals, stamps, signets,
through cuneiform script, hieroglyphs and logograms
to alphabetic scripts:
Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and China
1) The objects or ideas presented as pictographic icons
2) The vocal expressions presented as morphemes or characters
Pictographic record/script:
- Pictogram, an image of an object, e.g. rain ,
- Ideogram, a symbol of an idea, e.g. = , ± & Chinese
hexagram
Phonemic record/script:
- Logogram, a symbol of a vocal morpheme (Chinese character)
- Alphabetic character, a symbol of a vowel or consonant
written symbol
an image of an object or its acoustic expression
Pictographic symbols
representing an object
Early Sumerian script
Early Egyptian hieroglyphs
Early Chinese symbols
rain 雨 yu
好 hao (good, symbol
woman and a child)
Ni hao (you good, hi)
Phonemic symbols
representing the sounds
like this ♫♪in music
Later Sumerian script, e.g. a-bi (father)
Also:
- Japanese syllabic katakana
- Greek phonemic alphabet α β
- Latin phonemic alphabet a b
Cuneus, Latin: a wedge
Cuneiform script a notation system
used by the literate scribes
speaking various languages* in the region
* Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite, Hittite, Luwian, Urartian, Old Persian
…. etc. for the writing stuff
The oldest tale “The Epic of Gilgamesh”
Initially an oral story
2100 BC: Sumerian cuneiform script
Later: Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian & Elamite cuneiform scripts
The latest: 610 BC. Old Persian cuneiform version
Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king of Uruk 2750 - 2500 BC.
a psychological analysis of the mental transformation from egoism to altruism
Search for meaning of life
Quest for eternal youth and immortality
Mental transformation from egocentrism to allocentrism
Compare with W. Goethe’s “Faust”
Old (First) Babylonia
Amorite king Hammurabi (ruled 1795-1750 BC)
antagonized the neighboring tribes Sumerians and
Akkadians and conquered them
Tyrannical king, claiming to represent gods
Draconian civil and criminal legal Code
carved as a cuneiform text
on the clay tablets and stone monuments
ANCIENT EGYPT (from 3100 B.C.)
Polytheist, except of during reign of pharaoh Amenhotep IV or Akhenaton (monotheist) 1400 BC
Anthropomorphic view of deities
* Belief in afterlife: moral conduct, preparation for eternity,
mummification (only to families who could afford), step pyramids, big pyramids, tombs in the Valley of the King
(Luxor)
* The heart - a habitat of the soul (resp. for moral conduct)
* Incestuous royal marriages resulted genetic/mental degradation (genetic disorders)
* “Mapping” the mental functions
- the heart (morality, emotions and the will, ethos)
- the brain (movements, performance, speech and sleep)
- the uterus (emotional stability) (Greek: hystera)… detachment = act crazy
* Women highly respected
* Agriculture, irrigation, canals, architecture, geometry, math,
astronomy (contacts with Crete)
* Hygiene, medicinal herbs, suggestive incantations
* Later: conquered by: Alexander the G., Romans and Arabs
* The absolute power of god-like pharaohs, privileged priests, social
casts, slaves
* Pictographic and hieroglyphic script on papyri, walls, monuments, and
stones
*Personal responsibility for moral behaviour
Persia:
The Persian Zoroastrianism
- The Persian kingdom existed in 900 BC but evolved into an empire ca.
600 BC.
- King Cyrus (540 BC) conquers Neo-Babylonia, Canaan (territories, including Israel & Judea)
- Attacking Greece: Marathon 490 BC, Thermopylae and Salamis 480 BC.
Persian Empire a chronic enemy of Greece
- King Darius was defeated by Alexander The Great, and Persepolis was ruined by Alexander the
Great (331 BC),
- Prophet Zarathustra proclaimed a new monotheist religion –
Zoroastrianism
- The Sacred Book “Avesta”; fire as a religious symbol of power and
change
- People are free to choose God Ahura-Mazda or the daemon Angro-
Mainyus
- Individual responsibility for the conduct, sins or negligence
- Charity and friendliness without expecting a reward
- Congruence between thoughts, words and actions
- Positive thinking and peaceful conduct as conditions of mental health
- Illness, as caused by the daemon, must be treated with exorcism,
prayers, incantation and magical rituals
- The crime as an act against God must be severely punished (Public beating,
mutilating, stoning or crucifying)
- After the Muslim conquest around AD 800, Persian Zoroastrians
converted to Islam, except those who migrated to India (where they
were called “Parsees”).
