How Chinese Religion Affected Everyday Life

Hinduism and Buddhism are among the oldest traditions in the world. Incidentally, both traditions have their roots in India. Since their beginning, both traditions have co-existed peacefully and even spread beyond India in similar patterns. Most people have scattered information about the traditions and make assumptions that they are similar. However, they also have clear distinguishing features. This paper intends to study the similarities and contrasts between the two traditions in various contexts. First, the traditions will be compared and contrasted based on how they began. The development processes of both religions will then be contrasted. The paper will then discuss the similarities and differences between the two religions based on the social and the political roles they played.

Religion was a very big part in many Indians life. Almost every part of Indian life is related to religion, the land is sacred, and religion plays a part in what can be done with it,

Buddhism for centuries, has long been influencing the population all over the world, specifically in China . Buddhism first came to China as a result of merchant traders from India. From there it spread within the merchant community. It mainly expanded because it gave people a sense of hope and faith with the chaos they were experiencing from the collapse of the Han Dynasty. It also spread because it covered what Confucianism lacked; a more spiritual and emotional approach that appealed to many people of different classes. It is because of this that Buddhism spread and was able to influence and greatly affect China during the period of 300-900 CE. Buddhism influenced philosophy and moral teachings, kept the Chinese society peaceful and orderly, as well as affecting the overall economy. Buddhism had strong religious teachings that appealed to the lower class with the idea of afterlife and nirvana as well as an emphasis on following your own path that transformed Chinese beliefs causing a large portion of the population to convert (doc’s 1,4). Buddhism kept the Chinese society orderly by reminding all of Buddha’s life and teachings with statues and the influence it had on monks to spread charity and missionary work (doc’s 2,3,6). Buddhism also had an effect on the economy of China. As it spread from other regions, it caused more farmers and silk producers to convert and spread the religion as monks and nuns. (doc 7,5).

China is a very influential world power and has been for many years. The Classical and Post-Classical years in China were a time of achievement and advancement, especially in the religious movement. Post-Classical and Classical China were very important historical periods, and their religions, and the effect of them on the world around them highlighted that importance.

China has been the home to various religions. At different times different dynasties endorsed certain religions while repressing others. While Buddhism flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasty, it faced opposition from the government during the Song dynasty. Confucianism lost government endorsement during the Sui and Tang but gained momentum during the Song as Neo-Confucianism. Yuan dynasty promoted Islam and Tibet Buddhism but ignored Confucianism. Different rulers sponsored and protected different religions but Confucianism and some form of Buddhism have always been alive in Chinese society from 600 to 1450.

The main Chinese religions have many key features. The main religions include shamanism/ancestor reverence, Confucianism, Daoism, Mahayana Buddhism, and idol worship. These 5 religions share some features in common. For example, Chinese popular religion focuses on the human being’s pursuit of health, wealth, and happiness in their lives (quote the textbook). Chinese popular religions want the human to be doing well and succeeding in their day-to-day activities of their lives. Another key component of the main Chinese religions is respecting one’s elders. The religions teach the importance of obeying the commands of the elders and honoring the family name. The Chinese allow place a strong emphasis on the temple. The temple is a place where the people could communicate, understand, and learn about their gods (quote the textbook). The next subsections will be describing the key religious practices of each of the 5 Chinese religions.

Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why

Religion and philosophy affected daily life in both India and China. The three sources; Religions of Ancient India (document), Comparison of Ancient India and Ancient China (venn diagram) and Chinese Philosophy (video), all relate to the focus by explaining and giving reasons as to why religion and philosophy affected the daily life in India as well as China. Some religions and/or philosophies include Hinduism and Confucianism.

China's main religion is Buddhism. In Sichaun Province you'll have the opportunity to see the largest stoned Buddah in the world. The Leshan Giant Buddah is carved into a cliff in Mount Emei. It is so large that one foot could fit about one hundred people and they say that its ears are huge so it can hear everyone's prayers. The statue was completed in the beginning of the ninth century and it took them about ninety years. Carvers used a unique method to create the statue, which measures 71 meters in height. Instead of carving it from the ground up, they carved it from the top to bottom. This was to prevent rocks falling down on them. Precautions are also taken when they clean the statue, which many believe has blessed the region. One of the

There are many different religions in both China and India. The most popular religions in China are ancient Confucianism and Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Protestant, Catholic, and a new form of religion Falun Gong. India has many religions that are different or the same as the Chinese. Indian religions include: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism. There are also many people from China that do not follow a religion because of its communist background.

In the ancient India, the two most well- known and developed through nowadays religions are Hinduism and Buddhism. Hinduism is basically saying that reincarnation is based on the previous life of the human being and the willing of try to get out this kind of circle(lecture India-Hinduism). It also mentions that there is a multitude of gods as different manifestations

In India there are many religions, but three of them originated around the same time and adopted some of the same beliefs. These religions are Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. They all accept the ideal of re-incarnation. Also, they are non-violent. However, they have a lot of differences as well.

To begin this question, I have decided to use America’s “Freedom of religion”, and the Government of China. China’s government derived from the statements of Karl Marx, a German economist. Mr. Marx specifically stated that “Religion is the opium of the people”, which means it’s everybody’s drug addiction. What an evil man. China took this seriously and although they have introduced economic freedom they have enforced religious freedom. Their constitution has stated that you can believe what you want, but expression of that belief is not o.k. Only five groups of religion are allowed to practice.

What two religions do you think of first when you look at a picture of India? The first two that come to mind are Buddhism and Hinduism. Now they may not be the most popular religions in India but they have one thing in common, both religions were created in India and so in addition they also have similar beliefs. However regardless of its place of origin and their similarities, it still has many differences. One example of a similarity between beliefs is the process of meditation. Meditation is a practice in which you sit still and try to clear your mind of all outside conflict regardless of importance. In both religions the process is done in order to find yourself and to know your body. While they might have some differences when it comes

Dating back to ancient scriptures, the history of China is comprised of over 3000 years worth of rich culture and no doubt is one of the most advanced civilizations to ever be discovered. Embedded within it’s history, China is known to be one of the most popular tourist spots as a result of it’s resistance to Westernization for several centuries. Aside from the scriptures and art, historians have focused more on Chinese clothing to recount the delicate history behind Chinese cultures and the centuries of transitional dynasties and periods. “Correct attire was regarded as the ultimate expression of Chinese culture and identity, differentiating them from 'inferior ' foreign neighbors while making social and gender distinctions within their society. The ancient Chinese clothing had specific cultural meaning, with properly attired bodies reflecting order and control and unadorned bodies and feet serving as visible signs of disorder and dangerous nonconformity with the individual risking association to barbarian outsiders” (Schwebius, 2008). Similar to other civilizations in history, the Chinese used many sumptuary laws to govern and regulate a divide between the social hierarchies. The Chinese systemized their way of dress through robes, color and symbolic motifs. The use of bright colors, bold motifs of Chinese characters and mythical creatures did not just simply classify someone’s place in society, however it told legendary stories of tragedy, adversity, and triumph. Aside