Confucianism vs Buddhism
There is a difference between a religion and a philosophy. A religion talks about death, the after life, and god(s) while a philosophy only talks about what one should do in life.
An example of a philosophy would be Confucianism, founded by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. And for a religion, a good example would be Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “The Buddha”. Of the philosophies in China and the religions in India, Confucianism and Buddhism are the best. Of these two, though, Confucianism is the better of the two.
Confucianism was the first philosophy in China. Confucian ideas involved social order, harmony and a good government. Confucius also came up with the Five Relationships. They included:
- Ruler and subject
- Father and son
- Husband and wife
- Older and younger brothers
- And finally friends
He also came up with filial piety, which is when children pay respect to their elders, parents, and ancestors. A bureaucracy, which is a trained civil service, was his idea of a government. To be in the government, you had to have a good education.
Buddhism is an Indian religion that was developed off of Hinduism. Siddhartha didn’t like the Hinduism beliefs, so he meditated for forty-nine days straight under a tree, hoping to reach enlightenment, and that was the start of Buddhism. His first preachings included the Four Noble Truths.
- Life is filled with suffering and sorrow
- The cause of all suffering is people’s selfish desire for pleasure
- The way to end suffering is to end desires
- The way to overcome such desires and reach enlightenment is to follow the Eightfold path
Although monks and nuns had to live a life of poverty, the majority of the population were laborers and craftsmen due to the fact that Buddhism rejects the idea of the caste system.
Confucianism is the better of the two. Confucianism is a philosophy and does not have anything to do with the after life and gods. This means no praying or making sacrifices. Without all that, there is more time to A)work on the five relationships and B)make more money. Without the belief of “suffering is caused by desires”, one could become as rich as one pleases without consequences.
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Post CommentCD
On January 6, 2008 at 8:46 am
Excellent job!
Anon.
On January 6, 2008 at 10:11 am
Good info on the two…
not accurate
On August 9, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Buddha’s main teaching was that of self-investigation- to meditate and learn what and who you really are. when pressed he would remain silent on metaphysical questions.
The Buddha was a scientist in the truest sense of the word- but a scientist of mind and matter and the interaction between the two.
Chrissy
On October 24, 2008 at 12:55 pm
this suxs
LF
On January 12, 2009 at 10:37 pm
that was a pretty through website
Dilip
On January 27, 2009 at 1:20 am
First of all Buddha ” Siddhartha Gautam” was born in Nepal, in Kapilvastu district of Lumbuni zone. He was the prince of that place. He was born in Hindu family later on he was desperate from his life so he went to Gaya where he merited for 50 years. where he knew the meaning of peace then he started to share his philosophy and become famous as Lord Buddha.
bf
On January 28, 2009 at 7:38 pm
this thing is only giving special to confucianism
that is not fare
me
On February 17, 2009 at 9:53 am
this site sucks …you suck
rc
On March 1, 2009 at 6:24 pm
this is a lot of readin
AG
On March 1, 2009 at 6:30 pm
IM BORED WITH THIS READIN IM OUT…
JG
On March 1, 2009 at 6:35 pm
i.d.g.a.f bout this p.o.c
i just copied it 2 a paper and gave it 2 my teacher
thats all i need
James
On March 12, 2009 at 4:10 pm
http://www.knowbuddhism.info/2009/02/three-religions-confucianism-taoism-and.html
JCB
On March 12, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Know Buddhism: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism
zuess
On March 21, 2009 at 11:59 pm
not enough info
lil a
On March 25, 2009 at 1:49 pm
dont understand this shyte
aa
On July 20, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Confucianism is not the first philosophy in china to my knowledge.
Sungkham
On September 2, 2009 at 4:27 am
The fact that the article claims Confucianism is better than Buddhism shows that the writer has yet to better understand the philosophy and teachings of Buddha. In particular with regard to material wealth and focus on making money and all that in the last paragraph, it goes to show that either the writer’s interpretation just scratches the surface or s/he may have attempted to portray Confucianism as being superficial.
The five relationships are in fact part of the Buddhism “right living.”
Contrary to this assertion, Buddhism is essentially the natural law which is very true and TIMELESS.The Fact that Buddhism is widely practiced in China and most of Asia and increasingly elsewhere speaks for itself whether or not which is better.
Brad
On November 5, 2009 at 12:45 am
Whoever wrote this is retarted and didn’t even bother to check their fact. Buddhism started as a philosophy and branched out into different ideas some of which made it into a religion. The fact that you are calling one better than the other shows how uneducated you are. You are clearly unqualified and should be researching this information instead of writing about it.
katie
On November 11, 2009 at 9:18 pm
buddhism is not a religion. there are no gods in it only the belief of being a good person and having respect for all living things. it is not a religion.
Kobe
On January 31, 2010 at 8:23 pm
BRAD! you\’re RETARDED…learn how to spell. bf, you pay an air FARE which is not FAIRLY priced…two different words you stupid piece of s**t. and as for whoever wrote this article…WOW you need to stop spreading your ignorance.
MS
On March 26, 2010 at 6:45 am
isn’t that a little cold? People are freaking out over an article? To me there are more important things to in life than fighting over which religion is better than the other? Don’t mean to hate but I think it’s the truth. ^______________^
Guesty
On April 14, 2010 at 4:08 am
Well interpreted by this fourth grader. … you are a little kid, right?
Jules
On May 24, 2010 at 10:23 am
aaaaaah………… confucianism did not agree with profiteering… so in a confucian society you couldnt spend more time making money and about making sacrifices… a part of filial piety deals with making paying respects to the ancestors… which is quite ‘ritualistic’….. so aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah yeah.
Vann
On June 24, 2010 at 3:28 pm
i like your post cuz you give some good information about both religions. Something i don’t understand is your reason as to why confucianism is better that buddhism. Are saying that confucianism is better because one can get reach while being a follower and you cannot if you are a buddhist? That just seems like lame reasoning and not a good reason AT ALL as to why confucinism is better than buddhism. ????’
Sheldon
On February 12, 2011 at 3:48 am
In this article, I found the reasoning to say that Confucianism is better to be rubbish. I worked in Korea for 3 years, and I am now working in Taiwan. Confucianism is common in both countries, but Koreans are too bullish on Confucianism. I have traveled to Thailand 6 times already. Thailand is 95% Buddhist. Frankly I would chose Buddhism over Confucianism because Buddhism has a lot more in common with my Christian beliefs than Confucianism. For instance, Buddhism does not justify favoritism in the family unlike Confucianism. Furthermore, in my experience I find that most Northeast Asian people who follow Confucianism are less happy, and more stuck up. Buddhists on the other hand, (especially in Thailand) are more happier and are much more nicer people. (Nicer than most Christians I met in my life).
Ujwal sharma
On September 3, 2011 at 3:41 am
very nice job