Chinese religion

Chinese religion

Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are the three main religions which together form the basis of Chinese religious practices and beliefs. Far from eliminating traditional Chinese folk customs, all three religions have continued to develop through the ages with a variety of local names and colouring. In fact, Chinese religion is a fusion of several kinds of belief, which developed over thousands of years by strongly influencing and interrelating with each other, and it is extremely rare to find a pure Confucianist, Buddhist or Taoist as each of the three religions has become inextricably interwoven with the other two.

Confucianism (Rujia,儒敎) Confucianism is based on the teachings Confucius (Kongzi 孔子, c.551-479 BC) who was a philosopher and political theorist. His teachings were amalgamated by his students and recorded in the Analects (lunyu論語). Confucian writings discussed the role of the ruler and the subject and proposed moral values to direct them both. The harmony of the natural world was seen as responding to the moral conduct of the sovereign and its people, and the cosmos was thus drawn into the ritual practices of the state. Confucian rituals also embraced all aspects of family life, including ceremonies to show respect to ancestors and the preparation of burials by subsuming the earlier ancestor cults. Confucianism has continued to deeply influence the cultural background of Chinese people in their daily lives.

Buddhism (fojiao, 佛敎) Buddhism was introduced to China in the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), along the trade routes which are now known as the “Silk Road”. It was properly established and patronised by the Northern Wei (386-535 AD) and other non-Chinese dynastic houses who ruled northern China after the third century AD. The religion is based on the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha (born c. 563 BC), the founder of Buddhism who was born in ancient India. The tenets of Buddhism were concerned primarily with individual salvation, teaching that the release from suffering came through conquering worldly desires. Integrating the ideas of Confucianism, Taoism and other folk religions, Buddhism has played an important role in forming the mindset of Chinese people and society.According to a recent survey, China now has the largest number of Buddhist believers in the world, followed by Japan.

Taoism (Daojiao, 道敎)

Taoism, also known as Daoism, is a religion which is indigenous to China and its name comes from the Chinese dao (道), literally “path” or “way”. Taoism originated in the Kingdom of Chu during the Warring States period (480-221 BC). Taoism stresses “non-action” (wuwei, 無爲), as opposed to the busy round of official and social rituals and practices, in order to allow nature to reign. The Daodejing (道德經), a philosophical text attributed to a figure known as Laozi (老子), emphasises the need to retire from the world and master the dao (道). In other words, the only way to achieve a free, happy and independent life is to stay away from the constraints of morality, ritual and politics. Along with Buddhism, Taoism developed popular parallel branches. The two faiths also shared a complex and interrelated relationship and had a number of religious ideas and practices in common, which is also reflected in the fact that until recently most Chinese people tended to consider themselves both Buddhist and Taoist.