The role of tales, mythologies and metaphors in the context of the notion of multiple faculties of the human mind (perception, thinking, intuition, imagination etc)
Australian Aboriginals’ mythology
The Dreamtime - the past, presence and future of
the world intertwined
* Cosmic Spirits in Heaven and in objects
* The Spirits inhabit the entire Universe
* The nature and life are sacred;
no distinction between profanum and sacrum
The power of imagination:
stories & metaphors
* Germanic and Scandinavian sagas
* Biblical stories
* Amerindian wisdoms
* Greek and Roman mythology and dramas
* Medieval and Renaissance troubadour’s songs
* Jean de la Fontaine, Antoine St-Exupery tales
* Children only? (theatre, books, films)
* “The Prophet”, “The Alchemist”
* Milton Erickson’s hypnotic metaphors
MYTHOLOGY: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Hierarchic polytheism: Zeus, Athena, Apollo,
Aphrodite, Prometheus, Poseidon, Dionysus
Anthropomorphic gods and goddesses
Human behaviour in hands of gods
e.g. Agamemnon and Iphigenia
Zeus punishing the curiosity/disobedience - Pandora jar
cf. Biblical story of Eve & Adam
Storytelling… projection of mentality
Storytelling is also cathartic… observed by Aristotle
Intuition, numinous experience, henosis
Profanum and Sacrum
Intuition:
-Instinctual choices (animals, children, Aborigines)
-Creative illuminations (artists, philosophers)
-Revelations (prayer, meditation)
-Scientific insights (sudden solution)
-Technical inventions (original project)
Numinous experience: Numinous experience of belonging to
the Universe: its magnificent greatness and beauty
Two components:
- Mysterium tremendum: tremendous fear,
thrill, and respect
- Mysterium fascinans : fascinating awe, delight,
bliss, and admiration
China, India
Chinese civilization
4000 BC. Valley of Yellow River settlements: agriculture, irrigation
2070 - 1600 BC. Xia Dynasty: flood prevention, pottery, gem, weapons
-Believed dead could visit the living
-Ashes kept in open jar so the soul could go out and visit
-Spirituality in 2070-1600 B.C.
1600 - 1046 BC. Shang (Yin) Dynasty: medicine, math, astronomy, script
pictograms, ideograms, hexagrams, and logograms
1046 - 254 BC. Zhou Dynasty: wars, weapons, politics, philosophy
Confucius, Lao Zhi
700 BC. The Great Wall (defence and transportation,
communication)
221 - 206 BC. Quin (Ch’in): unification, Xian, mausoleum terracotta
Chinese philosophies/religions: Confucianism, Daoism, 6th-5th c. BC.
Tibetan philosophy/religion: Buddhism, 6th – 5th c. BC.
Japanese philosophy/religion: Shinto, ca 4000 BC.
Ancient Chinese ideographic I Ching Script (hexagram) ca 1000 BC.
Evolved later into the morphemic kanji script.
Unification of Chinese kingdoms: Quin (Ch’in) dynasty 221-206 BC.
Confucianism:
Confucius, 6th-th century B.C.
- Heavenly laws and ethics - eternal, not negotiable
- Focus on ethics, obedience, loyalty, respecting
tradition, social hierarchy
-Respect for authority and elderly people
- Care/devotion to family, community and state
- Collectivism: allocentrism rather than egocentrism
- Self-discipline, humility, allocentrism, collective mentality
- Meditation and prayers; respecting the nature and the universe
- Confucian schools for gifted children
The Analects of Confucius: see p.40 for examples:
“Fix your mind on truth, hold firm to virtues, and rely on loving kindness.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
Study the past if you would define the future.”
Taoism (Daoism)
* Learn how to trust your intuition. Be true to yourself.
* Connect to the world through meditation, not judgments
and expectations. Find the unity with the cosmos.
* Individual person as a microcosm which reflects the
universal macrocosm.
* Remove conflict and anger from your relationships.
* Be kind to yourself and pace your life to match
your essence.
* Sanctity of all forms of life. Vegetarianism.
* Rules of longevity: virtuous conduct, good humor, wise
peace, friendliness, healthy diet and physical exercises.
Master radiating positivity and optimism
Contact with the universe
Each person connected to the cosmos, the universe
Happiness as a source of longevity
Buddhism:
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, The Enlightened 563 - 483 BC.
- People are intrinsic parts of the universe
- Terrestrial life as a transition to eternal existence in the state of
Nirvana
Return to primary cause…divinity (but not very specified)
You are everything and nothing at the same time
Plato borrowed the idea of reincarnations from Buddhism
* Ethos, virtues & decent conduct to end the reincarnations
- To deserve Nirvana (and avoid painful reincarnations) proper conduct is
suggested:
- Meditative prayers, self-discipline, ascetic, humble lifestyle, peaceful
acceptance of necessities, limitations, and pain. Keep a quiet, relaxed
lifestyle.
