RELIGION IN ANCIENT RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINACHINA

• TaoismTaoism

• BuddhismBuddhism

• ConfucianismConfucianism

← 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?

TAOISM (pronounced TAOISM (pronounced Daoism)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

BUDDHISMBUDDHISM

• 500 B.C. • Stared in India - spread to China

during the Han dynasty (200s A.D.)

• Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

• He was an Indian prince who gave up the royal life in search of a good and pure life

HOW BUDDHISM SPREADHOW BUDDHISM SPREAD

WHY BUDDHISM?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 and Buddhism offered comfort by teaching that people could escape suffering and achieve peace

BUDDHIST BELIEFSBUDDHIST BELIEFS

• Buddhists worship in temples housing a statue of Buddha, many temples were built in China

Tang dynasty temple

BELIEFSBELIEFS

• teaches that suffering is unavoidable• people can end 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

BELIEFSBELIEFS

• people can be reborn to achieve enlightenment

• Buddhists also believe in Karma: the good/bad actions people perform in their lifetime affect happiness

CHINA & CHINA & BUDDHISMBUDDHISM

• 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 that the period

from 400-845 is called the “Age of Buddhism”

BUDDHISM IN CHINABUDDHISM IN CHINA• An emperor in the Tang dynasty tried An emperor in the Tang dynasty tried

to get rid of Buddhismto get rid of Buddhism

• Buddhist books and temples were Buddhist books and temples were destroyeddestroyed

• But, Buddhism But, Buddhism lived on in China and lived on in China and blended with other religionsblended with other religions

CONFUCIANISM• 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.”

WHY CONFUCIANISM?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

BELIEFS IN BELIEFS IN CONFUCIANISMCONFUCIANISM

• Confucius believed in ethics, or proper behavior, for individuals and governments

• People should live their lives according to two principles

1. Concern for others (ren)2. Appropriate behavior (li)

• Everyone has a role to play in society

– For example, young people should obey their elders and follow the rules!!

CONFUCIANISM & CHINACONFUCIANISM & 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