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The Chinese Religious Tradition

The Chinese Religious Tradition. World Religions Fr. Llane Briese. Overview of the History. Back to ABBA: What is Religion? Religion in the Mediterranean World Religion in India Religion in China Three Roots in China: Chinese Folk Religions (i.e. Ancestor Cult) Confucianism (ethics)

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The Chinese Religious Tradition

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  1. The Chinese Religious Tradition World Religions Fr. Llane Briese

  2. Overview of the History • Back to ABBA: What is Religion? • Religion in the Mediterranean World • Religion in India • Religion in China • Three Roots in China: • Chinese Folk Religions (i.e. Ancestor Cult) • Confucianism (ethics) • Taoism (philosophy of the universe) • Buddhism (philosophy of nature)

  3. Philosophy and Religion • Philosophy: “The love of wisdom” • Ontology / Metaphysics • Epistemology • Ethics • Anthropology • Natural Theology • Religion: The Search for ABBA (the sacred) • Can overlap with philosophy • Theology: Deals with Divine Revelation

  4. Fr. Adolfo NicolasSuperior General of the Society of Jesus Courtesy: The Jesuit Curia of Rome (www.sjweb.info)

  5. Section One The history

  6. Historical Overview • The history of the Chinese religions can be summarized by the four seasons: • Spring (Prehistory–206 B.C.) • Summer (206 B.C.– ca. 900 A.D.) • Autumn (900–1912) • Winter (20th century–Present) • Eclecticism in China • Religion, Philosophy, and Culture

  7. Spring: Prehistory–206 B.C. • Shang Dynasty (1766–1123 B.C.) • Folk Religion: • Archaeological Evidence: Belief of an afterlife mirroring earthly life. • Ancestor Veneration (NOT worship): Mediation • Importance of Patrilineage (tsu): headship on eldest son • Highest Deity: Ti (singular or plural?) • Divination/Astrology: Messages from beyond; reading signs from omens or nature to acquire supernatural knowledge.

  8. Spring: Prehistory–206 B.C. • Chou Dynasty (1122-256) • Folk Religion: • T’ien: “Heaven” • Royal ancestors = intermediaries to bestow good fortune on earth. • Mandate of Heaven: A right granted to kings to represent Heaven on Earth. • Political Corruption making China ripe for religious reform.

  9. Spring: Prehistory–206 B.C. • Confucianism: Based on the teachings of K’ung Fu-tzu who wrote the Analects. • Confucius: An accidental teacher (551–479 B.C.) • Legacy: • Central doctrine: jen(being a real gentleman) • Work ethic and family loyalty • Learning: Building both knowledge and character • Egalitarianism • Contrast from the origins of Buddhism and Christianity.

  10. Spring: Prehistory–206 B.C. • Meng-tzo (ca. 371–289 B.C.): Human nature = good. Taught that evil would take over if humans did not cultivate their inherent goodness. • Hsun-tzu (298–230 B.C.): Human nature = evil (would lead to legalism). Morality required in order to temper one’s evilness and become good.

  11. Spring: Prehistory–206 B.C. • Taoism: • Lao-tzu: Articulated the central principles in Tao-teChing(The Way and Its Power) • Yin and Yang: Cosmological harmony and complementarity. • 2 Forms (not mutually exclusive): • Tao-chia:More philosophical • Tao-chiao:More religious • What kind of person should I be? • Goal: To live the balance between yin and yang.

  12. Summer: 206 B.C.–ca. 900 A.D. • Continued expansion of Taoism and Confucianism: A synthesis between the two religions develops: • Taoism: Rituals of popular religion. • Confucianism: Ethics and organization of political and social life • Han dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.): Confucius’ teaching becomes state policy. • By I A.D., Confucius had come to viewed as a nearly divine figure.

  13. Summer: 206 B.C.-ca. 900 A.D. • Also, in the 1st century A.D., Buddhism arrived in China. (Flourished under the Sui and Tang dynasties from 581–907.) • 2 main (non-exclusive) types of Mahayana Buddhism: • Pure Land Buddhism: Amitabha was a bodhisattva and created a pure land without evil where people could reach nirvana. • Ch’an Buddhism: Heavy emphasis on meditation; Paradoxical stories such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” (Would evolve into Japanese Zen Buddhism.) • III A.D. and later: Synthesis between Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. • By VI A.D.: Confucian temples arrived.

  14. Autumn: 900–1912 • Period of reformation leading also to an increase in individualism. • Neo-Confucianism reinterpreted the teachings of Confucius in light of Buddhism and Taoism. • Taoist metaphysics/epistemology • Buddhist anthropology • Confucian ethics

  15. Autumn: 900-1912 • This trend would reverse during the Qing dynasty(1644–1911) when culture moved towards a more traditional understanding of Confucianism. • Arrival of Europeans (and Christianity) • Fr. Matteo Ricci: Chinese Rites Controversy

  16. Winter: 1912-Present • 1912: Founding of the Republic of China • WW2: Japanese Domination • After WW2: Chinese Civil War (ended 1949). • Excursus: The Philosophy of Karl Marx (1818–1883): • Das Kapital(1867–1894) • The Communist Manifesto (1848) • Religion as “the opium of the people.”

  17. Section Two CONFUCIAN And Taoist Sacred Texts and Beliefs

  18. The Writings of Confucius • Five Classics: Texts traditionally attributed to Confucius but which actually predate him. • Four Books: Compiled by Confucius’ followers: • The Analects: Sayings of Confucius • The Great Learning: How perfection helps society • Doctrine of the Mean: Philosophical reflections • Book of Meng-tzu: Sayings of Meng-tzu, the follower of Confucius.

  19. Confucian Teachings • Confucius believed in T’ien (Heaven) and other Chinese deities. Was suspicious of excesses of Chinese devotional life. • Confucian Ethical Concepts: • Chun-tzu: the “superior one” • Li:The proper way to live; includes courtesy, etiquette, formality, and respect. (A hierarchical view of human relationships) • Jen: “Humanity” or “benevolence” (interior disposition)

  20. The Writings of Taoism • Tao-teChing: One of the most famous texts in world history, traditionally attributed to Lao-tzu. • Holds that Tao is the nature of things, and that all are called to live in harmony with Tao (“the way things are”) • Excerpt: The Tao is infinite, eternal. Why is it eternal? It was never born; thus, it can never die. Why is it infinite? It has no desires for itself; thus, it is present for all beings.

  21. Taoist Teachings • Taoism defies definition; very abstract. • Taoism: Describes “the way things are”; all that exists flows with Tao. Hence, Tao could be viewed as an entirely transcendent, impersonal god. • Wu-wei: “Non-action” or “actions without actions”—allowing nature to evolve without interference; deference to Tao. • Goal: Immortality (via breath control, good hygiene, meditation, etc.)

  22. Section Three The Japanese Religious Tradition: Shinto

  23. An Introduction to Shinto • Like China, Japan has an diversity of religious thought: Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. • Shinto: • Animist in focus; Kami are spirits present since the beginning. • Part of the national myth; would be devastated in 1945. • XVI c.: Christian missionaries came (including St. Francis Xavier) • Home shrines dedicated to kami: Kamidana

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