This is a trailer video of an ongoing film project. A film about admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He), starring Yusril Ihza Mahendra, an ex Indonesia's Minister of Nation Secretary. For those who don't know who Cheng Ho is, he's the leader of Chinese emissary for South East Asia nations. There's a rather weird fact about him. He's a MOSLEM, but some confucians actually worship him as one of their GODS! Even confusians in Indonesia hold annual festival for him.

Sources and setting No medieval Arabic source has been traced for the tale, which was incorporated into The Book of One Thousand and One Nights by its French translator, Antoine Galland, who heard it from an Arab Syrian Christian storyteller from Aleppo. Galland's diary (March 25, 1709) records that he met the Maronite scholar, by name Youhenna Diab ("Hanna"), who had been brought from Aleppo to Paris by Paul Lucas, a celebrated French traveller. Galland's diary also tells that his translation of "Aladdin" was made in the winter of 1709--10. It was included in his volumes ix and x of the Nights, published in 1710. John Payne, Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp and Other Stories, (London 1901) gives details of Galland's encounter with the man he referred to as "Hanna" and the discovery in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris of two Arabic manuscripts containing Aladdin (with two more of the "interpolated" tales). One is a jumbled late 18th century Syrian version. The more interesting one, in a manuscript that belonged to the scholar M. Caussin de Perceval, is a copy of a manuscript made in Baghdad in 1703. It was purchased by the Bibliothèque Nationale at the end of the nineteenth century. Note that although it is a Middle-Eastern tale the characters in the story are neither Arabs nor Persians, but rather are from "China". The country in the story is however an Islamic country, where most people are Muslims. There is a Jewish merchant who buys Aladdin's wares (and incidentally cheats him), but there is no mention of Buddhists or Confucians. Everybody in this country bears an Arabic name and its monarch seems much more like a Persian ruler than a Chinese emperor. The country of the tale is a fabled place in a distant land, definitely eastwards - but of course has little or no relationship to a "real" or historic China. This sort of thing is common enough in fairy tales - whether due to an unsophisticated narrator's ignorance, or as a deliberate device. For a narrator unaware of the existence of America, Aladdin's "China" would represent "the Utter East" while the sorcerer's homeland of Morocco represented "the Utter West". In the beginning of the tale, the sorcerer's taking the effort to make such a long journey, the longest conceivable in the narrator's (and his listeners') perception of the world, underlines the sorcerer's determination to gain the lamp and hence the lamp's great value. In the later episodes, the instantaneous transition from the east to the west and back, performed effortlessly by the Djinn, make their power all the more marvelous.

I used to be on the side of the Taoists who often mocked the Confucians for trying to improve upon the course of the Tao in nature. I, too, was suspicious of humanity's ability to "direct" the flow. But we cannot forget that we are as much an expression of the Tao as any other form of the natural process. the question still remains though: is there such a thing as not being in accord with the Tao? Is a human being even capable of not being in accord with the course of nature?

(2-5)Notes: 1,Mencius (Romanization; 孟子, pinyin: Mèng Zǐ; Wade-Giles: Meng Tzu; most accepted dates: 372 -- 289 BCE; other possible dates: 385 -- 303/302 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself. View on human nature While Confucius himself did not explicitly focus on the subject of human nature, Mencius asserted the innate goodness of the individual, believing that it was society's influence -- its lack of a positive cultivating influence -- that caused bad moral character. "He who exerts his mind to the utmost knows his nature"[6] and "the way of learning is none other than finding the lost mind". His translator James Legge finds a close similarity between Mencius' views on human nature and those in Bishop Butler's Sermons on Human Nature. The Four Beginnings To show innate goodness, Mencius used the example of a child falling down a well. Witnesses of this event immediately feel " alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends, nor because they dislike the reputation [of lack of humanity if they did not rescue the child]... The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity; the feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the feeling of deference and compliance is the beginning of propriety; and the feeling of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Men have these Four Beginnings just as they have their four limbs. Having these Four Beginnings, but saying that they cannot develop them is to destroy themselves. " View on politics Mencius emphasized the significance of the common citizens in the state. While Confucianism generally regards rulers highly, he argued that it is acceptable for the subjects to overthrow or even kill a ruler who ignores the people's needs and rules harshly. This is because a ruler who does not rule justly is no longer a true ruler. Speaking of the assassination of the wicked King Jie of Xia, Mencius said, "I have heard of killing a mere fellow Chou, but I have not heard of murdering [him as] the ruler.". 2, Xun Zi (traditional Chinese: 荀子; Simplified Chinese: 荀子; pinyin: Xún Zǐ; Wade-Giles: Hsün Tzu, ca. 310--238 BCE) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Xún Zǐ believed man is innately evil or corrupt, counter to Mencius, and that ethical norms had been invented to rectify mankind. Educated in the state of Qi, Xun Zi was associated with the Confucian school, but his philosophy has a more pragmatic flavour compared to Confucian optimism; some scholars attribute it to the divisive times. Man's Nature is Evil Xunzi believed that all people are born with natural tendencies toward "evil:" that is, a taste for profit and beauty and a susceptibility to jealousy and hate, all of which, if indulged in, would lead to disorder and criminality. In order to attain a oneness with the Way, a dedication to morality, Xunzi argued for the guidance of a proper teacher: only this would allow one to become morally upright. A proper teacher would have been trained in the teachings of the ancient sage kings who saw that human nature was inherently immoral and thus wrong. From this realization, the sage kings developed rituals and regulations to shape people into accordance with the Way. Thus the process of following the teachings of the sage kings (and a teacher who can teach them) equates a renunciation of one's evil nature and a commitment to conscious activity (conscious activity because one must deliberately and willingly change their actions in order to overstep their evils which would otherwise occur naturally, without conscious thought). While Xunzi is a Confucianist, he disembarks from the arguments of previous Confucians here: Confucius claimed that some people (but not all, and not even Confucius himself) were born with the ability to love learning and act in accordance with the Way. Mencius believed that all people were inherently good and that it was negative environmental influences which caused immorality in people. But Xunzi picks apart Mencius's argument in his writing. Mencius, whom Xunzi refers to by name, does not understand the difference between nature and conscious practice. The former is inherent, as sight is to the eye or hearing is to the ear: one cannot be taught to see. However conscious thought is something which must be taught and learned: ------------------------------------------------- III,Zhou Dynasty周朝 1,Western zhou 西周(c11th-771 B.C.), 2,Eastern Zhou东周(770-256 B.C.) 1),Spring and Autumn Period春秋(770-476 B.C) 2),Warring States战国(475-211 B.C) IV,Qin Dynasty秦朝(221-207 B.C.)

