Religion in China

1. Religion in China What role does it play in education?

2. Currently there are four major religions in China. • Buddhism • Taoism • Islam • Catholicism

3. Buddhism-A Brief History • The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, lived from about 566 to 488 B.C. • He was the son of an Indian king and lived an extravagant life early on. He soon became bored with the privileges of his social caste. • He went in search of understanding and encountered an old man, an ill man, an ascetic, and a corpse. He found suffering was at the end of all existence. • He renounced his title as prince and became a monk. He gave up all of his worldly possessions and meditated beneath a tree where he learned how to be free from suffering and how to achieve salvation. • Buddha means “Enlightened One.” He traveled India and taught others what he had learned. • He passed on the Four Noble Truths.

4. The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism • Suffering exists • Suffering arises from attachments to desires • Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases • Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path

5. Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path

6. Karma • Definition- Good or bad actions a person takes during their lifetime • Good actions, which involve either the absence of bad actions, or actual positive acts, such as generosity, righteousness, and meditation, bring about happiness in the long run. • Bad actions, such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run. • The weight that actions carry is determined by five conditions: frequent, repetitive action; determined, intentional action; action performed without regret; action against extraordinary persons; and action toward those who have helped one in the past.

7. Hindrances of Buddhist Enlightenment Unwholesome mental states that impede progress towards enlightenment. • Sensuous lust • Aversion and ill will • Sloth and torpor • Restlessness and worry • Skeptical doubt

8. Factors of Buddhist Enlightenment Mindfulness Investigation Energy Rapture Tranquility Concentration Equanimity

9. Taoism Taoism is the way of man's cooperation with the course or trend of the natural world, whose principles we discover in the flow patterns of water, gas, an fire, which are subsequently memorialized or sculptured in those of stone and wood, and, later, in many forms of human art.It is a life wisdom acquired by simply observing the flow of natural events. Tao is often translated as "path" or "way.”

10. Taoist Theology • Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility • Taoism integrates reason and faith. • The forces of the Tao act upon the heavens as well as the earth, making the two indivisibly coupled and thus clarifying understanding. • Taoism's religious practices build a bridge between one's earthly human form and the heavens. In the quest for oneness with the universe, Taoists work to understand their paths — which ultimately lead to the Great Ultimate. • To the classical Taoist, life is an on-going effort to unscramble the confusions of the soul. Taoist philosophy provides principles to live by, and guidance from the gods helps see reality more clearly. • A better life on earth provides for a better afterlife.

11. Tao Symbolism • The yin-yang symbolis frequently displayed to remind Taoists that duality binds all natural phenomena: light with dark, action with inaction, and life with death. • Similarly, swords and weapons throughout the temples remind all visitors that life is a struggle, a fundamental premise underlying Taoism's prescription to successfully deal with daily challenges.

12. Taoism’s History • Some forms of Taoism may be traced to prehistoric folk religions in China that later coalesced into a Taoist tradition. • Lao-Tzu is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism and is closely associated in this context with "original", or "primordial", Taoism. • Taoism gained official status in China during the Tang Dynasty, whose emperors claimed Lao-Tzu as their relative. • Several Song emperors, most notably Huizong, were active in promoting Taoism, collecting Taoist texts and publishing editions of the Daozang.

13. Islam • Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century, which were later recorded in the Qur'an, Islam's sacred text. • The faith spread rapidly and today Islam is the second largest religion in the world. • The Arabic word islam means "submission," reflecting the religion's central tenet of submitting to the will of God. • Islamic practices are defined by the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and alms.

14. Islamic History • According to Muslim belief, the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad, a camel driver, in a mountain cave and delivered a message from the one true God. The Prophet Muhammad dedicated the remainder of his life to spreading a message of monotheism in a polytheistic world. His life's work is recorded in the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam. • In 622 AD, the Prophet fled north to the city of Medina to escape growing persecution. This event is celebrated by Muslims as the hijira ("flight") and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar (622 AD = 1 AH). • Eight years later, Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army and defeated it easily. By Muhammad's death, 50 years later, the entire Arabian Peninsula had come under Muslim control. • The sacred text of Islam, the Qur'an, was written in Arabic within 30 years of Muhammad's death. Muslims believe it contains the literal word of God as gradually revealed to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel over the course of 20 years. Also important is the tradition of the sayings and actions of the Prophet and his Companions, collected in the hadith.

15. Islamic Practices and Beliefs • Islamic practices center on the Five Pillars of Islam: confession of faith, daily prayer, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage and charity. • Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith." According to this list, to be a Muslim one must believe in: • One God; • The angels of God; • The books of God, especially the Qur'an; • The prophets of God, especially Muhammad; • The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife); and • The supremacy of God's will (or predestination).

16. Christianity • Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings. Adherents of the Christian faith are known as Christians. • Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, God having become human and the savior of humanity. Because of this, Christians commonly refer to Jesus as Christ or Messiah.

17. Christianity in History • Christianity began as a Jewish sectin the mid-1st century. • Originating in the eastern Mediterranean coast of the Middle East (modern Israel and Palestine), it quickly spread to Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minorand Egypt, it grew in size and influence over a few decades, and by the 4th century had become the dominant religion within the Roman Empire. • During the Middle Ages, most of the remainder of Europe was Christianized, with Christians also being a sometimes large religious minority in the Middle East, North Africa, Ethiopiaand parts of India. • Following the Age of Discovery, through missionary work and colonization, Christianity spread to the Americas, Australasia, sub Saharan Africa and the rest of the world. • In order to follow Jesus' command to serve others, Christians established hospitals, churches, schools, charities, orphanages, homeless shelters, and universities in the areas in which they spread Christianity

18. Christian Beliefs • Jesus suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead to open heaven to those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of their sins(salvation). • Jesus bodily ascended into heaven where he rules and reigns with God the Father. • Most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge all humans, living and dead, and grant eternal life to his followers. • He is considered the model of a virtuous life, and both the revealer and physical incarnation of God.

19. Christianity’s 10 Commandments

20. Role of Religion in Chinese Education • China practices the principle of separating religion from education; religion is not a subject taught in schools of the popular education in China, although some institutions of higher learning and research institutes do teach or conduct research into religion. • The various religious schools and institutes set up by the different religious organizations teach religious knowledge in line with their own needs.

21. Bibliography • Bible Knowledge. (2011) Bible-Knowledge. The 10 Commandments of the Bible. Retrieved from http://www.bible-knowledge.com/10-commandments/ • Center of Traditional Taoist Studies. (2009) Center of Traditional Taoist Studies. Theology. Retrieved from http://www.tao.org/ • Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. (1996-2011) Religious Tolerance. Buddhism, based on theteachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm • Public Broadcasting Service. (1995 – 2011) Basics of Buddhism. Buddhism: An Introduction. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm • ReligionFacts. (2004-2010)ReligionFacts. Islam. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/ • ReligionFacts. (2004-2010)ReligionFacts. Christianity. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/index.htm • Way of Perfect Emptiness. (2011) Taoism. What is Taoism?. Retrieved from http://www.taopage.org/taoism.html • Webguru. (2004-2010) Buddahweb. Essentials of Buddhism. Retrieved fromhttp://www.buddhaweb.org/ • White, B. (1993-2011). BDEA/BuddhaNet. BuddahNet Basic Buddhism Guide. Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm