The people of ancient China were inventive both physically and mentally. Today you will be learning about their ideas.
Divide a double page of your workbook into three columns. Write “Taoism”, “Buddhism” and “Confucianism” at the top of your columns. Then answer the questions under each topic, using dot points, sentences, symbols and pictures.
| Taoism | Buddhism | Confucianism |
|
|
Eventually I will ask you to express your own opinions about each philosophy. That’s why, as you read about each one, I would like you to ask yourself:
“Is this what I think?”
or
“To what extent do I agree with this?”
You might even react like this:
“I’ve never thought about that before, but now that I’ve read about it, it makes sense.”
Ultimately you will be thinking about your own philosophy of life, which might well borrow elements from all three of the philosophies below.
T a o i s m
♦http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/philosophy/taoism.htm
♦http://www.uri.org/kids/other_taoi.htm
- What does the word “Tao” mean?
- Who is thought to be the founder of this philosophy?
- What do Taoists believe?
- Draw a picture of Taoism’s famous symbol. What Taoist ideas does it express and represent?
B u d d h i s m
♦http://www.uri.org/kids/world_budd_basi.htm
♦ https://blog.oup.com/2015/09/10-facts-about-buddhism/
- Use symbols and pictures to tell the story of Siddhartha Gautama and his path to enlightenment.
- Then present the three universal truths and the four noble truths that he identified during his deep meditation period. Use a symbol or picture to illustrate or represent each one.
C o n f u c i a n i s m
♦http://www.philosophyslam.org/confucius.html
♦http://www.china-family-adventure.com/who-was-confucius.html
- Select 2 quotations from this site, write them down and then explain them in your own words. Give an example of how they might apply either to you or to the modern world.
- List and explain the main ideas in the moral code of Confucius. Use a symbol or picture for each one.
