Interconnection: Religions of Asia, Essay Example

“Interconnection” is a recurring theme in the religions of Asia. Choose three of the religious traditions we have discussed and explain how their theories of interconnection are different from each other. We have five religious, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto.

Interconnectedness refers to the idea that everything is connected to something else, so that everything is essentially interconnected.

Hinduism argues that there is a relationship, or connectedness, between humans (microcosm) and the universe, or the self (macro-cosm). In other words, according to Hinduism, when a person touches anything, he or she essentially touches everything. As such, everything is essentially connected, and not just related. This means that no one thing exists in relation to another; instead, each thing exists because it is essential to the existence of something else. So, when a person sees something, he or she sees everything at once; and when a person touches one thing, he or she touches everything at once. Similarly, when one aspect of life is affected by something, all aspects of life are consequently affected.

Daoism promotes unity in all of life. That means that everything (good or bad) is part of one system. Because there is an understanding that all opposites are part of the same system, there is no opposition to things that are opposite from one another. According to Daoism, harmony and balance can be achieved in all situations because everything is interconnected. Similarly, because of the interconnectedness of all things, no one action happens because of an individual need, rather, actions happen because they are called forth by the environment and a cumulative need. Everything, therefore, happens because something else calls it to be so.

Confucianism states that people are interconnected with one another, and also with nature and with heaven. In other words, human beings are interconnected with everything else around them. However, Confucianism also states that the interconnectedness of people allow for a sympathetic interconnectedness as well. That means that because human beings are interconnected with everything else, they are also connected to one another’s emotions. For that reason, people can be intuitive and sympathetic. In other words, because people are interconnected to other people and to everything else in life, they share a common understanding of feeling. This is true because they essentially share the same basis for emotion and thought.

When compared, each of the preceding three religions defines interconnectedness differently. Hinduism states that everything in nature is impermanent (it does not remain the same way forever), but everything is connected to everything else. That means that everything that is interconnected (which is everything in nature) constantly changes. Daoism states that harmony can be achieved in life because everything (good and bad) is interconnected. It does not state that things are permanent, nor does it state that things change, it simply states that opposites are part of a whole, which, when considered as such, can bring harmony to an individual’s life. Confucianism takes interconnectedness one step further and states that human beings are connected to everything else (nature and heaven) and because of their interconnectedness, they have the ability to be connected to one another on a sympathetic level as well. So, in addition to being connected to all aspects of nature, they are also connected to one another on a higher level of mental and emotional connectedness.