Religious Sectarianism and Violence

1
Religious Sectarianism and Violence

• Religious sectarianism was responsible for a
  substantial portion of violence occurred in
  traditional China
• Sectarians were antisocial
• Seditious, combative, militant, and violent
• Religious sectarian movement was one of the
  factors in the fall of the Yuan dynasty,
  established by Khubilai Khan
• The leader of the sectarian movement, Han
  Shantong, combined two sectarian traditions into
  a hybrid sectarian eschatology and turned his
  organization into the White Lotus Sect

2
The White Lotus Sect

• Han Shantongs incorporation of two sectarian
  traditions
• The unorthodox White Lotus faith
• Manichaeanisms ideas
• Slogan used in his anti-Mongol rebellion the
  empire is in utter chaos. Maitreya Buddha has
  incarnated, and the Manichaean King of Light has
  appeared in this world.
• The messianic view had great appeal to the
  peasants, who were victims of regional
  exploitation and social inequalities

3
The Development of the White Lotus

• Zhu Yuanzhang used the White Lotus to build his
  power base and eventually made himself the first
  emperor of the Ming dynasty
• Once becoming the emperor, he turned against this
  sectarian tradition
• The White Lotus was suppressed and driven
  underground
• It continued to haunt Ming government and
  developed into a highly mature form of messianic
  sectarian religion

4
The Legacy of the White Lotus

• The emergence of the White Lotus Society
• The White Lotus turned into a secret society
• The Qing Dynasty witnessed the White Lotus
  Rebellion
• It was extinguished in 1806, but its embers
  continued to smolder.
• It spread its influence among the aborigines of
  central and southwest China
• The Nian Rebellion (1830s), the Triads (1853)

5
The Meaning of Religious Sectarianism

• A dissenting religious group outside of the
  mainstream or established clerical traditions
• Possesses an acute sense of eschatology, which
  sees the imminent coming of cosmic calamity
• Believes the salvation of the world relies on the
  creation of a new community or world, which is to
  be ruled by a messianic figure identified as the
  reincarnation of a deity

6
Sources of Sectarian Eschatology

• Taoism, Buddhism and Manichaeism
• Taoism
• Taoist notion of cosmic crisis that occurred at a
  nodal point of periodic cycle of physical world
• humans inherited sins that had been accumulated
  several generations before them and had begun to
  bear disastrous outcome
• Buddhism
• Great/large Kalpa-disasters destroyed physical
  world
• Physical world reached the point of the end of
  the dharma
• The anticipated points of cosmic destruction are
  perceived as opportunities for starting afresh
  and creating a new world order

7
Influence of Manichaeism

• Introduced to China in the 7th century from
  Persia
• Central tenet
• Two forces, Light and Darkness, exist in physical
  world and engage in a fierce struggle, the final
  result of which is the triumph of the force of
  light
• Cosmic disaster is a necessary step toward the
  creation of new cosmic order

8
Earlier Sectarian Movements

• The Yellow Turbans
• 184 AD
• Associated text the Taiping Jing (the Classic of
  Highest Peace)
• Slogan The azure heaven is dead the yellow
  heaven is about to be established
• The Li Hong Cults
• 5th century
• Associated text the Taishang dongyuan shenzhou
  jing (Sacred Incantation from the Deep Vault of
  the Most Exalted One)
• Slogan the Venerable Lord should reign, and Li
  Hong should appear

9
Pre-Maitreyan Cults

• Antecedents
• The Prince Moonlight (Yueguang tongzi) Cult
• Fifth century
• Associated text the Shouluo biqiu jing
  (Scripture of the Monk Shouluo)
• Slogan Prince Moonlight will soon appearl there
  will be terrible disaster
• 516-17 AD, the monk Faquan attracted a large
  following by using this this cult

10
Notable Maitreyan Rebellions

• From 515 AD to 1047 AD
• 515 AD The monk Faqing rebelled
• Slogan the New Buddha has appeared the Old
  Devil will be eliminated
• Slaughtered monks and nuns and burnt temples
• 610 AD involved Maitreyan believer
• 613 AD involved Maitreyan believer also a monk
  named Xiang Haiming claiming to be the Maitreya
  Buddha adopted imperial title
• 710 AD Wang Huaigu declared the Sakyamuni
  Buddha has declined a new Buddha is about to
  appear. The House of Li is ending, and the house
  of Liu is about to rise
• 1047 AD Wang Ze claimed the Sakyamuni Buddha
  has declined the Maitreya Buddha should rule
  the world

11
Characteristics of sectarian eschatology

• Chiliastic militancy
• Hostile to the existing authorities
• Wanted to change the status quo by using militant
  and violent actions
• Engaged in violence against the state, the
  established church, and all nonbelievers outside
  of their religious sect.
• Sense of closeness the importance of membership
• Believers (we) are to be admitted into the
  millennium nonbelievers (they) are to be
  destroyed without mercy
• The member assumes a new identity which sets him
  apart from his family
• Violent sacrifice
• Members have little fear of death and are willing
  to die for their religious sect

12
Sectarian Justification for killings

• Fang La Rebellion in 1120 AD
• Killings were acts of compassion, being intended
  to allow the masses to be delivered from their
  sufferings
• Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao Rebellions in 1130 AD
• The killing of people is the carrying out the
  dharma, and the plundering of properties is the
  act of equalization
• Rebellions in the end of the Yuan
• Heaven sends the demon armies to slaughter the
  unjust.only when the unjust are completely
  exterminated can the Highest Peace be realized