Secret of the golden flower, a taoistic meditation brought to you by Jan Keppel Hesselink, MD, PhD, chair foundation IOCOB 1. HEAVENLY CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HEART Master Lu Tzu said: That which exists through itself is called Meaning. (Tao). Meaning has neither name nor force. It is the one essence, the one primordial spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. It is contained in the Light of Heaven. The light of Heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes. Today I will be your guide and will first reveal to you the secret of the Golden Flower of the Great One, and, starting from that, I will explain the rest in detail. The Great One is the term given to that which has nothing above it. The secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to achieve non-action. One must not wish to leave out the steps between and penetrate directly. The maxim handed down to us is to take in hand the work on the essence. In doing this it is important not to follow the wrong road. The Golden Flower is the Light. What color has the light? One uses the Golden Flower as an image. It is the true power of the transcendent Great One. The phrase, "The lead of the water-region has but one taste," refers to it. The work on the circulation of the Light depends entirely on the backward-flowing movement, so that the thoughts are gathered together (the place of Heavenly Consciousness, the Heavenly Heart). The Heavenly Heart lies between sun and moon (i.e., the two eyes). The Book of the Yellow Castle says: In the field of the square inch of the house of the square foot, life can be regulated. The house of the square foot is the face. The field of the square inch in the face: What could that be other than the Heavenly Heart? In the middle of the square inch dwells the splendor. In the purple hall of the city of jade dwells the god of utmost emptiness and life. The Confucians call it the center of emptiness; the Buddhists, the terrace of life; the Taoists, the ancestral land, or the yellow castle, or the dark pass, or the space of former Heaven. The Heavenly Heart is like the dwelling place, the Light is the master. Therefore when the Light circulates, the powers of the whole body arrange themselves before its throne, just as when a holy king has taken possession of the capital and has laid down the fundamental rules of order, all the states approach with tribute, or, just as when the master is quiet and calm, men-servants and maids obey his orders of their own accord, and each does his work. Therefore you only have to make the Light circulate: that is the deepest and most wonderful secret. The Light is easy to move, but difficult to fix. If it is allowed to go long enough in a circle, then it crystallizes itself: that is the natural spirit -body. This crystallized spirit is formed beyond the nine Heavens. It is the condition of which it is said in the Book of the Seal of the Heart: Silently in the morning thou fliest upward. In carrying out this fundamental truth you need to seek for no other methods, but must only concentrate your thoughts on it. The book Leng Yen says: By collecting the thoughts one can fly and will be born in Heaven. Heaven is not the wide blue sky, but the place where the body is made in the house of the creative. If one keeps this up for a long time, there develops quite naturally in addition to the body, yet another spirit-body. The Golden Flower is the Elixir of Life (literally, golden ball, golden pill). All changes of spiritual consciousness depend upon the Heart. Here is a secret charm, which, although it works very accurately, is yet so fluent that it needs extreme intelligence and clarity, and complete absorption and calm. People without this highest degree of intelligence and understanding do not find the way to apply the charm; People without this utmost capacity for concentration and calm cannot keep fast hold of it.