- Do not kill animals; they might be a habitat for reincarnated souls.
- Suffering is a result of false egocentric desires. Avoid excessive
emotions.
* Ascetism, prayers, meditation, & exercise of self-discipline
* No social castes; equality of all people
* Excessive emotions lead to disorder
* Psychotherapy: acceptance of necessities and peace of
mind. Buddhist Zen therapies: Naikan and Morita
Naikan = self-observation, introspection
-sit in empty room and meditate on topics given by instructor
-lead to crisis and then resolution
Morita (japonese):
-return to the contact with nature
-touch soil and seeds
Do not try to control nature or others; control yourself.
People must quietly accept their destiny.
Shintoism
* Japanese polytheist religion
* Belief in the intervention of gods and spirits of
the deceased ancestors; prayers with intentions
* Rich symbolism of pagodas, shrines, tori and
ceremonies (wedding, funeral etc)
* Rituals:
ceremonial purification of the body and mind
drawing attention of gods and spirits (kami)
- Also, the spirits of deceased persons help the living people
- The believers pray to gods and ask the spirits of deceased family
members to help.
- Ceremonial purification of the body and mind has not only religious
meaning but also serves as a psychotherapeutic procedure.
- The rich symbolism of pagodas, shrines, tori/gates
India:
Civilization in the Indus River Valleys
2600 - 1900 BC. Harappan tribes: agriculture, housing,
copper, bronze, and lead
Harrapan local tribes (since 2600 BC), gradually (since 1900 BC) mixed
with Persian nomads (Aryans) and established the first settlements and
cities and a system of belief known as Hinduism
1900 - 600 BC. Mixing with the Aryans - nomads from Persia
development of cities and new religion
Hinduism:
Sacred scripts The Vedas
The Atman (soul) finally liberated from reincarnated samsaras
enters the moksha - perfect union with god Brahman.
Acceptance of social castes.
Vegetarianism, ascetism, decent conduct, purification of the
soul, self-discipline, and peace to deserve eternal existence
Polytheist (Brahman, Vishnu, Shiva) or monotheist
(Brahman revealed in different divine personages)?
The Vedas - sacred texts of Hinduism
The Vedas: hymns, incantations and rituals
The Upanishads: Vedic wisdoms and interpretations
by gurus; written 800 - 400 B.C.
Contemplation/meditation to help the soul to
apprehend the ultimate truth and to reunite with
divine truth, harmony and beauty *
* see later in the ancient Greece
the “absolute virtues”: truth, harmony, good & beauty
- The Holly scripts: The Vedas (The Rig Veda started around 1200 BC in a
spoken tradition, the younger: Sama, Yajur and Atharva were written in
Sanskrit around 600 BC)
- The human soul (atman), after liberation from consecutive
reincarnations (samsaras), enters the moksha, a perfect union with
God (Brahman)
- Reincarnation might happen to another person’s body of a different
social cast or animal’s body; thus, people should avoid killing and
observe vegetarianism.
- Like in Buddhism: decent conduct, self-discipline, humility and
ascetism are recommended.
- A meditative, ascetic and humble lifestyle is a way for the soul to
apprehend the ultimate truth and reunite with the divine truth,
harmony and beauty.
Stuff I’m not sure if in exam / don’t know where to put
Documents of Ancestral Lifestyle & mentality
- Archaeological sites: pyramids, tombs, palaces, monuments
- Pottery, sculpture, cave paintings
- Inscriptions on the wall, monuments, coffins, shells, bones, clay
tablets, papyri
- Scripts: Egyptian Book of the Dead, Hammurabi code, poems, epics,
Chinese, Mayan and Aztec scripts
- The holy books: The Old Testament, The New Testament, Vedas,
Avesta, Koran
- Mythologies: Australian Dreamtime stories, Scandinavian Sagas, Greek
myths
- Prophetic teaching: Moses, Confucius, Laozi, Buddha, Jesus
The transformation of lifestyle and the mentality
- The nomadic hunting-gathering communities residing in caves
- Australian Aboriginals, their spiritual, intuitive, contemplative
mentality: the past, present and future intertwined, the profanum and
sacrum integrated.
- European Cro-Magnon communities (paintings in Chauvet, Lascaux and
Altamira caves.
- Agriculture and the first civic settlements, the cities.
