Beyond Life and Death - Wisdom on Life and Death in Chinese Traditional Culture

Author: Chen Guozhan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This book is a systematic introduction and study of the wisdom about life and death in traditional Chinese culture. It systematically explores and organizes the life and death theories of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Daoism. The issue of life and death can be explained and resolved from a scientific perspective, or from philosophical and religious perspectives. In science, life and death are regarded as objective facts and objective objects. In philosophy and religion, life and death are seen as concepts, mindsets, or states of being. The way people view life and death, the attitude they adopt toward life and death, and the state of being they experience in life and death will determine how life and death manifest themselves. Therefore, in philosophy and religion, life and death can be transcended. Of course, this is only a spiritual transcendence, not a factual one. The backbone of traditional Chinese culture is Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Fundamentally, they are all philosophies and religions of life. Confucianism and Taoism are philosophies that primarily discuss how people should understand and find a place for life. Buddhism and Daoism are religions that primarily discuss how people should understand and deal with death. These four schools, while seemingly contrasting, complement each other and together have created the wisdom of life and death for the Chinese people. They have provided and continue to provide significant and beneficial insights not only for us Chinese but also for all of humanity.