Influence In his lifetime, and immediately following his death, Du Fu was not greatly appreciated. In part this can be attributed to his stylistic and formal innovations, some of which are still "considered extremely daring and bizarre by Chinese critics". There are few contemporary references to him—only eleven poems from six writers—and these describe him in terms of affection, but not as a paragon of poetic or moral ideals. Du Fu is also poorly represented in contemporary anthologies of poetry. However, as Hung notes, he "is the only Chinese poet whose influence grew with time", and in the ninth century he began to increase in popularity. Early positive comments came from Bai Juyi, who praised the moral sentiments of some of Du Fu's works (although he found these in only a small fraction of the poems), and from Han Yu, who wrote a piece defending Du Fu and Li Bai on aesthetic grounds from attacks made against them. By the beginning of the 10th century, Wei Zhuang had constructed the first replica of his thatched cottage in Sichuan. It was in the 11th century, during the Northern Song era that Du Fu's reputation reached its peak. In this period a comprehensive re-evaluation of earlier poets took place, in which Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu came to be regarded as representing respectively the Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian strands of Chinese culture.[19] At the same time, the development of Neo-Confucianism ensured that Du Fu, as its poetic exemplar, occupied the paramount position.Su Shi famously expressed this reasoning when he wrote that Du Fu was "preeminent... because... through all his vicissitudes, he never for the space of a meal forgot his sovereign".His influence was helped by his ability to reconcile apparent opposites: political conservatives were attracted by his loyalty to the established order, while political radicals embraced his concern for the poor. Literary conservatives could look to his technical mastery, while literary radicals were inspired by his innovations. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Du Fu's loyalty to the state and concern for the poor have been interpreted as embryonic nationalism and socialism, and he has been praised for his use of simple, "people's language". Du Fu's popularity grew to such an extent that it is as hard to measure his influence as that of Shakespeare in England: it was hard for any Chinese poet not to be influenced by him. While there was never another Du Fu, individual poets followed in the traditions of specific aspects of his work: Bai Juyi's concern for the poor, Lu You's patriotism, and Mei Yaochen's reflections on the quotidian are a few examples. More broadly, Du Fu's work in transforming the lǜshi from mere word play into "a vehicle for serious poetic utterance"set the stage for every subsequent writer in the genre. Du Fu has also been influential beyond China, although in common with the other High Tang poets, his reception into the Japanese literary culture was relatively late. It was not until the 17th century that he was accorded the same respect in Japan as in China, but he then had a particular influence on Matsuo Bashō. In the 20th century, he was the favourite poet of Kenneth Rexroth, who has described him as "the greatest non-epic, non dramatic poet who has survived in any language", and commented that, "he has made me a better man, as a moral agent and as a perceiving organism". Translation There have been a number of notable translations of Du Fu's work into English. The translators have each had to contend with the same problems of bringing out the formal constraints of the original without sounding laboured to the western ear (particularly when translating lǜshi), and of dealing with the allusions contained particularly in the later works (Hawkes writes that "his poems do not as a rule come through very well in translation"—p. ix). One extreme on each issue is represented by Kenneth Rexroth's One Hundred Poems From the Chinese. His are free translations, which seek to conceal the parallelisms through enjambement and expansion and contraction of the content; his responses to the allusions are firstly to omit most of these poems from his selection, and secondly to "translate out" the references in those works which he does select. An example of the opposite approach is Burton Watson's The Selected Poems of Du Fu. Watson follows the parallelisms quite strictly, persuading the western reader to adapt to the poems rather than vice versa. Similarly, he deals with the allusion of the later works by combining literal translation with extensive annotation.

Taoism and Confucianism have to be seen side-by-side as two distinct responses to the social, political and philosophical conditions of life two and a half millennia ago in China. Whereas Confucianism is greatly concerned with social relations, conduct and human society, Taoism has a much more individualistic and mystical character, greatly influenced by nature. Confucius was born in 551 BCE in Lu, a small state in China and died in 479 BCE. He was an esteemed Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese thought and life. His philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity.

http://www.mohammad-pbuh.com/ The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx, Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". " The Religion in the sight of God is Islam." (Qur'an 3:19) http://www.islamway.com/mohammad/ http://www.islamreligion.com/ http://www.islam-guide.com/ http://www.sultan.org/ http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/ Today the fastest growing religion in the World is Islam..spreading through the Sword of intellect and Wisdom . http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/resul...

