Chinese Religion

Chinese religion is not an organized.unified system of practices.It is a general term chinese religion is not an organized，unitied system of beliefs and practices.It is a general term used to describe the complex “chinese religion is primarily comosed of three m in traditions:confucianisn.Taoism and Budahisn In fact.the religious outlok of most Chinese people consists of some combination of beliefs and practices from the three major traditions.It is very rare for only one to be practiced to the exclusion of the others.

Moreover, Chinese religions, unlike many Western religions, are not organizations that demand the exclusive adherence of their members. Chinese people may visit Buddhist temples while living according to Taoist principles and participating in local ancestor Buddhism The coming of Buddhism to China from India was a great event in the development of Chinese culture and of Buddhism itself. After a long period of assimilation, it established itself as a ma jor system of thought as well as a religious practice, contributing greatly tothe enrichment of Chinese philosophy and exercising an enduring influence on the Chinese popular religion and on the mind and character of the Chinese people. There are two major branches of Buddhism in China: Chinese Buddhism popular in most of Chinese areas and the Tibetan Buddhism in Tibetand as for the former. it mainly belones to Mahawana Generally speaking, Buddhism maintains the four great voids: earth, water, fire and wind. It believes that human beings are born into suffering so it mainly aims at the achievement of a spiritual release from this mortal world. The basics of Buddhist philosophy can be found in Hinduism. The underlying concept of both is karma. This is the force that determines the nature of rebirth (reincarnation) and the consequences of all actions. All living things are locked into a karmic cycle where they are subjected to facing the results of their deeds and bound to repeated incarnations until they attain liberation. Between incarnations in physical worlds there are various hells and heavens which souls may go through to clear a karmic debt or reap some reward.

That all life is suffering is a key Buddhist precept.0ld age and sickness face every living thing and they are unavoidable. To be free of rebirth is to be free of suffering. Only enlightenment brings true liberation and, therefore, life should be spent in pursuit ofthis. Worshipping gods does not bring enlightenment, neither do good deeds (although these may bring good karma). Only meditation can dothis. Correct meditation practice leads to nirvana. This is not really a heaven but a state of absolute serenity where the soul is free of all desires and is united with the forces of eternal harmony. Only in nirvana does all pain and suffering cease.

Buddhist philosophy does not attribute human wrongdoing to sin，but to ignorance；consequently it is very copassionate.To Buddhists，the cause of suffering and ignorance lies in desire and meditation is the best method of rising above this state.

The Ten Grave Precepts of Buddhism are：

Do not talk about others’faults.

Do not elevate yourself by criticizing others.

Do not elevate yourself by

Do not speak ill of the Three Treasures or Five Coandments for laymen.

The followers of Buddhism are called Buddhist monks and their places of worship are named as teples.Monks are not allowed to getmarried once their status is recognized.lMost Chinese people are accustomed to making pilgrimage to the temples on the first and fifteenth day of each month or some important Buddhist festivals，and people not only burn incense and kneel down before Buddha to pay homage but also donate money to fulfill their wishes and promote the development of the temples.

Buddhism and Confucianism

When Buddhism was first introduced into China，in order to overcome linguistic and conceptual barriers，Chinese Buddhist scholars at the time usually adopted analogies to translate or explain a Buddhist idea or term，by using a corresponding or similar term or idea from traditional Chinese philosophy.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties，a succession of sects and schools of Buddhism were founded，and Chinese Buddhism came into being.

This was the merging process of Buddhism and Confucianism. The basic difference between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism lies in whether one attaches importance to the Buddha or to man. The shift of importance from the Buddha to man marks the maturity of the Chinese Indian Buddhism was marked by its aim of deliverance”from the earthly world.”After Buddhism was introduced into China, Chinese Buddhism was gradually influenced by Confucian values, developing from a pursuit of deliverance “from the earthly world”to a way of living”in the earthly world.”

Since its introduction to China, Buddhism has been spreading extensively in almost every field and has eercised great influence on Chinese culture together with Confucianism and Taoism.

First, Buddhism contributed greatly to Chinese art and architecture. For example, the image of Guanyin is the most popular subject matter among all the Buddhist paintings in China. Guanyin was originally known as Bodhisattva. In Buddhism, Bodhisattva is a future Buddha whose vow is to save all the others in suffering and lead them to Buddhahood. He has great wisdom and enlightenment but he is alwavs ready to sacrifice himself to help the others. In China, the Bodhisatta has been transformed into a fised female deity. Guanyin. in the form of a typical Chinese woman. She is usually in white, which suggests peacefulness and serenity. In her hands, there is a jade bottle of sweet dew with an evergreen willow branch in it. The image of Guanyin is very humanized, respectful and intimate. It is said that Guanyin had many forms to save the multitude.

Secondly, Buddhism has had great influence on Chinese literature, especially Chinese poetry. The combination of poetry and Chan reached its zenith in the Tang dynasty, thus brought forth Chan poetry. This type of poetry lays great emphasis on a situation of nothingness, peacefulness, lightness and stillness. Among the Chinese Chan poets, Wang Wei is the most prominent figure.

Besides architecture and literature, many other fields are also considerably influenced by Budhism, such as painting, philosophy, even daily life. In Chinese painting, special emphasis is often laid on a state of peacefulness and freedom from care, which was exactly expressed in the water-ink landscape painting or the Chinese literati painting. Wang Wei has long been considered the founder of thisschool, which is also called the Southern School. Influenced by Chan Buddhism, the painting tends to be unworldly, intangible and light.

Buddhism and Taoism

In its early stage, Taoism made use of some Buddhist tenets to compile its own Taoist books and imitated the Buddhist commandments to work out its on disciplines and rituals. Taoism has also absorbed Buddhist religious theories. Taoism originally pursued immortality, and did not talk of “souls”or “transmigration and reincarnation.”But this “transmigration and reincarnation”appeared to promote control over the minds of the people and check bad deeds. Taoist scholars introduced this theory into their tenets, beginning to talk of “paradise”and”hell.”On the issues of the nature of mind, Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism come to the same goal at last from different directions.

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