Focus On: Taoism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism
Ebony Baker
Staff Writer
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China is officially atheist; however the religious breakdown is as follows: 42 percent Nonreligious, eight percent Atheist, one percent Muslim, eight percent Buddhist, seven percent Christian, and 34 percent other. There are three religions that are considered Chinese in origin: Taoism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.
Taoism
Tao (also known Dao) (pronounced "Dow") can be roughly translated into English as path or the way. It is indefinable. It has to be experienced. It "refers to a power which envelopes, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. Tao embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female)."
The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE), a contemporary of Confucius. He was searching for a way to avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. Others believe that he is a mythical character. Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion.
Taoist Beliefs and Practices:
- Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through all life.
- "The Tao surrounds everyone and therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment."
- Each believer's goal is to become one with the Tao.
The Yin Yang symbol is a well-known Taoist symbol. "It represents the balance of opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm. When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray." There are several sources that suggest what the symbol means: the swirling indicates change, the only constant factor in the universe; the dark side, Yin, represents the earth and Yang the heavens; and traditionally it represents Yin is feminine and Yang is masculine. Because nothing in nature is purely black or white, there are spots of the other color in each swirl. Ultimately the yin and yang symbolize any two opposing forces in nature, and, according to Taosts, believe that humans interfere, upsetting the balance.
- The priesthood views the many gods as manifestations of the one Dao, which is not represented as a particular thing. The concept of a personified deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. They seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer observation.
- Five main organs and orifices of the body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and earth.
- Each person must nurture the Ch'i (air, breath) that has been given to them.
- Development of virtue is one's chief task. The Three Jewels to be sought are compassion, moderation and humility.
- Taoists follow the art of "wu wei," which is to let nature take its course.
- Taoists believe that people are compassionate by nature...left to their own devices [they] will show this compassion without expecting a reward.
Taoism currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily centered in Taiwan. It serves as one of many alternatives to the Confucian tradition of China.
Confucianism
K'ung Fu Tzu (commonly pronounced Confucius in English) was born in 551 BCE in the state of Lu. He lived during the Chou dynasty, an era known for its moral laxity. His writings dealt primarily with individual morality and ethics and the proper exercise of political power by the rulers. In China, and some other areas of Asia, the social ethics and moral teachings of Confucius are blended with the Taoist communion with nature and Buddhist concepts of the afterlife, to form a set of peacefully co-existent religions. There are six schools of Confucianism: Han Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Contemporary Neo-Confucianism, Korean Confucianism, Japanese Confucianism and Singapore Confucianism. The Si Shu (Four Books) and the Wu Jing (Five Classics) are the sacred texts of Confucianism.
Confucian Beliefs:
- Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc.
- Hsiao: love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their parents
- Yi: righteousness
- Xin: honesty and trustworthiness
- Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue
- Chung: loyalty to the state, etc.
In addition to these principal beliefs, four life passages are celebrated and regulated by Confucian tradition: birth, reaching maturity, marriage and death. Each has its own special ceremony or traditional practice. Today, there are six million Confucians in the world, located throughout China, Asia, and North America.
Zen Buddhism
Zen or Ch'an is the Buddhist school that developed in China and Japan as the result of a fusion between the Mahayana form of Buddhism in India and Taoism. Zen and Ch'an are, respectively, the Japanese and Chinese ways of pronouncing the Sanskrit term dhyana, which designates a state of mind roughly equivalent to contemplation or meditation. Dhyana denotes the state of consciousness of a Buddha, one whose mind is free from the assumption that the distinct individuality of oneself and other things is real. All schools of Buddhism hold that separate things exist only in relation to one another; this relativity of individuals is called their "voidness," which means that nature cannot be grasped by any system of fixed definition or classification. Reality is the "suchness" of nature, or the world "just as it is" apart from any specific thoughts about it. Zen was introduced into China in 520 by the Indian Buddhist monk Bodhidharma and is comprised of two main sects: Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen. It is the Chinese way of accomplishing the Buddhist goal of seeing the world just as it is, that is, with a mind that has no grasping thoughts or feelings. This attitude is called "no-mind," a state of consciousness wherein thoughts move without leaving any trace. Unlike other forms of Buddhism, Zen holds that such freedom of mind cannot be attained by gradual practice but must come through direct insight. Thus, Zen conveys its vision of truth by a method known as direct pointing. Its exponents answer all philosophic or religious questions by nonsymbolic words or actions; the answer is the action just as it is, and not what it represents.
Taoism, Confucianism, and Zen Buddhism have all played a pivotal role in the history of Chinese religion with their belief systems and strong following.
