Chinese Religion

When analyzing Chinese Religions, one has to approach the subject in a way that is different from that which is used to examine other, more traditional religions. That is because it is not an organized, unified system of beliefs and practices. It has no centralized leadership, no central headquarters, no single founder, and no particular denominations. Instead of being a specific stat of religion, the "Chinese religion" is instead a term used to describe the interaction of different religious and philosophical traditions that have been influential in China. For example, in countries where we might categorize individuals as being either Muslim or Jewish, we would know that they are mutually exclusive of one another. Each one identified by its own god and system of belief. For most religions, converts are asked to choose. However, this is not the case in China. It is not only possible, but common for someone from China to follow more than one tradition or system of beliefs, drawing upon different religions. For instance, someone can turn to Confucianism for family and ethical concerns, to Daoism for physical and psychological health concerns, or to Buddhism for funeral procedures. Similarly, Confucianism and Daoism share many of the same basic ideas. They agree for example, on how the world functions, the role of mankind in the world, the functions of gods and spirits, and how ethical ideas should shape China. Then when Buddhism arrived in China from India and became popular amongst the people, they began to incorporate these Chinese beliefs into their own, changing Buddhism in a number of ways that are now uniquely identified as "Chinese religion".

Although other religious traditions have been influential in China, Chinese religion is primarily composed of three main traditions: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. The religious beliefs of most Chinese people are rooted in some combination of beliefs and practices that originate from these three traditions. As a matter of fact, it is very rare for only one religion to be practiced to the exclusion of the others. There are several basic ways in which these Chinese Religions and Philosophies are similar. First, it is perceived that their approach to life is basically humanistic. In other words, they are mostly concerned with people or human beings, rather than centered on gods or spirits. They are not without their gods. Their interests in gods, however, in an interest in how the gods interact with and affect people. The Chinese have had little interest in knowing or discussing the nature of the gods apart from understanding the impact they can have on people themselves. Their practice of their religion then is motivated by a basic concern for knowing how to act in such a way that the gods will grant their wishes, or ensure that they will do what mankind wants and needs.

Second, their basic approach to both religion and philosophy is ethical in nature. The primary concern is to create the best life possible for all people, based on moral behavior, by leading a good life as a means to constructing a strong society, family, and government. Thus their concern with gods and spirits is actually a concern for ways that their deities affect them. Whether they help or hold back the construction of a good life on earth. Moreover, while both Daoism and Buddhism believe in the idea of several heavens and hells, and while each is connected with an after-life; neither tradition actually emphasized the after-life over this life on earth. The after-life is usually just a secondary consideration. They focus on the personal improvement, and by extension, they hope to form a better society.

In this way, the Chinese traditions of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism are ultimately concerned with the perfectibility of the entire human race. In a manner of speaking, the object of their worship is themselves not a god, and their ritual is the acts of an individual trying to become a better person. The Confucian ideal is a person known as a Sage. This is an individual who, like Confucius himself, had so perfected his