- The rise of civilizations in Mesopotamia (Sumerians)
- Domestication of animals. Communal work and defence.
- Storage of the agricultural surplus, commercial and marital contracts
- Pottery, metallurgy, weapons, conquests.
- Development of the written language. From pictographic to phonemic
script; universal cuneiform script, and later alphabet.
- Sumerian polytheism, the role of Ziggurats
- Treatment of the wounds, pain and anxiety
- Written religious rituals, songs, poems, dynastic histories and records
- The oldest written tale, “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” – a psychological
analysis of the mental transformation from egoism to altruism
- Old Babylonian king Hammurabi – his harsh legal code
Summary
Prehistoric psychological thoughts and insights
The Neolithic human brain and IQ were already well developed, allowing to:
- survive in harsh conditions (climate, cataclysms, attacks of wild beasts,
illnesses)
- communicate, share, hunt, play, pray, and create social life
- reflect on the powerful forces of nature and superior divine powers
- behaviour and its animating agency, the anima, soul or psyche
The old and new ways of understanding the mechanism of action
- Anthropomorphism: everything is animated by the spirit, like the
human spirit
- Animism: the pneuma resides in living organisms only, when it leaves,
the body dies
- Magic: the human immortal spirit is a part of the powerful cosmic Spirit
- Religion: to deserve eternity, the human soul observes the divine rules
of ethics
- Philosophy: the search for meaning transcending physical limitation
guides us
- Psychology: the psyche and mind integrate the bodily and spiritual,
temporary and eternal, personal and collective, the human past and
present experiences with the future hopes and expectations into a
symbolic system of meaning – the unique person.
Documents of Ancestral Lifestyle & mentality
- Archaeological sites: pyramids, tombs, palaces, monuments
- Pottery, sculpture, cave paintings
- Inscriptions on the wall, monuments, coffins, shells, bones, clay
tablets, papyri
- Scripts: Egyptian Book of the Dead, Hammurabi code, poems, epics,
Chinese, Mayan and Aztec scripts
- The holy books: The Old Testament, The New Testament, Vedas,
Avesta, Koran
- Mythologies: Australian Dreamtime stories, Scandinavian Sagas, Greek
myths
- Prophetic teaching: Moses, Confucius, Laozi, Buddha, Jesus
The transformation of lifestyle and the mentality
- The nomadic hunting-gathering communities residing in caves
- Australian Aboriginals, their spiritual, intuitive, contemplative
mentality: the past, present and future intertwined, the profanum and
sacrum integrated.
- European Cro-Magnon communities (paintings in Chauvet, Lascaux and
Altamira caves.
- Agriculture and the first civic settlements, the cities.
- The rise of civilizations in Mesopotamia (Sumerians)
- Domestication of animals. Communal work and defence.
- Storage of the agricultural surplus, commercial and marital contracts
- Pottery, metallurgy, weapons, conquests.
- Development of the written language. From pictographic to phonemic
script; universal cuneiform script, and later alphabet.
- Sumerian polytheism, the role of Ziggurats
- Treatment of the wounds, pain and anxiety
- Written religious rituals, songs, poems, dynastic histories and records
- The oldest written tale, “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” – a psychological
analysis of the mental transformation from egoism to altruism
- Old Babylonian king Hammurabi – his harsh legal code
The Hebrews
- Monotheist nomadic communities led by the patriarchs from the
Arabian Peninsula
via Mesopotamia (Ur), Canaan (Hebron) to Egypt and back to Canaan.
Prophetic leaders-patriarchs: Abraham and Moses (divine revelation of
the Decalogue – a universal code of ethics valid in the world for
centuries.
- The oldest copy of the Old Testament – The Dead Sea Scrolls
- Tribal solidarity, respect for elders and tradition, care for family, sense
of responsibility and need of expiation for sins or wrongdoing, piety,
and obedience
- Belief in eternal existence
The Ancient Egypt (from 3100 B.C.)
* Agriculture, irrigation, canals, architecture, geometry, math, astronomy
* Hygiene, medicinal herbs, suggestive incantations
* The absolute power of god-like pharaohs, privileged priests, social
casts, slaves
* Polytheism (except during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep);
preparation for the afterlife, mummification, the divine judgment of the
human conduct
* Step pyramids, great pyramids, and tombs in the Valley of the King
(Luxor)
* Pictographic and hieroglyphic script on papyri, walls, monuments, and
stones
* “Mapping” of mental faculties: the heart for emotions and ethos, the
brain for movement and speech, the uterus for emotional stability
* Women were highly respected in society
* Incestuous marriages allowed, resulting in genetic disorders
* Personal responsibility for moral behaviour
Oriental philosophies
Agricultural settlements (Banpo near Xian) in the Valley of Yellow River
ca. 4000 B.C.
