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RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINA

RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINA. Taoism Buddhism Confucianism. ← Who is this guy??. RELIGION…. A set of beliefs and practices that guide our lives. Usually has a supreme being or God. Religion explains what happens to us when we die. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS SYMBOL? WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS?.

aileen-rodriguez
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RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINA

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  1. RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINA • Taoism • Buddhism • Confucianism ← Who is this guy??

  2. RELIGION…. • A set of beliefs and practices that guide our lives. • Usually has a supreme being or God. • Religion explains what happens to us when we die.

  3. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS SYMBOL? WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS?

  4. TAOISM (pronounced Daoism) • From China • Started by Lao Tsu in 600 B.C. • Believe that the way to happiness is for people to learn to “go with the flow” • Taught everything had a life force • Ying and Yang • Yin= dark side- moon, death • Yang= light side- sun, birth • Ying and Yang need to be balanced • Tsu was against too many rules and laws- he thought people should make their own decisions

  5. BUDDHISM • 500 B.C. • Stared in India - spread to China during the Han dynasty (200s A.D.) • Buddhism is based on the teachings ofSiddhartha Gautama Buddha • He was an Indian prince who gave up the royal life in search of a good and pure life

  6. HOW BUDDHISM SPREAD

  7. WHY BUDDHISM? • People in China were attracted to Buddhism during the Period of Disunion • Who can remember what was happening during that time? • People were troubled andBuddhism offered comfort by teaching that people could escape suffering and achieve peace

  8. Buddhists worship in templeshousing a statue of Buddha, many temples were built in China BUDDHIST BELIEFS Tang dynasty temple

  9. BELIEFS • teaches that suffering is unavoidable • people canend suffering by reaching enlightenment- Nirvana • follow the eight-fold path to reach enlightenment • Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration

  10. BELIEFS • people can be reborn to achieve enlightenment • Buddhists also believe in Karma: the good/bad actions people perform in their lifetime affect happiness

  11. CHINA & BUDDHISM • During the Sui and Tang dynasties Buddhism grew and spread • Chinese missionaries spread Buddhism to Japan, Korea and other Asian islands • influenced art, literature and architecture • Buddhism was so important thatthe period from 400-845 is called the “Age of Buddhism”

  12. BUDDHISM IN CHINA • An emperor in the Tang dynasty tried to get rid of Buddhism • Buddhist books and temples were destroyed • But,Buddhismlived on in China and blended with other religions

  13. 500 B.C. China by a man named Confucius “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” “Have no friends not equal to yourself.” CONFUCIANISM

  14. WHY CONFUCIANISM? • Scholars and historians liked Confucianism because they thought it would improve society • Confucius’ ideas lost influence, but became popular again in China during the Song dynasty -this is called neo-Confucianism, -neo= new • Neo-Confucianism blended ethics with spirituality

  15. BELIEFS IN CONFUCIANISM • Confucius believed inethics, or proper behavior, for individuals and governments • People should live their lives according to two principles • Concern for others (ren) • Appropriate behavior (li) • Everyone has a role to play in society • For example, young people should obey their elders and follow the rules!!

  16. CONFUCIANISM & CHINA • had a religious and governmental role • China created a bureaucracy of civil servants to work for the government • To be a civil servant you had to pass a test on Confucianism and other topics • If you passed you became a scholar-official • Scholar-officials were admired for their smarts and ethics • Look at page 178 in your text

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