The Lotus Sutra

THE LOTUS SUTRA (Indian Buddhism, c. 1st century BCE-2nd century CE)

The Lotus Sutra (in Sanskrit, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, or "Sutra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma") is one of the most influential sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, particularly important in the Chinese Tiantai (Jp. Tendai, Kr. Cheontae) sect, as well as Japanese Nichiren Buddhism. (The Chinese call it Fahua Jing; the Japanese, Myoho Renge Kyo or Hoke-kyo for short.) Some east Asians consider it the highest, final teaching of the Mahayana or "Great Vehicle." It teaches the doctrine of the One Vehicle (all Buddhist schools and practices are "skillful means" leading to Buddhahood); that all beings can become Buddhas; and that the lifespan of the Buddha is immeasurable, so he only appeared to pass on into final Nirvana (death)--he is still teaching the Dharma.

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Sima Qian

SIMA QIAN (Chinese, c. 145-86 BCE)

A Chinese historian in the early Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), his Records of the Grand Historian covers 2,000 years of Chinese "history," starting with the entirely mythical Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, a god) and bringing the story up to his own sovereign, Emperor Wu of Han. It became the model for official historiography for China and its cultural sphere (Korea, Vietnam, Japan) up until the 20th century. Sima Qian inherited his position as court historian from his father Sima Tan, who had started outlining the great work. Caught up in a political scandal, Sima Qian was offered the choice of death or castration, imprisonment, disgrace, and removal from office. He chose the latter in order to finish the work. He was also a gifted poet and prose writer.

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Zhuangzi

ZHUANGZI (Chinese, 369-286 BCE)

Zhuangzi (or Chuang Tzu) was a Chinese philosopher who, after reading "all the literature of his time," settled on Laozi as his fave, and became a founding philosopher of Daoism (Taoism). He was at least the primary, if not the sole, author of the 33-chapter work that bears his name, the Zhuangzi.

Two well-known stories about Zhuangzi:

• Zhuangzi: "See how the fish come to the surface and swim where they like? That makes them happy."
  Huizi: "You are not a fish; how do you know what makes them happy?"
  Zhuangzi: "You are not me; how do you know I don't know what makes fish happy?"
• Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly. When he awoke, he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuangzi.

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Qu Yuan

QU YUAN (Chinese; c. 340-278 BCE)

Qu Yuan was a Chinese poet and politician in the State of Chu during the Warring States period, a time when seven kingdoms were battling it out until the eventual unification by the Qin (the source of our word China) in 221 BCE. The Chu lay in the southernmost part of China's then-territory, along the Yangtze, and Qu Yuan's work is collected in the Chu Ci, meaning Songs of Chu but sometimes translated Songs of the South. It is one of the two greatest collections of ancient Chinese verse, along with the Shi Jing.

• A popular legend says that, despairing of the political situation, Qu Yuan drowned himself in a river near Hunan's Dongting Lake. The local people raced out in their boats to save him, dropping sticky rice balls into the water to keep the fish from eating Qu. This, they say, is the origin of the Dragon Boat Races held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, as well as the tradition of eating zongzi (sticky rice balls) at that time.

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Mencius (Mengzi)

MENCIUS (MENGZI) (Chinese, 372-289 BCE) 

This fourth-generation Chinese Confucian philosopher was called the "second Sage" after only Confucius himself. He inherited Confucius's ideology and developed it further, much as Paul did with the teachings of Jesus. He lived during the Warring States period, and traveled from court to court offering counsel to different rulers, holding conversations that would form the basis of the book named for him, the Mencius. He believed human nature to be upright and humane: any state with upright and humane policies will flourish, and its citizens, with the freedom afforded, will care for their wives, brothers, elders, and children, naturally becoming better citizens.

• The Mencius ranks as one of the Confucian "Four Books," along with the Great Learning by Confucius's disciple Zengzi, the Doctrine of the Mean by his grandson Zisi, and the Analects by the Master himself.

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Zisi

ZISI (KONG JI) (Chinese Confucian philosopher, c. 481-402 BCE)

Zisi (also called Kong Ji) was the grandson of Confucius and is credited with writing the Doctrine of the Mean, one of the "Four Books" of classical Chinese philosophy (with the Great Learning, the Analects, and the Mencius). In just 33 chapters, Zisi demonstrates the usefulness of a "golden way" to gain perfect virtue. And what is that "way"? Some have translated the book's title, "Middle Way" or "Use of the Middle (Mean)." It is the principle of maintaining balance and harmony by developing in the mind a state of constant equilibrium. One should never act in excess, but practice self-examination, tolerance towards others, and sincerity.

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Laozi

LAOZI (Chinese, 6th-century BCE?)

Laozi (also Lao Tzu or Lao-Tze, meaning perhaps "Old Master") is the supposed author of the Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching) primary text of philosophical Daoism (Taoism). He is a god in religious Daoism. There is no proof of his earthly existence, but he is said to have been a slightly-older contemporary of Confucius. The Dao De Jing, then, may have been sayings compiled from various sources. Weary of the moral decay in the kingdom (they say), at 80 he rode west on an ox. As he passed the last gate of the kingdom, a sentry recognized him and asked him to at least leave his wisdom behind, so he wrote the Dao De Jing and rode on, never to be seen again (though some say he went to India and taught--or became--the Buddha).

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Zengzi

ZENGZI (Chinese, 505–435 BCE)

Zengzi, also called Zeng Shen and Ziyu, was a disciple of Confucius. He later taught Zisi (Kong Ji), Confucius's grandson who wrote the Doctrine of the Mean. Zisi in turn taught Mencius, author of the Mencius. Thus Zengzi was the progenitor of a line of teachers and is still revered as one of the Four Sages of Confucianism (with Yan Hui, Confucius's favorite disciple; Zisi; and Mencius). He was later considered second only to Yan Hui amongst Confucius's students. He wrote ten books, including (possibly) The Great Learning.

• The Great Learning teaches the importance of: balance and refinement of the moral self; rest and reflection; knowing what is important; order and harmony; and well-roundedness in education.

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The Art of War

THE ART OF WAR (Sunzi, Chinese, c. 5th century BCE)

Not so long ago, a fad applied the principles of Sunzi's The Art of War to business. What nonsense. It's about war! Dating to roughly the 5th century BCE, it has since that time been East Asia's most influential strategy text. Sunzi (sometimes spelled Sun Tzu) was a (possibly ahistorical) Chinese general, strategist, and philosopher who advised his readers to "subdue the enemy without fighting," to "know when to fight and when not to fight," to "wait to take the enemy unprepared," etc.

• The essence of the book may be summed up in the phrase, "mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy."
• The first complete English translation was made in 1910.

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Confucius

CONFUCIUS (Chinese, 551-479 BCE)

Few people have impacted as many lives as the Chinese philosopher Kong Fuzi, known in English as "Confucius." Though his writings were likely the work of his students, he is credited with a number of books, the most important of which may be the Analects, a collection of teaching anecdotes. Also of interest are the short works The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean, chapters from his Book of Rites that zero in on proper social behavior and right relationships, the essence of Confucianism.

• Confucius emphasized the virtues of Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (proper rites), Zhi (knowledge), and Xin (integrity).
• In addition there are Zhong (loyalty), Xiao (filial piety), and Jie (fidelity).

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