Numerous small, antagonized kingdoms, wars and conquests
Developments of weapons, math, script, astronomy, medicine,
pottery, bone and shell inscriptions (Shang Yin dynasty 17th – 11th c.
BC)
The Great Wall was built ca. 700 BC (defence and transportation,
communication)
Chinese philosophies/religions: Confucianism, Daoism, 6th-5th c. BC.
Tibetan philosophy/religion: Buddhism, 6th – 5th c. BC.
Japanese philosophy/religion: Shinto, ca 4000 BC.
Ancient Chinese ideographic I Ching Script (hexagram) ca 1000 BC.
Evolved later into the morphemic kanji script.
Unification of Chinese kingdoms: Quin (Ch’in) dynasty 221-206 BC.
Confucianism:
- Focus on ethics and service to others (family, community, country)
- Devotion and hard work for others
- Heavenly, eternal indisputable laws of ethics
- Respect for authority and elderly people
- Self-discipline, humility, allocentrism, collective mentality
- Meditation and prayers; respecting the nature and the universe
- Confucian schools for gifted children
Daoism/Taoism:
- Person as a microcosm reflecting the universal macrocosm.
- Meditative connectedness/unity with nature and the universe
- Sanctity of all forms of life. Vegetarianism, healthy diet, exercises
- Non-judgmental kindness, friendliness, positive attitudes, peace
- Focus on virtuous conduct
Buddhism:
- People are intrinsic parts of the universe
- Terrestrial life as a transition to eternal existence in the state of
Nirvana
- To deserve Nirvana (and avoid painful reincarnations) proper conduct is
suggested:
- Meditative prayers, self-discipline, ascetic, humble lifestyle, peaceful
acceptance of necessities, limitations, and pain. Keep a quiet, relaxed
lifestyle.
- Do not kill animals; they might be a habitat for reincarnated souls.
- Suffering is a result of false egocentric desires. Avoid excessive
emotions.
- Do not try to control nature or others; control yourself.
- People must quietly accept their destiny.
Shintoism:
- Polytheist system: numerous gods are omnipresent and intervene in
human life
- Also, the spirits of deceased persons help the living people
- The believers pray to gods and ask the spirits of deceased family
members to help.
- Ceremonial purification of the body and mind has not only religious
meaning but also serves as a psychotherapeutic procedure.
- The rich symbolism of pagodas, shrines, tori/gates
Hinduism
- Harrapan local tribes (since 2600 BC), gradually (since 1900 BC) mixed
with Persian nomads (Aryans) and established the first settlements and
cities and a system of belief known as Hinduism.
- The Holly scripts: The Vedas (The Rig Veda started around 1200 BC in a
spoken tradition, the younger: Sama, Yajur and Atharva were written in
Sanskrit around 600 BC)
- The human soul (atman), after liberation from consecutive
reincarnations (samsaras), enters the moksha, a perfect union with
God (Brahman)
- Reincarnation might happen to another person’s body of a different
social cast or animal’s body; thus, people should avoid killing and
observe vegetarianism.
- Like in Buddhism: decent conduct, self-discipline, humility and
ascetism are recommended.
- A meditative, ascetic and humble lifestyle is a way for the soul to
apprehend the ultimate truth and reunite with the divine truth,
harmony and beauty.
The Persian Zoroastrianism
- The Persian kingdom existed in 900 BC but evolved into an empire ca.
600 BC.
- King Cyrus (540 BC) conquers Neo-Babylonia, Canaan
- Attacking Greece: Marathon 490 BC, Thermopylae and Salamis 480 BC.
- King Darius was defeated, and Persepolis was ruined by Alexander the
Great (331 BC),
- Prophet Zarathustra proclaimed a new monotheist religion –
Zoroastrianism
- The Sacred Book “Avesta”; fire as a religious symbol of power and
change
- People are free to choose God Ahura-Mazda or the daemon Angro-
Mainyus
- Individual responsibility for the conduct, sins or negligence
- Charity and friendliness without expecting a reward
- Congruence between thoughts, words and actions
- Positive thinking and peaceful conduct as conditions of mental health
- Illness, as caused by the daemon, must be treated with exorcism,
prayers, incantation and magical rituals
- The crime as an act against God must be severely punished
- After the Muslim conquest around AD 800, Persian Zoroastrians
converted to Islam, except those who migrated to India (where they
were called “Parsees”).