hehehe..peace///

西周（公元前1046年~公元前771年）中国历史上继奴隶制商朝之后的第一个封建朝代，由周文王之子周武王姬发灭商后所建立，定都于镐京（今陕西省西安市西部）。由于周朝后来将都城东迁洛邑（今河南洛阳）称东周，所以称这一时期的周朝为西周。 另：东周赧王时其地亦分为东西二周。 The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: 周朝; pinyin: Zhōu Cháo; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao; 1122 BC to 256 BC) was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history—though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou. During the Zhou, the use of iron was introduced to China, while this period of Chinese history produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making. The dynasty also spans the period in which the written script evolved from the ancient stage as seen in early Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, to the beginnings of the modern stage, in the form of the archaic clerical script of the late Warring States period. During the Zhou Dynasty, the origins of matured Chinese philosophy developed, its initial stages beginning in the 6th century BC. The greatest Chinese philosophers, those who made the greatest impact on later generations of Chinese, were Kong Fuzi (Latin: Confucius), founder of Confucianism, and Laozi, founder of Daoism. Other philosophers, theorists, and schools of thought in this era were Mozi (Latin: Micius), founder of Mohism, Mengzi (Latin: Mencius), a famous Confucian who expanded upon Kong Fuzi's legacy, Shang Yang and Han Feizi, responsible for the development of ancient Chinese Legalism (the core philosophy of the Qin Dynasty), and Xunzi, who was arguably the center of ancient Chinese intellectual life during his time, even more so than iconic intellectual figures such as Mencius. Mandate of Heaven In the Chinese historical tradition, the Zhou defeated the Shang and oriented the Shang system of ancestor worship toward a universalized worship away from the worship of Di and to that of Tian or "heaven". They legitimized their rule by invoking the Mandate of Heaven, the notion that the ruler (the "Son of Heaven") governed by divine right but that his dethronement would prove that he had lost the mandate. Such things that proved the ruling family had lost the Mandate were natural disasters and rebellions. The doctrine explained and justified the demise of the Xia and Shang Dynasties and at the same time supported the legitimacy of present and future rulers. The Zhou dynasty was founded by the Ji family and had its capital at Hào (鎬, near the present-day city of Xi'an in the Wei River valley). Sharing the language and culture of the Shang, the early Zhou rulers, through conquest and colonization, established a large imperial territory wherein states as far as Shandong acknowledged Zhou rulership and took part in elite culture. The spread of Zhou bronzes, though, was concurrent with the continued use of Shang style pottery in the distant regions and these states were the last to recede during the late Western Zhou. Zhou military The early Western Zhou supported a strong military split into two major units: "The Six Armies of the West" and "The Eight Armies of Chengzhou". The armies campaigned in the northern Loess Plateau, modern Ningxia and the Huanghe floodplain. The military prowess of Zhou peaked during the 19th year of King Zhao's reign, when the Six Armies were wiped out along with King Zhao on a campaign around the Han River. Early Zhou kings were true commanders-in-chief. They were in constant wars with barbarians on behalf of the fiefs called 'guo', namely, statelet or principality. Charles Hucker noted that Zhou had 14 standing royal armies, with 6 stationed in Haojing, near today's Xian, and 8 armies stationed in the east. Zhou Zhaowang (r. 1052--1001 BC) was famous for repeated campaigns in the Yangtze areas and died in his last action. Zhou Muwang (r. 1001--946 BC) was a legendary figure famous for fighting in the west and maybe today's Central Asia where he met and rendezvoused on Kunlun Mountain with so-called Xi Wang Mu, namely, Queen Mother of the West, rumored by some western historians, including Charles Hucker, to be Queen of Sheba. (The actual place for Kunlun Mountains would be somewhere close to today's Jiuquan County, Gansu Province. Mt Kunlun, extending for almost 2000 miles from Kara-Kunlun bordering Tibet in the west to Qilian Mountain in the east, was a source of many Chinese myths and legends.) Later kings' campaigns were less effective. King Liwang (r. 878--7 BC) led 14 armies against barbarians in the south but failed to achieve any victory. King Xuanwang (r 827--782 BC) fought the Jiangrong nomads in vain. King Youwang was killed by Quanrong, and capital Haojing was sacked. Although chariots had been introduced to China since the Shang Dynasty,[3] the Zhou period saw the use of massed chariots in battle, a technology imported from Central Asia

