Natural Law, Tao, Dharma & Logos

[Michael_Mayo]

Are these the same thing?

Not that Taoism is the same thing as Greek philosophy or Christianity as Bhuddhism but can this sense of a natural ordered way or law of the universe be compared & contrasted among these so different world views?

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

Are these the same thing?

Not that Taoism is the same thing as Greek philosophy or Christianity as Bhuddhism but can this sense of a natural ordered way or law of the universe be compared & contrasted among these so different world views?

Well Michele Ruggieri tried to introduce Catholicism to the Chinese masses by explaining the Logos through the Tao present in Chinese thought (in Buddhism and Taoism)

 

[Mystophilus]

Are these the same thing?

Not that Taoism is the same thing as Greek philosophy or Christianity as Bhuddhism but can this sense of a natural ordered way or law of the universe be compared & contrasted among these so different world views?

In simple terms as abstract principles, yes, all can refer to the existence of a system of coherence within reality. However, individual expressions of the details of such principles diverge pretty rapidly. Why?

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Well Michele Ruggieri tried to introduce Catholicism to the Chinese masses by explaining the Logos through the Tao present in Chinese thought (in Buddhism and Taoism)

How did she do?

Mystophilus:

Why?

I heard that the Chinese translate Gospel John 1:1 thus:
“In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God.”

So I was curious about the relationship of the concepts.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

How did she do?

I heard that the Chinese translate Gospel John 1:1 thus:
“In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God.”

So I was curious about the relationship of the concepts.

Well, HE, got into a fight with Matteo Ricci and the Chinese Rites Controversy screwef up everything

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Well, HE, got into a fight with Matteo Ricci and the Chinese Rites Controversy screwef up everything

I seem to have taken an interest in Chinese religion. I encounter many college students from China. Matteo Ricci looks like an important figure in the picture.

Ricci’s solution of this problem caused a long and heated controversy in which the Holy See finally decided against him. The discussion also dealt with the use of the Chinese terms T’ien (heaven) and Shang-ti (Sovereign Lord) to designate God; here also the custom established by Father Ricci had to be corrected…Ricci’s opinion has been adopted and confirmed by illustrious modern Sinologists, amongst whom it suffices to mention James Legge (“The Notions of the Chinese concerning God and Spirits”, 1852; “A Letter to Prof. Max Muller chiefly on the Translation of the Chinese terms Ti and Chang-ti”, 1880).

 

[Mystophilus]

How did she do?

I heard that the Chinese translate Gospel John 1:1 thus:
“In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God.”

So I was curious about the relationship of the concepts.

I have a Chinese Bible which uses 道, “Dào” (or “Tao” in the Wade-Giles romanisation), for Λογος in Jn 1:1.

The relationship of the concepts is tricky, not least because Lao-zi’s representation of the Dao is not identical to Zhuang-zi’s. The Dao de Jing (traditionally authored by Lao-zi) describes the Dao in some terms very reminiscent of apophatic mystics’ descriptions of God, but then it also describes the Dao as a non-sentient operating principle. While 道 is a fairly reasonable rendering of λογος, it is rather less useful for God, because of the differences between the Chinese usage of 道 and the Greek usage of λογος.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

I seem to have taken an interest in Chinese religion. I encounter many college students from China. Matteo Ricci looks like an important figure in the picture.

Ricci’s solution of this problem caused a long and heated controversy in which the Holy See finally decided against him. The discussion also dealt with the use of the Chinese terms T’ien (heaven) and Shang-ti (Sovereign Lord) to designate God; here also the custom established by Father Ricci had to be corrected…Ricci’s opinion has been adopted and confirmed by illustrious modern Sinologists, amongst whom it suffices to mention James Legge (“The Notions of the Chinese concerning God and Spirits”, 1852; “A Letter to Prof. Max Muller chiefly on the Translation of the Chinese terms Ti and Chang-ti”, 1880).

Confucianism would have been the better philosophy to replace, Catholicism could become fully integrated and changed minimal things, indeed the concept of the Mandate of Heaven would be largely unaltered (it’s very similar to Cardinal Bellarmine’s writing).

 

[Michael_Mayo]

You two, Dakota and Mystophilus, seem to have already had some interest in Chinese Christianity. I am currently reading the I Ching, Kua by Kua, with 5 different translations. I am not interested in the divination but I am interested in the symbolism and history. At some point I guess I also hope to better understand why it has such a high reputation as wisdom liturature. Been there?

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

You two, Dakota and Mystophilus, seem to have already had some interest in Chinese Christianity. I am currently reading the I Ching, Kua by Kua, with 5 different translations. I am not interested in the divination but I am interested in the symbolism and history. At some point I guess I also hope to better understand why it has such a high reputation as wisdom liturature. Been there?

Never heard of that book, I suppose the trigrams are where one should start