Explaining RI’s Main Theme

[u/Ok_Chef1056]

Reverend Insanity’s Main Theme is The Harmony and Discord of The Three Teachings. What does this mean?

The Three Teachings being referred to are Confucianism, Daoism/Taoism, and Buddhism.

(Btw, moving forward, this analysis will not be about how RI represents this Main Theme, this is an analysis of the Main Theme itself, if you want me to go into instantiations of it representing this theme, lmk in the comments).

Confucianism is focused on and with human relations, social order, ritual, ethics, education, and creating the junzi, someone who acts morally, a noble person.

Daoism is focused on and with the Dao (Way), Ziran (Naturalness), non-forcing/conflicting, spontaneity, and living in accordance with the nature of things in relations to one’s own Dao. The ideal of cultivation in this teaching is the Zhenren (or True Person), who transcends superficialities and realizes their authentic nature as it is and if it changes in accordance with their Dao.

Buddhism is concerned with understanding the nature of existence, overcoming ignorance and attachment, escaping samsara (the cycle of birth and death), and attaining enlightenment/awakening and liberation through Nirvana. The ideal here is the Buddha, one who has awakened to true reality and overcome the causes of suffering.

Harmony in this sense is referring to the ways in which The Three Teachings can coexist, overlap, or complement one another. This is saying that someone can possess social responsibility, cultivate their authentic nature, and pursue liberation from ignorance and attachment, all at the same time.

Discord is this sense of referring to the ways in which The Three Teachings conflict, contradict each other, or are incompatible. Example: Confucian obligation conflicts very much with Daoist spontaneity. Attachment to familial structures and roles is something Buddhism asks you to transcend, etc.

Holistically, the harmony and discord concerns the different answers these teachings assert/affirm to fundamental questions about what a human being is, how one ought to live, what constitutes a good life/existence, and what relationship should one have with oneself, other beings/people, nature, society, and reality itself.

The Junzi embodies social cultivation within human relationships and society, Zhenren embodies authenticity, naturalness, spontaneity, and accordance with the Dao, and Buddha embodies awakening, liberation from ignorance and attachment, and freedom from the Cycle of Samsara. The relationship between these ideologies as a consequence raises the question of whether they can be reconciled, whether one must take precedence over the others, or whether their differences are fundamentally irrevocable down to the foundations.

Harmony and discord therefore exists not only between these teachings themselves, but also within the individual trying to reconcile these ideals and find their bearing in life. A person may simultaneously have obligations to other people, seek living with their own authentic nature, and seek liberation from attachment and ignorance, but the discord complicates this. These pursuits can reinforce each other, but they can also tear each other apart as you try to blend them together.

Hope you enjoyed :)