Aside from all the misleading information given by the "Western Media" usually from the opposition who ran from "home" and "anti-communist extremist". This video will enlighten you with true details about "Ho Chi Minh" (He who is enlightened) or Bac Ho (Uncle Ho). This is what they don't want you to hear because they are afraid of the truth. Born in a small village of "Hoàng Trù" as "Nguyễn Sinh Cung" in 1890 (his mother's hometown) and growing up in "Kim Liên Village, Nam Đàn District, Nghệ An Province, Viet Nam", Ho was taught Confucianism at a young age by his father, who was a Confucianist scholar, teacher and civil servant for the imperial palace. Ho was very well educated, he was taught to realize the philosophy of the French colonist through Confusianism. He also recieved education at a modern French-style lycée in Huế which he later abandon to lecture at "Phan Thiết, Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam". In 1911 Ho Chi Minh went abroad the French cruise ship the "Amiral Latouche-Tréville" serving as a kitchen apprentice. He applied at the "French Colonial Administrative School" after the arrival in "Marseille, France" with little luck he was turned down, so he kept himself occuppied with other duties such as waitering or cleanering during his stay. Throughout his free time in France he would attend liberaries and study about the philosophy, history and politics of the "Western" society. Ho Chi Minh arrived in USA on 1912 as a kitchen appretentice on a cruise ship and stayed in New York City and Boston for about a year. Where he worked as a baker and a servant for a rich family. He eventually left USA in 1913 and continued to England living in West Earling, London then later to Crouch End, London from 1913 to 1917. Ho Chi Minh reappeared in Paris, France on 1917 where he was lectured about communism. Ho attended the Versailles peace talk as "Nguyễn Ái Quốc" (Nguyen the Patriot) where he demanded that the "Western Powers" grant equal rights in the "French Indochina", though he was ignored and laughted upon. Ho later cited the good intention of the "U.S. Declaration of Independence". He was confident and determined, so he prompt the current president of the United States, "President Woodrow Wilson" for removal of the French from Viet Nam and replacing it with a nationalist government. He was again ignored and laughted upon. Ho later supported the French Communist Party and was promoted to an Comintern of Asia after spending much time in Moscow, Russia. He become a specialist on principal theorist and colonial warfare, where he then changed his name from "Nguyễn Ái Quốc" to "Hồ Chí Minh" (He who is enlightened). In 1923, Ho moved to Guangzhou, China where he organized the 'Youth Education Classes' at "Whampoa Military Academy" from 1925 to 1926 lecturing about revolutionary movement in Indochina. He resided at Hong Kong as a Comintern. Ho was arrested by the British police in 1931 and jailed for two years. He returned to the Soviet Union upon his release and spent many years recovering from Tuberculosis (a disease non common in healthy adults). He then returned to China in 1938 and served as an adviser with the Chinese Communist armed forces. More to come... -VNTIGER

Guan Zhong (Chinese: 管仲, Wade-Giles: Kuan Chung) (born 725 BC, died in 645 BC) was a Chinese politician in the Spring and Autumn Period. His given name was Yíwú (夷吾). Zhong was his courtesy name. Recommended by Bao Shuya, he was appointed Prime Minister by Duke Huan of Qi in 685 BC. Guan Zhong modernized the state of Qi by starting multiple reforms. Politically, he centralized power and divided the state into different villages, each carrying out a specific trade. Instead of relying on the traditional aristocracy for manpower, he applied levies to the village units directly. He also developed a better method for choosing talent to be governors. Under Guan Zhong, Qi shifted administrative responsibilities from hereditary aristocrats to professional bureaucrats. Guan Zhong also introduced several important economic reforms. He created a uniform tax code. He also used state power to encourage the production of salt and iron; historians usually credit Guan Zhong for introducing state monopolies of salt and iron. During his term of office, the state of Qi became much stronger and Duke Huan of Qi gained hegemony among the states. He is listed as the author of the Guanzi encyclopedia, actually a much later (of the late "Warring States" period) compilation of works from the scholars of the Jixia Academy. The Guanzi (Chinese: 管子; pinyin: Guǎnzi; Wade-Giles: Kuan-tzu; literally "[Writings of] Master Guan") is an encyclopedic compilation of Chinese philosolphical materials named after the 7th century BCE philosopher Guan Zhong, Prime Minister to Duke Huan of Qi. The Han Dynasty scholar Liu Xiang edited the received Guanzi text circa 26 BCE, largely from sources associated with the 4th century BCE "Jixia Academy" (稷下, Chi-hsia) in the Qi capital of Linzi. Although most Guanzi chapters philosophically characterize Legalism, other sections blend doctrines from Confucianism and Daoism. For example, the Neiye (內業 "Inner Enterprise/Training") chapter has some the oldest recorded descriptions of Daoist meditation techniques. When you enlarge your mind and let go of it, When you relax your [qi 氣] vital breath and expand it, When your body is calm and unmoving: And you can maintain the One and discard the myriad disturbances. You will see profit and not be enticed by it, You will see harm and not be frightened by it. Relaxed and unwound, yet acutely sensitive, In solitude you delight in your own person. This is called "revolving the vital breath": Your thoughts and deeds seem heavenly. (24, tr. Roth 1999:92) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanzi_(text)

Cao Dai, one of the most syncretic and recent religions, combines Confucianism (red in the video), Taoism (blue in the video), and Buddhism (yellow in the video). Over 2 million followers practice Cao Dai, most of whom are concentrated in Viet Nam, its origin. Saints include Jesus, Buddha, Joan of Arc and Victor Hugo, and Ouija boards are occasionally used in worship.

The Golden Rule of life is found in 21 world faiths. Baha'i Brahmanism Buddhism Christianity Confucianism Ancient Egyptian Hinduism Humanism Islam Jainism Judaism Native American Roman Pagan Shinto Sikhism Sufism Taoism Unitarian Wicca Yoruba Zoroastrianism Its time to start to treat each other like brothers and sisters.

