While visiting the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, we had a chance to see some amazing religious buildings for Confucianism and Buddhism. This was my first encounter with Confucianism and I have learned a lot about this philosophy/religion.
Confucianism
Confucianism was started by the Chinese teacher Confucius. He founded the philosophy/religion as a way of life to improve society by having everyone follow rules of conduct. The five basic virtues in this religion are:
1. Kindness
2. Honesty
3. Wisdom
4. Faithfulness
5. Propriety
It is said Confucianism began to teach others how to be good people, but today it is considered a religion. Also, other religions such as Taoism and Buddhism have influenced aspects of this religion, since all three are widely practiced in Southeast Asia.
Our first experience with this philosophy/religion was at the Temple of Literature. The temple was dedicated to Confucius and served as a university, where the students studied Confucianism as well as other subjects.
On the outside of the temple, there are many statues on the roof depicting animals like catfish, dragons, unicorns, phoenix, and tortoises. Although the catfish isn’t one of the four important animals, it has an interesting story. It is said the first catfish to swim up a waterfall will be turned into a dragon which is the most powerful animal, so all catfish try to accomplish this feat.
Inside the temple is a room with big statues of Confucius and some of his disciples. People can pray and leave offerings here of fruit, flowers, or sticks of incense.
Buddhism
We have encountered many different buildings and statues related to Buddhism in our visits to India and Thailand, and now our most recent in Hanoi.
The first we saw was the One Pillar Pagoda. This is a small pagoda supported by only one pillar standing in a pool of water. The pagoda has an interesting legend to say why it was built this way.
There once was a king who wanted to have a son, but the queen was unable to bear any children. One night, the king had a dream where there was a lady standing on a lotus flower in a pool of water. She handed him a son, and later on, the queen became pregnant and had a baby boy. To thank the lady in his dream, the king built the pagoda in the middle of a pool.
The second pagoda we saw was the Tran Quoc pagoda, which is one of the oldest in Hanoi. It has many monuments around it, including the belfry with each of its alcoves containing a marble Buddha statue.
It was really interesting to learn about Confucianism and more about Buddhism. The buildings constructed for worship are so beautiful and unique, and I’m glad I was able to see them.
After all our encounters with different religions around the world, there are many similarities. The religions teach people to be kind to others, be honest, and generally try to improve society. Although each religion practices in a different way, it would be great if their teachings united them.
Comments
7 responses to “Confucianism and Buddhism in Hanoi!”
And wouldn’t it be nice if they practiced what they preached? By which I emphasize the ‘be kind to others’ part. Oh wel…. For the most part, their buildings are beautiful ( I mean now all religions), and I guess that one has to take the best from them . You certainly are getting a first hand education!
Hello Herta,
I love seeing the different religious buildings around the world. They are all different and beautiful, no matter what religion they are built for.
Hi Mikhaila,
I enjoyed your very colourful blog and interesting info on the two religions. Also, I find the architecture very interesting! Love, Baba
Hi Baba,
It was really interesting to learn about Confucianism and I always enjoy learning more about Buddhism. The two religions are fascinating!
What an amazing experience. If everyone followed the 5 Virtues of Confucius it would be a much better world no matter what religion you are!
Sandra
Hello Teta Sandy,
I’ve noticed that all religions teach almost the same things and all of them want to make the world a better place.
Hi, Mikhaila, I don’t know how I missed this posting, I just took a look back on previous postings and read this. Most of the information is so new to me and I like how you explain the basic rules. As you said in your writing: all religions are about the same core values, that we try to be good and decent people. Love your posting and the photos are stunning. I like how you explain the pagodas. They are such masterpieces. Thanks for all of this, gazillion XOXOXO’s