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Chapter 7: Chinese Religions
Religion in China today…
• The constitution of China states “Citizens of the People’s Republic
of China enjoy freedom of religion. No state organ, public
organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not
to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against
citizens because they do, or do not believe in religion." This
protection is extended only to what is called "normal religious
activity," generally understood to refer to religions that submit to
state control via the State Administration for Religious Affairs. The
Constitution further forbids the use of religion to "engage in
activities that disrupt social order, impair the health of citizens or
interfere with the educational system of the state. Religious
organizations and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign
dominance.”
• The law affords protection to five officially sanctioned religions:
the Buddhist Association of China, Chinese Taoist
Association, Islamic Association of China, Three-Self Patriotic
Movement andChinese Patriotic Catholic Association.
1. Brief History of Chinese Religions
(pgs. 281-293)
• To know history of Chinese
Religions is to know something
about the countless dynasties.
– Shang: veneration of ancestors…
– Highest god during Shang was
“Ti”
• Divination: The attempt to
ascertain knowledge by the
interpretation of omens or
supernatural events such as
the use of spiritual practices
like Tarot card reading or the
casting of bones.
– What are the gods saying to me?
– What is astrology?
=the study of the movements and
relative positions of celestial
bodies interpreted as having an
influence on human affairs and
the natural world.
Ancient Folk Religion (282-83)
• What is folk religion?
• List most ancient cultures, the
Chinese culture did not distinguish
between religious and secular
practices.
• Ancestor veneration is…
– The older the better…
– One soul would disappear while the
other was immortal and needed to be
reverenced.
• T’ien in the Chou dynasty
• Deities and Ancestors need attention.
• Mandate of Heaven or the Chinese
concept of legitimacy used to support
the rule of the kings of the Chou
dynasty and later the emperors of
China in which Heaven would bless
the authority of a just ruler, but would
give the mandate to another if the
ruler proved unjust.
Confucius (284-85)
• Orginally named K’ung Fu-tzu (Kung
Fu?)
• Story of Confucius…
• Learning was not merely the
accumulation of knowledge but the
an important means to build
character.
• Wrote the Analects. Basically said
that if society returned to the value of
the ancients, chaos would be gone.
Proper ritual observance (ancestor
veneration or worship of god Heaven)
and moral persuasion were formula
for success.
• Not like Siddhartha or Jesus. Rather a
transmitter of ancient Chinese
wisdom. He does this by studying
ancient Chinese texts and attempting
them to revive them in the public
square.
Legacy of Confucianism (286-87)
• Meng-tzo…intrinsic
goodness of human nature
• Hsun-tzu…intrinsic evil of
human nature
• Han Dynasty….
– Required reading in schools
– Confucianism ideals could not
be separated from
mainstream society
– Cult forms claiming Confucius
was divine.
• Neo-Confucianism
• Communism and the death
of Confucianism?
Lao-tzu and Taoism (288-89)
• Lao-Tzu story…
– Tao-te Ching or The Way
and its Power
– Taoism: from the root
word Tao, meaning “the
way.” Tao is considered to
be the driving force of the
universe.
– See board for illustration.
In the 4th century CE
Taoism became “hot.”
– Yin and Yang or shaded
and sunny.
Buddhism in China (pgs. 290-92)
• Pure Land Buddhism:
• Popular with poor who
didn’t have time for
meditation because of
work.
• Amitabha as another
BUDDHA.
– Created a celestial realm
called Pure Land. If you
recite his name then you
could be reborn in this
realm.
• Ch’an Buddhism:
• This word Ch’an means
meditation. Two schools
of thought:
– Enlightenment could be
attained suddenly
– Enlightenment could be
attained gradually.
• Gong’an (in Japanese
koan) was a method used
to clear the mind during
meditation
2. Sacred Stories and Scriptures (293-297)
• General:
– Neither Confucius or Lao-tzu wrote
anything. Nor did they believe that
they received anything that was
divinely inspired.
• Confucian Classics (2 Volumes)
– Five Classics-compiled by Confucius.
Used to teach to students.
• Classic of History, Classic of Poetry,
Classic of Rituals, Spring and Autumn
Annals, and Classic of Changes.
– Four Books-compiled by followers of
Confucius
• Analects, The Great Learning,
Doctrine of the Mean, and Book of
Meng-tzu.
– Eventually a student had to master
these nine texts in order to pass civil
exams to secure employment within
the government.
• Tao-te Ching (Daosim)
– Or The Way and Its Power.
3. Sacred Beliefs and Practices (297-303)
• Confucianism:
– Chun-tzu is…
– Li is…
– Jen is..
• Taosim:
– Wu-wei..action without
action
– Hsien…immortal. Refers to
a Taoist who has reached
his/her goal: immortality.
• Generalization by the
Author….
4. Sacred Time (304-09)
• Basics: Lunar calendar is
354 days. Name years by
combining 10 celestial
stems with 12 celestial
branches. Thus, the name
of the year will recur only
once every 60 years.
• Here they are:
–
–
–
–
–
Chinese New Year
Ching Ming
Tin Hau
Tuen Ng
Mid Autumn Festival
4. Sacred Time (304-09)
• Life Cycles…
• Marriage…
–
–
–
–
–
–
Proposal
Engagement
Dowry
Procession
Wedding
Morning After
• Death…
5. Sacred Places and Spaces (309-311)
• Temples….
• Shrines of ancestors…
– Ancestor shrines at home?
• Ancestor Gravesites
– Feng-shui or the practice
of positioning objects—
gravesites, buildings, and
furniture—to achieve
positive effects based on
belief in yin and yang and
the flow of chi, that is, air
or breath.
6. Chinese Religion and Catholicism
(311-316)
• An explanation of
ancestor veneration.
– The “living dead”?
– Spirit Tablet and the eldest
son?
– ancestor veneration- is not
like worship of a god.
Rather, it is the serious
honoring of those who
have gone before.
• A Comparison of Catholic
Theology to Chinese
Theology
• Read conclusion on pg.
317.