Playlist for this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A78F4806BB6D21B - 德行教学之路 (邵雅忠老师) - Moral Education by Teacher Shao4 Ya3 Zhong1 - Highly recommended for all Teachers, Parents and Students. - 2006 年 2 月 - 山东, 烟台 学所以治己 教所以治人 不学则不智 不教则不仁 建国君民教学为先 Singapore Only: For FREE DVD of this Lecture, please send me a message with recipient's name and address. Other playlist: http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=cscamtf

... in the best possible sense. SHIT HAPPENS in various world religions TAOISM: Shit happens. CONFUCIANISM: Confucius say, "Shit happens". ZEN: (What is the sound of shit happening?) JESUITISM: If shit happens and when nobody is watching, is it really shit? ISLAM: Shit happens if it is the will of Allah. COMMUNISM. Equal shit happens to all people. CATHOLICISM: Shit happens because you are bad. PSYCHOANALYSIS: Shit happens because of your toilet training. SCIENTOLOGY: Shit happens if you're on our shit list. ZOROASTRIANISM: Bad shit happens, and good shit happens. UNITARIANISM: Maybe shit happens. Let's have coffee and donuts. RIGHT-WING PROTESTANTISM: Let this shit happen to someone else. JUDAISM: Why does shit always happen to US? REFORM JUDAISM: Got any Kaopectate? MYSTICISM: What weird shit! AGNOSTICISM: What is this shit? ATHEISM: I don't believe this shit! NIHILISM: Who needs this shit? AZTEC: Cut out this shit! QUAKER: Let's not fight over this shit. FORTEANISM: No shit?? 12-STEP: I am powerless to cut the shit. VOODOO: Hey, that shit looks just like you! NEWAGE: Visualize shit not happening. DEISM: Shit just happens. EXISTENTIALISM: Shit doesn't happen; shit is. SECULAR HUMANISM: Shit evolves. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE: Shit is in your mind. BUDDHISM: Shit happens, but pay no mind. SHINTOISM: Shit is everywhere. HINDUISM: This shit has happened before. WICCA: Mix this shit together and make it happen! HASIDISM: Shit never happens the same way twice. THEOSOPHY: You don't know half of the shit that happens. DIANETICS: Your mother gave you shit before your were born. SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST: No shit on Saturdays. JEHOVAH's WITNESSES: No shit happens until Armageddon. MOONIES: Only happy shit really happens. HOPI: Corn fertilizer happens. BAHA'I: It's all the same shit. STOICISM: This shit is good for me. OBJECTIVISM: Our shit is good for you. EST: If my shit bothers you, that's your fault. REAGANISM: Don't move; the shit will trickle down. FASCISM: Shit makes the trains run on time. CARGO CULT: A barge will come and take all the shit away. EMACS: Hold down Control-Meta-Shit. DISCORDIANISM: Some funny shit happened to me today. RASTAFARIANISM: Let's smoke this shit. CHARISMATIC: This is not shit and it doesn't smell bad. MASONIC: Shit happens, but we can't discuss it during Lodge. RED CROSS: Shit happens - send money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabrahman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman The Vedas are the supreme authority for all orthodox schools. Six systems (Samkhya, Yoga, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Nyaya, and Vaiseshika) belong to the Astika Darsana, the term Darsana literally meaning "vision," vision of the Absolute Truth. Astika means theist. On the other hand, Charvaka (materialism), Jainism and Buddhism, for instance are termed Nastika, i.e. not based on the Vedas. Each of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Saman and Atharvan) is again divided into four sections, namely, Samhita (collection of hymns), Brahmanas (treatises on sacrifices and rituals), Aranyakas ("forest books" for hermits about sacrifices and contemplation), and the Upanishads, dealing with deeper metaphysics and theosophical speculations. Reincarnation (samsara) is the practical way in which one reaps the fruits of one's deeds. The self is forced to enter a new material existence until all karmic debt is paid - "By means of thought, touch, sight and passions and by the abundance of food and drink there are birth and development of the (embodied) self. According to his deeds, the embodied self assumes successively various forms in various conditions" (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 5,11). Arjuna inquired, "Which are considered to be more perfect, those who are always properly engaged in Your devotional service or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifest?" (Bhagavad Gita 12.1). Krsna, Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect." (Bhagavad Gita 12.2) "For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied." (Bhagavad Gita 12.5) Krsna, Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme." (Bhagavad Gita 7.24) Lord Krsna couldn't have been any clearer, "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be." (Bhagavad Gita 9.11) Bhagavad Gita, which contains the essence of Vedas and Upanishads, has many Shlokas that echo the Vedic doctrine of oneness of humanity. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that He resides in every heart (Ishwar Sarva Bhutanam Hrudyeshe Tishthti). "Sages call upon God by many names." - (Rigveda 1:164:46). The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda which is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. Listen to Bhagavad-Gita online: http://gitamrta.org Or you can also read it online: http://bhagavad-gita.us Highly recommended Guru: http://esotericteaching.org

http://www.mohammad-pbuh.com/ The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx, Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". " The Religion in the sight of God is Islam." (Qur'an 3:19) http://www.islamway.com/mohammad/ http://www.islamreligion.com/ http://www.islam-guide.com/ http://www.sultan.org/ http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/ Today the fastest growing religion in the World is Islam..spreading through the Sword of intellect and Wisdom . http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/resul...

