Chinese Religions: Confucianism and Daoism

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Chinese Religions Confucianism and Daoism

• by Roy C. Amore and Julia Ching

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Introduction

• At the centre of Chinese spirituality is the
  figure of the sage
• Like the guru or muni in the Indian tradition,
  the sage is someone whose wise teaching and
  outstanding character make him a model for others
  to follow
• No exact equivalent in the West, where prophets
  are believed to speak on behalf of God

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• The Confucian tradition takes its name from the
  sage known in the West as Confucius and in
  Chinese as Kongfuzi
• The Confucian tradition has served as the basis
  of political thought for many centuries

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• The Daoist tradition goes back to the sage Laozi,
  who taught a spirituality based on harmony with
  nature and a politics that might be summarized as
  the less government the better

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• The Chinese refer to the three philosophies
• Confucianism
• Daoism
• Buddhism

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Confucianism

• Origins
• Crystallization
• The Confucian Virtues
• The Confucian Classics
• Mencius and Xunzi
• Mencius and Xunzi on Human Nature
• Mencius and Xunzi on Heaven and Ritual

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• Differentiation
• Confucianism in the Han Era
• The Yin-Yang and Five Agents Schools
• Neo-Confucianism
• The Four Books
• The Contributions of Zhu Xi
• Human Nature
• Meditation
• The Contributions of Wang Yangming

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• Practice
• Rituals, Alchemy, Scholars, and Priests
• The Cult of Heaven
• Other State Rituals
• The Ancestor Cult
• Family Rituals
• The Mandate of Heaven

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• Interaction and Adaptation
• Rethinking Confucius
• Confucianism and the Legalist School
• Women and Confucianism

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Daoism

• There is no single definition of Daoism
• English uses the same word for both philosophical
  and religious Daoism
• Philosophical Daoism is associated with the works
  of Laozi and his follower Zhuangzi
• Religious Daoism developed later involving
  deities, priests, temples, rituals, and a variety
  of physical and spiritual techniques

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• Philosophical Daoism
• The Philosophy of Zhuangzi
• Zunangzis Mysticism
• Crystallization
• The Daoist Pantheon and Great Peace
• The Daoist Canon
• Daoist Movements and Schools
• Neo-Daoism
• Neo-Daoist Protest
• Sects Heavenly Masters and Perfect Truth

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• Practice
• Rituals, Alchemy, Scholars, and Priests
• Practices of the Heavenly Masters Sect
• Rituals and Priests
• The Search for Immortality
• Daoist Alchemy
• Daoist Meditation and Inner Alchemy
• The Eight Daoist Immortals

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• Cultural Expressions
• Interaction and Adaptation
• BuddhoDaoist Hells
• Syncretism The Unity Sect

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Chinese Popular Religion and Other Movements

• Besides the Three Religions, China has a folk
  tradition known to scholars as popular
  religion, the roots of which extend far into the
  past

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• Mozi on Universal Love and Pacificism
• Popular Religion
• Feng Shui and Numerology
• Tombs
• Confucian and Buddhist Influences
• The Compassion Society
• The Chinese Religious Calendar

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• The Taiping Rebellions
• Falun Gong

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Conclusion

• The Chinese civilization is ancient and rich in
  both institutional and popular religious beliefs
  and practices
• Instead of adhering to a single religion, most
  Chinese have embraced a variety of traditions
• Confucianism has contributed to political theory
  and guidance in family life
• Daoism has contributed to meditation, health,
  artistic inspiration, and spirituality based on
  living in harmony with ones nature
• Popular religion has contributed to many other
  areas of daily life