HIST 2070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Intelligentsia, Wu Wei, Shangdi
27 Jun 2018
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Introduction to religions of China and Japan:
China influenced all of the east religiously, including Japan
Of other east Asian nations, only Japan retained and developed its primal religion (called Shinto)
to the point that it is still a major Japanese faith
Buddhism had an impact on China and Japan
In Japan, of its three major religions (Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism), only Shinto was native
and perhaps primal
The religions of China and Japan are closely related as were their cultures
oBoth began with primal religions; both at different points adopted and adapted
Buddhism
China and Japan has their own indigenous religious traditions that grew out of the primal stage
oFor China there were Confucianism, Taoism and ancestor worship. Additionally, China
exported Buddhism to Korea and Japan along with Taoism and Confucianism to Japan
oJapan had one indigenous faith, Shinto, which was a later development of its primal
religion, influenced also by China
Chinese early primal religion:
Chinese primal religion has a unique feature - this form of faith is still practised by many
Chinese, especially those outside mainland China
It is not so much a systematic religion as a set of fundamental understandings about the nature
of the universe, accompanies by practices that allow humans access to spiritual forces
Chinese primal religion began before the larger, better-known religions of China, but has existed
in harmony with them from earliest times to the present
Chinese primal religion was based on a belief in numerous spirits and on ancestor worship
Chinese religion retained a belief in spirits and gods, but placed right conduct at the centre of
both practice and faith - this was the era that produced Lao-tzu (the founder of Taoism) and
Confucius
The Chinese believed in spirits and gods and goddesses who controlled different aspects of the
natural world
Sacrifices were necessary to ensure good harvests or good weather - a sacrifice, in order to be a
true sacrifice, had to be of value
Good spirits were called shen, and were associated with light and the season of spring
Evil spirits were called kuei and were associated with dark, hidden places
On a more intellectual level, Chinese philosophers believed generally that the universe was
balanced between two opposing forces, yin and yang
oYin was described variously as negative, dark, damp, female, the earth, the moon
oYang was associated with light, sun, warmth, maleness
Ancestor worship is another enduring and general feature of Chinese religion
For the Chinese, the term "worship" is used to describe their belief that this wisdom does not
recede beyond the reach of the living even after the elderly die - that is, that the actions of the
living in this world in a moral sense, and attention to sacrifices offered to ancestors are beneficial
to the living. This is because the dead are closer to the spirit world
Another aspect of this form of religiosity is divination - there was and is a widespread belief that
the future can be foretold, using various ritualistic means
By the 11th century BC, a belief in a supreme god began to develop
As is so often the case in history, a period of social and political confusion brought new religious
beliefs to the fore; between the 8th and 3rd centuries B.C, the Chou dynasty began to lose its grip
on life in China, and feuding warlords dominated the country
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
China influenced all of the east religiously, including japan. Of other east asian nations, only japan retained and developed its primal religion (called shinto) to the point that it is still a major japanese faith. Buddhism had an impact on china and japan. In japan, of its three major religions (shinto, buddhism, confucianism), only shinto was native and perhaps primal. The religions of china and japan are closely related as were their cultures o. Both began with primal religions; both at different points adopted and adapted. China and japan has their own indigenous religious traditions that grew out of the primal stage o. For china there were confucianism, taoism and ancestor worship. Additionally, china exported buddhism to korea and japan along with taoism and confucianism to japan o. Japan had one indigenous faith, shinto, which was a later development of its primal religion, influenced also by china.