Description This interesting item is an very large antique wooden bell striker (bai) for use with large Buddhist temple bells. The striker dates from the early to mid Showa period (1926-1989) and has seen much past use and today is in poor condition with a worn and tattered fabric striker. The solid wood handle is in good condition though there are chips and scratches from past use. Due to its condition and age we recommend this striker as a display item only. Size of striker: Length: 14.4 inches (37.0 centimeters or 12.3 sun*) Weight: 7.7 ounces (220 grams) * The Japanese still measure many traditional craft items according to the old kanejaku system of measure which was formally replaced with the metric system in 1891. Altar bells and accessories are one example where this old system of measure is still used, and brand new religious items will commonly include labels stating the item's size in kanejaku units. The basic unit of measure within this system is the "sun" which equals roughly 3 centimeters. Japanese Buddhist home altars At the start of the long Japanese Edo period (1600-1868) the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu determined that the country of Nippon (Japan) should be closed to the outside world with the exception of a few ports of trade. This was done in an effort to protect Japan from the colonizing forces of the west and in particular to isolate the Japanese people from the influences of Christianity, which the Shogun viewed as a threat to the principals of Confucianism upon which his rule did depend. Over time this fear of Christianity grew such that laws were eventually passed requiring the Japanese to annually swear devotion to Buddhism. Fearing the threat and penalties of Christian belief, many Japanese families began to erect small Buddhist altars within their home as further proof of their loyalty to Buddhism. These home altars or butsudan as they are called were commonly outfitted with religious implements such as bells, incense burners, candlesticks and statues such that they might resemble Buddhist temples in miniature. Specialist crafts developed for the sole purpose of manufacturing beautiful wooden butsudan and their associated articles of worship. Over time, the practice of maintaining a home altar lost it's original purpose of publicly expressing one's loyalty to Buddhism and instead became an accepted and important household function, particularly with families acting as the head of the household name (usually the home of the first born son). Far from being forgotten as a relic of Japan's past, the butsudan is today an important household fixture which may receive daily attention by family members who consider the altar to symbolically enshrine the spirits and memories of departed ancestors. item code: R1S3-0005678 category code: (nipponrin) (butsudannomono) ship code: B

Playlist for this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A78F4806BB6D21B - 德行教学之路 (邵雅忠老师) - Moral Education by Teacher Shao4 Ya3 Zhong1 - Highly recommended for all Teachers, Parents and Students. - 2006 年 2 月 - 山东, 烟台 学所以治己 教所以治人 不学则不智 不教则不仁 建国君民教学为先 Singapore Only: For FREE DVD of this Lecture, please send me a message with recipient's name and address. Other playlist: http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=cscamtf

Playlist for this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A78F4806BB6D21B - 德行教学之路 (邵雅忠老师) - Moral Education by Teacher Shao4 Ya3 Zhong1 - Highly recommended for all Teachers, Parents and Students. - 2006 年 2 月 - 山东, 烟台 学所以治己 教所以治人 不学则不智 不教则不仁 建国君民教学为先 Singapore Only: For FREE DVD of this Lecture, please send me a message with recipient's name and address. Other playlist: http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=cscamtf

That his critics don't a look at the importance of Manners. A look at Our Times free paper editorial. (Excerpts) Why Manners Matter - Etiquette is the Key To Empowerment, Publisher and Editor, Our Times 718-864-6028 tjhonson192@hotmail.com The GOLDEN RULE used to be the doctrine that most in our community abide by. It went beyond a religious theme; it was simply a philosophical way of Living that started with "We should try our best to treat others as you would wish to be treated." Confucianism says, "Do this and you will find it the shortest way to benevolence." I couldn't agree more with the notion that good manners empower the individual, while bad manners empower the destroy their spirit. It's the law of the Universe, which adheres to acts of reciprocity. What you put out is what you get back in. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, many of us have suppressed those virtues taught by our parents and grandparents... Over the last several weeks, I've noticed that there has been a resurgence of good manners in our community. The Barack Obama phenomenon has to taken into consideration for having a contributing influence on this revival. Manners are the hope which manifest out of a person. Anyone or anything encourages hope will have a positive affect on human spirit... http://aasap.hudsonliberty.com http://nbbta.hudsonliberty.com http://hudsonliberty.blogspot.com http://buckfiftymiracle.info http://5dollars.hudsonliberty.com Subscribe and Learn More 973-943-4073 Clarence Coggins skype: Clarence.coggins1

Playlist for this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A78F4806BB6D21B - 德行教学之路 (邵雅忠老师) - Moral Education by Teacher Shao4 Ya3 Zhong1 - Highly recommended for all Teachers, Parents and Students. - 2006 年 2 月 - 山东, 烟台 学所以治己 教所以治人 不学则不智 不教则不仁 建国君民教学为先 Singapore Only: For FREE DVD of this Lecture, please send me a message with recipient's name and address. Other playlist: http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=cscamtf

