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Mulian and Miaoshan
The story of Mulian is perhaps one of the greatest tales from medieval China. It tells the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man and goes to war in place of her father. In the story, the main character, Mulian, is a virtuous monk who seeks the help of the Buddha to rescue his mother. Mulian’s mother had been humiliated and condemned to the lowest and most uncomfortable purgatory in Karmic retribution for her sins (Dudbridge 26). However, Mulian’s personal power is inadequate to rescue her mother. As a result, Budha proposes that he give food and gifts to monks and temples on every 15thof each month, which is the date of the Ghost Festivity of the seventh lunar calendar. …show more content…
These two Chinese philosophies recommend moral and ethical requirements that people should live by. Confucianism is a philosophy, tradition, or simply a way of life that is based on the Chinese philosopher Confucius. On the other hand, Buddhism entails a number of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices that are based on the teachings of the Buddha (Mair 1040). Consequently, the legend of Mulian aligns to the Buddhism philosophy while the story of Miaoshan is based on Confucianism teachings. While the story of Mulian tends to insinuate superstition, the legend of Miaoshan is based on logical thinking. For instance, when Mulian seeks the help of the monks, she is required to offer sacrifices on a specific day in order to reconcile their old differences. On the contrary, Miaoshan does what she thinks is correct regardless of it conflicting with traditions. To be more specific, she refuses to get married even though her culture requires that when she is of age, she find a …show more content…
To illustrate these likenesses, both Mulian and Miaoshan believe that being kind and generous to others is their calling in society. This is revealed when Miaoshan refuses to get married and instead devotes her life to helping those that are in need. Mulian also endeavors to rescue her mother in spite of of it not being her duty (Dudbridge 48). In addition, the two stories reveal that gender does not matter in that men and women can be of equal status in society. This is shown by the two main characters of the tales being female who go against all the odds to do things that even men could not. Therefore, the legends of Mulian and Miaoshan expose the fundamental aspects of the Buddhist and Confucianism teachings and philosophies
Works Cited
Mair, Victor H. The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 2000.
Dudbridge, Glen, and Glen Dudbridge. The Legend of Miaoshan. Oxford University
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Mulian and Miaoshan
The story of Mulian is perhaps one of the greatest tales from medieval China. It tells the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man and goes to war in place of her father. In the story, the main character, Mulian, is a virtuous monk who seeks the help of the Buddha to rescue his mother. Mulian’s mother had been humiliated and condemned to the lowest and most uncomfortable purgatory in Karmic retribution for her sins (Dudbridge 26). However, Mulian’s personal power is inadequate to rescue her mother. As a result, Budha proposes that he give food and gifts to monks and temples on every 15thof each month, which is the date of the Ghost Festivity of the seventh lunar calendar. …show more content…
These two Chinese philosophies recommend moral and ethical requirements that people should live by. Confucianism is a philosophy, tradition, or simply a way of life that is based on the Chinese philosopher Confucius. On the other hand, Buddhism entails a number of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices that are based on the teachings of the Buddha (Mair 1040). Consequently, the legend of Mulian aligns to the Buddhism philosophy while the story of Miaoshan is based on Confucianism teachings. While the story of Mulian tends to insinuate superstition, the legend of Miaoshan is based on logical thinking. For instance, when Mulian seeks the help of the monks, she is required to offer sacrifices on a specific day in order to reconcile their old differences. On the contrary, Miaoshan does what she thinks is correct regardless of it conflicting with traditions. To be more specific, she refuses to get married even though her culture requires that when she is of age, she find a …show more content…
To illustrate these likenesses, both Mulian and Miaoshan believe that being kind and generous to others is their calling in society. This is revealed when Miaoshan refuses to get married and instead devotes her life to helping those that are in need. Mulian also endeavors to rescue her mother in spite of of it not being her duty (Dudbridge 48). In addition, the two stories reveal that gender does not matter in that men and women can be of equal status in society. This is shown by the two main characters of the tales being female who go against all the odds to do things that even men could not. Therefore, the legends of Mulian and Miaoshan expose the fundamental aspects of the Buddhist and Confucianism teachings and philosophies
Works Cited
Mair, Victor H. The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press, 2000.
Dudbridge, Glen, and Glen Dudbridge. The Legend of Miaoshan. Oxford University