Zhou Dynasty & religious beliefs in early China

Audio Transcript Auto-generated

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  Hello, students.

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  Welcome to lessen 17.

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  Now we're going to pick up where we left off.

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  We briefly touched on the zoo dynasty in the last

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  lesson while discussing the Shang Shang Dynasty.

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  Now this lesson will be discussing in greater depth the

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  zoo dynasty as well a za religious beliefs in early

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  China. So the zoo dynasty, as we've already discussed under

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  the feudal system, the Lord's maintained their own armies and

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  lands while going military service to zoo King.

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  If we are to look at the cycle of life,

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  so to speak as to how the Zoo dynasty came

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  into being and how the Shang Dynasty phased out the

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  cycle of life, if you will starts with after several

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  generations, the new dynasty becoming an aging dynasty so few

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  generations online becomes older, begins to neglect government duties.

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  It may ignore corrupt officials.

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  A may lose control of the provinces.

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  The aging dynasty will impose heavy taxes to pay for

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  luxuries. They've become a little too comfortable.

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  They've become a little too complacent Now.

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  They allow defensive walls to decay.

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  With that aging, as we said, they become complacent.

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  They've let things slip the aging dynasty with this loses

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  the mandate of heaven.

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  The problems have come about because off this among others

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  are floods, famine, earthquakes, invasions, armed bandits in the provinces.

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  And eventually the peasants will revolt.

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  They've had enough.

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  They cannot handle anymore.

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  They're losing house and home and livelihood.

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  After all of this occurs and all the problems have

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  come about a new dynasty, then comes to claim the

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  mandate of heaven.

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  Now this new dynasty, in this case is a zoo

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  dynasty. They've taken over the shame With the entrance of

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  the zoo dynasty, there comes a restoration of peace.

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  They will appoint loyal officials.

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  They will redistribute land to the peasants.

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  They will build canals, irrigation systems and roads, and they'll

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  repair defensive walls.

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  All of this comes about in their attempt to prove

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  that they are the better.

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  They are the worthy er dynasty on.

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  They are there to serve.

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  The people now bear in mind.

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  This cycle will continue to revolve as the new dynasty

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  starts toe age of a few generations down the line.

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  That cycle will begin once again, and the neglect and

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  ignoring of government officials, corrupt officials and so on will

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  continue again.

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  The problems will rise again.

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  And there will be a new dynasty yet again.

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  Cycle of life.

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  The cycle of the dynasties Confusion is, um, and die.

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  Oh, is, um we will discuss this in greater depth.

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  But at the end of this particular discussion, I would

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  like you to take time to reflect and describe the

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  origins, central ideas and spread of Confucianism and Daoism.

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  Let's see if you can find the answer to our

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  discussions now in discussing confusion is, um and Dyan is,

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  um I must say that complex religious beliefs had developed

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  by the time of the Shang Dynasty.

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  So the early Chinese religions were built around many gods

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  and nature spirits, with shandy being most powerful off these

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  and only reachable through the royal family and nobles.

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  Although they did not worship ancestors, the Chinese would ask

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  the ancestors for help or to bring good fortune.

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  In turn, they honored their ancestors in special ways.

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  The arrival of the zoo was initially disruptive because of

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  war and social change.

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  New belief systems arose through the different teachings of Confucius

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  on lousy confusion is, um did hold great appeal because

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  it provided practical answers to a multitude of social questions.

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  Confusion is, um, also promoted the idea of maintaining a

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  balance between yin and yang.

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  So Yeon is essentially earth and darkness, with Yang being

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  the light and heaven lousy.

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  Who founded the philosophy of Dyan ism?

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  Daoism took, um, or removed and spiritually approach.

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  He promoted the importance of balance and harmony with nature.

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  So while Confucius encouraged involvement in life, lousy discouraged it,

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  believing that the ways of society were unnatural.

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  Over time, people blended the two philosophies on often practiced

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  both religious beliefs in early China.

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  Now, as we've covered, we've discussed confusion.

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  Is, um we've discussed Dia is, um we've previously touched

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  on Buddhism and Hinduism.

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  We are well aware the complex religious beliefs which many

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  off them were practiced for thousands of years.

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  So I would like you to take some time and

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  reflect on the basic philosophies of Confucianism and Daoism.

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  I would like you to describe the basic philosophies.

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  What would you say is similar on what would be

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  different between the two beliefs?

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  What are some shared characteristics?

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  What would you say to that question takes and time

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  and reflect on this, and, uh, we will discuss it

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  further as we progress