明朝繁荣的科技与文化成就 天文 气象 　　西元十四世纪中叶的《白猿献三光图》（作者不详）载有一百三十二幅云图，并与天气变化联系起来，绝大部分与现代气象学原理相一致。(欧洲到西元1879年才出版只有十六幅的云图。) 1383年南京设京师观象台 1439年造浑天仪置北京(1900年被八国联军德国劫走.1921年要回,置南京紫金山天文台) 1442年北京设观象台 1446年建晷影堂(位于北京古观象台西南侧) 1607年李之藻撰<浑盖通宪图说>刊行(介绍西方天文观阐释浑天说) 1617年张燮著《东西洋考》记载海洋占候等的详细资料。 1634年正式安装我国第一架天文望远镜:"筩"(yong) 1643年出版《崇祯历书》 数学 物理 　　1450年吴敬撰<九章算法比类大全> 1584年朱载堉著《律吕精义》出版 1592年程大位撰<算法统宗>最早记载使用珠算方法开平方和开立方 1606年徐光启与利玛窦开始合译《几何原本》 1613年李之藻据西人克拉维斯<实用算术概论>和中国程大位<算法统宗>编译而成<同文算指> 1637年，宋应星在《论气·气声》中对声音的产生和传播作出了合乎科学的解释，他认为声音是由于物体振动或急速运动冲击空气而产生的，声音是通过空气来传播的，同水波相类似。 方以智在《物理小识》卷2中提出："宙（时间）轮于宇（空间），则宇中有宙，宙中有宇。"也就是提出了时间和空间不能彼此独 立存在的时空观。 在《物理小识》卷1中正确地解释了蒙气差（即大气折射）现象 民间光学仪器制造家孙云球制造放大镜、显微镜等几十种光学仪器，并著《镜史》（已佚）。 Reign Yongle Emperor (r. 1402--1424). Rise to power Hongwu's grandson Zhu Yunwen assumed the throne as the Jianwen Emperor (1398--1402) after Hongwu's death in 1398. In a prelude to a three-year-long civil war beginning in 1399, Jianwen became engaged in a political showdown with his uncle Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan. Jianwen was aware of the ambitions of his princely uncles, establishing measures to limit their authority. The militant Zhu Di, given charge over the area encompassing Beijing to watch the Mongols on the frontier, was the most feared of these princes. After Jianwen arrested many of Zhu Di's associates, Zhu Di plotted a rebellion. Under the guise of rescuing the young Jianwen from corrupting officials, Zhu Di personally led forces in the revolt; the palace in Nanjing was burned to the ground, along with Zhu Di's nephew Jianwen, his wife, mother, and courtiers. Zhu Di assumed the throne as the Yongle Emperor (1402--1424); his reign is universally viewed by scholars as a "second founding" of the Ming Dynasty since he reversed many of his father's policies. A new capital and a restored canal Yongle demoted Nanjing as a secondary capital and in 1403 announced the new capital of China was to be at his power base in Beijing. Construction of a new city there lasted from 1407 to 1420, employing hundreds of thousands of workers daily.At the center was the political node of the Imperial City, and at the center of this was the Forbidden City, the palatial residence of the emperor and his family. By 1553, the Outer City was added to the south, which brought the overall size of Beijing to 4 by 4½ miles. After laying dormant and dilapidated for decades, the Grand Canal was restored under Yongle from 1411--1415. The impetus for restoring the canal was to solve the perennial problem of shipping grain north to Beijing. Shipping the annual 4,000,000 shi (one shi is equal to 107 liters) was made difficult with an inefficient system of shipping grain through the East China Sea or by several different inland canals that necessitated the transferring of grain onto several different barge types in the process, including shallow and deep water barges.[54] Yongle commissioned some 165,000 workers to dredge the canal bed in western Shandong and built a series of fifteen canal locks.The reopening of the Grand Canal had implications for Nanjing as well, as it was surpassed by the well-positioned city of Suzhou as the paramount commercial center of China. Although Yongle ordered episodes of bloody purges like his father—including the execution of Fang Xiaoru who refused to draft the proclamation of his succession—Yongle had a different attitude about the scholar-officials. He had a selection of texts compiled from the Cheng-Zhu school of Confucianism—or Neo-Confucianism—in order to assist those who studied for the civil service examinations.Yongle commissioned two thousand scholars to create a 50-million word (22,938-chapter) long encyclopedia—the Yongle Encyclopedia— from seven thousand books. This surpassed all previous encyclopedias in scope and size, including the 11th century compilation of the Four Great Books of Song.

Playlist for this lecture: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9A78F4806BB6D21B - 德行教学之路 (邵雅忠老师) - Moral Education by Teacher Shao4 Ya3 Zhong1 - Highly recommended for all Teachers, Parents and Students. - 2006 年 2 月 - 山东, 烟台 学所以治己 教所以治人 不学则不智 不教则不仁 建国君民教学为先 Singapore Only: For FREE DVD of this Lecture, please send me a message with recipient's name and address. Other playlist: http://www.youtube.com/profile_play_list?user=cscamtf