RELIGION IN ANCIENT CHINA
• Daoism
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
← Who is this
guy??
RELIGION….
• A set of beliefs and practices that guide
our lives.
• Usually has a supreme being or God.
• Religion explains what happens to us
when we die.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THIS
SYMBOL? WHAT DO YOU
THINK IT MEANS?
DAOISM (or Taoism)
• From China
• Started by Lao Tsu in 600 B.C.
• Believe that the way to happiness is for people to
learn to “go with the flow”
• Taught everything had a life force
– Ying and Yang
• Yin= dark side- moon, death
• Yang= light side- sun, birth
• Ying and Yang need to be balanced
• Tsu was against too many rules and laws- he
thought people should make their own decisions
PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 168.
BUDDHISM
• 500 B.C.
• Stared in India - spread to China
during the Han dynasty (200s
A.D.)
• Buddhism is based on the
teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama Buddha
• He was an Indian prince who
gave up the royal life in search
of a good and pure life
HOW BUDDHISM SPREAD
WHY BUDDHISM?
• People in China were attracted to
Buddhism during the Period of
Disunion
Who can remember what was happening
during that time?
• People were troubled and Buddhism
offered comfort by teaching that people
could escape suffering and achieve
peace
BUDDHIST BELIEFS
• Buddhists worship in temples housing a statue of
Buddha, many temples were built in China
Tang dynasty temple
BELIEFS
• teaches that suffering is unavoidable
• people can end suffering by reaching
enlightenment- Nirvana
• follow the eight-fold path to reach
enlightenment
– Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right
Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right
Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
BELIEFS
• people can be reborn to achieve
enlightenment
• Buddhists also believe in
Karma: the good/bad actions
people perform in their
lifetime affect happiness
CHINA & BUDDHISM
• During the Sui and Tang dynasties Buddhism
grew and spread
• Chinese missionaries spread Buddhism to
Japan, Korea and other Asian islands
• influenced art, literature and architecture
• Buddhism was so important that the period
from 400-845 is called the “Age of
Buddhism”
BUDDHISM IN CHINA
• An emperor in the Tang dynasty tried
to get rid of Buddhism
• Buddhist books and temples were
destroyed
• But, Buddhism lived on in China and
blended with other religions
PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 178.
CONFUCIANISM
• 500 B.C.
• China
• by a man named Confucius
• “I hear and I forget. I see
and I remember. I do and I
understand.”
• “Wheresoever you go, go
with all your heart.”
• “Have no friends not equal
to yourself.”
WHY CONFUCIANISM?
• Scholars and historians liked Confucianism
because they thought it would improve
society
• Confucius’ ideas lost influence,
but became popular again in
China during the Song dynasty
-this is called neo-Confucianism,
-neo= new
• Neo-Confucianism blended ethics with
spirituality
BELIEFS IN CONFUCIANISM
•
•
Confucius believed in ethics, or
proper behavior, for individuals
and governments
People should live their lives
according to two principles
1. Concern for others (ren)
2. Appropriate behavior (li)
•
Everyone has a role to play in
society
–
For example, young people should
obey their elders and follow the
rules!!
CONFUCIANISM & CHINA
• had a religious and governmental role
• China created a bureaucracy of civil servants
to work for the government
– To be a civil servant you had to pass a test on
Confucianism and other topics
– If you passed you became a scholar-official
– Scholar-officials were admired for their smarts
and ethics
– Look at page 178 in your text
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
•
Which of the following was NOT a way
that Confucianism influenced China?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Emphasis on family and family values
Expansion of manufacturing and trade
Emphasis on service to society
Well-educated government officials
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
• What were the two principles that
Confucius believed people should
follow?
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
• What was a scholar-official?
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
•
In what way do Confucianism and
Buddhism differ?
a. Buddhism stresses military charitable deeds.
b. Confucianism stresses ethical behavior and
Buddhism stresses a spiritual outlook that
promises escape from suffering.
c. Buddhism teaches people to value public service
while Confucianism teaches that personal
satisfaction is important.
d. Confucianism places high value on artistic talents
and Buddhism teaches one to ignore art.
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
• How did Buddhism influence Chinese
culture?
CAN YOU PASS THE TEST?
• Why did people turn to Buddhism
during the Period of Disunion?