1. China and Japan
Chapter 6

3. China Folk Religion Ancestors Communication Giving attention and care
Feeding hungry ghosts
Yin and Yang
Yin is earth, female
Yang is heaven, male

4. I Ching Yijing (I Ching) Oracle
Skilled interpreter offered guidance in human choices
People sought support of heaven and nature in their actions

5. Daoism Dao de Jing (Tao Te Ching) “The Way and its Power”
Book of philosophy and teaching of Laozi
Time of the Upanishads
6th Century BCE (before Confucius)
Focus on the harmony of opposites within Dao
Dao is the cosmic power in all human experience

6. Daoism Daoism Natural course of things is best
Artificial structures bring discord
Values the solitary individual over society
No formal worship or prayer
wuwei – a life of quiet and avoidance of aggression
Sages seek to return good for evil
Initially attracted only philosophers

7. Daoism
Magical Daoism
Physical healing, immortality
Alchemists made elixirs of herbs, gold
Change or master the bodies of animals
Charms to prevent evil, assaults
Dao revivals included belief in heaven and hell, rituals of worship by 1000 CE

8. The Absolute for Daoism
An invisible way of harmony of opposites followed by the universe
Indifferent to human desires
Unrevealed to humans
Not influenced by prayer or ritual
Folk traditions include the Three Purities
Ancestors worshiped as deities
Ling Bao, Jade Emperor, Laozi

9. Daoist Worldview Weakness and simplicity valued
Organization and action leads to suffering
Civilization is the enemy of the contented human
Nothing is so bad that action will not make it worse
Solution to disharmony is to live a simple life
Embryonic breathing (taixi) – breath holding
Meditation (shouyi) – on nature and unite with Dao

10. Confucianism Confucius Kongfuzi
BCE (contemporary of the Buddha)
An accountant who witnessed economic injustice
Traveling scholar with disciples
Strong faith in humans as good by nature
Sought good government as civil servant
Responsible rulers who were obedient to heaven
Ethical people who honored parents

11. Confucius Junzi – model person Li – proper behavior
Yi – internalized Li
Ren – humaneness or compassion

12. Confucianism Upright Magnanimous Sincere Earnest Generous
5 Virtues of human behavior towards friends
Upright
Magnanimous
Sincere
Earnest
Generous

13. Other Teachings… Fajia (Legalists) Mohists
Mozi taught universal love as cure for society
Share and share alike with all
Differed from Confucius who ranked relatives and friends over enemies
Fajia (Legalists)
Humans respect only strong laws
Individual exists for the state
Rulers should harshly enforce rigid laws

14. Daoism vs. Confucianism
Go with the flow
Live according to nature
Society must adapt to the Dao
Meditation and inaction
As little government as possible
Confucianism
Ruler and Subjects in reciprocal relationship
Li harmony rules behavior
Social role is paramount
Ethical behavior expected
Government good and necessary to order life

15. What happened to Confucianism?
Manchu ruler in 1906 deified Confucius
Failed as a state religion
Chiang K’ai Shek – New Life Movement
Nationalist Party
Confucian values
Left for Taiwan 1949
Mao Zedong (Mao Tsetung)
Marxist who established People’s Republic of China
Individual rights are relative to the larger society

16. The Absolute for Confucianism
Reverence for Confucius means practicing his teachings
Mandate of heaven (if followed) allowed good things
Humans are good but need education and models
Disharmony comes from not considering others
Live by the Golden Rule
Obey the good ruler
Rituals were to honor ancestors and to mourn parents

17. Japan: Shinto Ancient Japanese religion
Spirits of sacred persons, places
Kami no michi – the way of the gods
Kami – supernatural powers; created islands
Torii – gateway to mark sacred places
Shamans (miko) had priestly healing powers
Shinto began to write down their beliefs and practices after encountering Buddhist scriptures from Korea

20. Shinto Early CE 19th Century Mid 20th Century
Influenced by Buddhism with arrival of Koreans
Culture incorporated art, books
19th Century
Influenced by Western ideas, purged of Buddhism
Mid 20th Century
Revised when Emperor Hirohito denied his divinity

21. Myths of Shinto
Izanagi and Izanami – produced the islands then many kami
Birth of the fire god killed Izanami
She went to Yomi, land of the dead
Izanagi had to cleanse himself after seeing her there
Other deities were created in his acts of purification
Amaterasu – sun goddess
Susanoo – god of storms
Tsukiyomi – moon god

22. Myths of Shinto Jimmu 1st emperor Susanoo and Amaterasu
Stress importance between procreators and created
Worship through ritual seeks fellowship with kami
Shinto became part of government court ceremonies

23. Shinto 7-8th Centuries Influenced by Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhist deities and kami fused
Influenced by Confucianism
To build solid families
Code of the warrior (bushido) (ethics of junzi)
Extreme patriotism for emperor and country
Failure led to ritual suicide (hara-kiri)

24. Shinto and Western Religions
Competing Christian missionaries since 16th Century
Catholic Jesuits, Protestants came with traders
Caused conflict between Japanese converts
First prohibited from interfering with local doctrines
1597 Franciscans killed by crucifixion in Nagasaki
1614 Christianity banned
1853 Japan opened ports to US
1868 State Shinto identified with patriotism
1889 Constitutional freedom of religion

25. State Shinto Connected state with ancestors
Individual belonged to the state
Reverence for ancestors, patriots, emperor
Declined after 1945, declared not a religion

26. Shinto Worldview Natural world revered as divine – islands sacred
The land was made for Japanese and belongs to them
Kami identified with natural phenomenon
Worship of sun goddess Amaterasu-Omikami
Concern is on Japanese people and not the world
Ritual purification resolves alienation of being unclean
Devotion to family and country governs all conduct