The Afterlife In Ancient China

Every culture has a unique ideas of the afterlife. This paper will compare how two ancient societies viewed the afterlife. The ancient societies to be discussed are the Egyptians and the Chinese. This paper will compare and contrast the two views in a limited way. It will consider what this suggests about the two cultures. Lastly, it will consider which is closer to modern American beliefs.

Pu, Muzhou. In Search of Personal Welfare: A View of Ancient Chinese Religion. Albany: State

In conclusion, I have described the afterlife and the death rituals in Ancient China by describing some of their practices as well as what they believed in. I characterized the afterlife and the beliefs of Ancient China by explaining and describing the different concepts and perceptions that tie in with my topic. I also described that in Ancient China they do use the use of terror management theory by knowing that they are going to die because they know that they are promised an afterlife (C. Davis, personal communication, October, 2016). As ethical responsibly goes, it is the chore to follow and continue the correct path, which ties in with the people of Ancient China being promised an afterlife as well (C. Davis, personal communication, September,

The early Chinese believed that the afterlife was somehow like the world of the living and that wealthy Chinese nobles and leaders needed everything they might need in the journey to the afterlife. Human sacrifice to them was providing the wealthy people with servants often times the servants they had when the noble or leader was alive would be the protectors of the grave or to serve them in the afterlife.

Churches and religious sites across China became a unifying force for discussion and connections. The foundations of Chinese culture had been stripped away leaving people alone and confused. An personal example in “The Souls of China” that truly exemplifies what religion means to the people of China is the explanation from Wang Yi. Growing up in the Chinese countryside, Wang Yi had little education and money. Wang Yi recounts a group of ants stuck in the rain away from their home, and decides to carry them home over the water. He describes the sensation he got from this action saying “I felt like their savior…I was only seven years old but felt I had done something really meaningful.” (341). After giving hi sermon, Wang Yi asks the Christians

In early China Zhou took control over Shang family because he claimed that the Shang ruler had lost the mandate of heaven-just ruler with divine approval. A ruler would lose the mandate of heaven if he neglects his duties and fail to prevent natural disasters such as floods and droughts, these natural disasters were also considered as signs that the ruler had lost his mandate of heaven. The mandate of heaven had access to his recent ancestors, who also had access to other ancestors who would intercede to Di for the ruler and his people. Hence the mandate of heaven was a crucial link between heaven and earth as he was to protect his people and prevent natural disasters. Sometimes the mandate of heaven would abuse his power because he claimed

In this paper I will plan to discuss in detail the funerary procedures that were used in ancient Egypt. I will pay particular attention as to how the Idea of the afterlife influenced many of the traditions in ancient Egypt that we now think of today. In surveying their beliefs on the afterlife we will begin to get a better picture as to how these ideas affected almost all aspects of their ancient culture, and indeed had impacts on neighboring cultures. I will take a look at what aspects of their religious mythology lead them to these traditions and why its observation was so key to their society.

There are many different types of people in the world. Different hair color, skin color, languages, religions, talents, etc. but there is one thing we all have in common, we all die. There is no one who can out run the long arm of death. People can however, have different attitudes and feelings towards death. For example, “Some of us know for sure that death is the implacable enemy of life. Others of us know for sure that death is the portal though which we enter a higher form of existence,” (Kastenbaum, 2012, p. 38). With these different feelings about death come different ways to mourn or celebrate the life of those lost. In Tibet there is a ritual performed by Tibetan Buddhist known as “Sky Burials”. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss the details of this ritual and where it originated.

In this paper I will plan to discuss in detail the funerary procedures that were used in ancient Egypt. I will pay particular attention as to how the Idea of the afterlife influenced many of the traditions in ancient Egypt that we know think of today. In surveying their beliefs on the afterlife we will begin to get a better picture as to how these ideas affected almost all aspects of their ancient culture, and indeed had impacts on neighboring cultures. I will take a look at what aspects of their religious mythology lead them to these traditions and why its observation was so key to their society.

Confucian historical texts provide pragmatic solutions to political projects, although they operated in a culture that was seasoned with value laden principles from a hybridization of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist schools of thought. This paper focuses on the Confucian Scholar Dong Zhongshu; specifically, I will analyze his thoughts on the Mandate of Heaven, the connection between the state & human body, and his expectations of rulership. As I proceed with this analysis, I will demonstrate that Dong Zhongshu had a pragmatic political motive with his desire to be a member of educated elites known as the junzi. To begin with, I press the rhetorical: question was Dong Zhongshu a philosopher or an aspiring civil servant with philosophic tendencies?

Geography will make or break an empire. China had all the key components to make them dominate their competition and utilize resources. China's natural defenses, river valleys, and impressive trade system led to a thriving empire.

Philosophies dictate the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of individuals or groups, even entire civilizations. Since the beginning of time there has been great debate among men over which philosophies to live life by. The list of philosophies that exist in the world today is nearly endless, making it difficult to decide which one is the most suitable to live by. Ancient China was arguably among one of the most philosophical cultures that has ever existed to date. They had multiple schools of thought including Chinese Naturalism, Mohism, Logicians, Confucianism, Taoism (Daoism), and Legalism. Many of these philosophies fell into obscurity but three of them had a very large impact on ancient China and still have influence around the globe today. Legalism, Taoism, and Confucianism each had its own ways of seeing the nature of human beings, society, and the universe. Although they were all different they all shared a similar purpose, to make society a better place. Because they are so different, however, different people are going to prefer different philosophies. Confucianism and Taoism have and will continue to be the topic of debate for time to come and although Legalism has not been practiced for some time now, it still played a significant role in ancient Chinese history. (Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism)

The purpose of the relics and the reliquaries were to symbolically transform the dying emperor’s body into a new state of being, which highlights the lack of clarity in the view of reliquaries as objects or subjects and furthers our understanding of the agency of the form. His statement that the reliquary set is “the most revealing visual documentation of a programmed throne succession scheme in Chinese history” also gives a deeper view into the role of reliquaries as a visual technology that has made looking and touch a means of acquiring and distributing knowledge and an indicator of what a culture prioritizes (Wang 55). The reliquaries in the Farnen Temple crypt provide insights into the connection between the object and ritual, as the reliquary casket sets spell out a succession of changing bodily states (Wang 68). Furthermore, this example demonstrates how the significance of the reliquaries can be overshadowed by the relics they hold, as Wang laments how often “the mystique of the relics trumps any interest in the richly decorated reliquaries that housed them” (Wang 51)

Over the same period, the birth rate in China varied more significantly than in the US. It dropped to 5% from 1940 to 1945 before reaching the highest point of the whole line graph, 20%, in 1950. By contrast, 5 years later, the birth rate in China decreased rapidly by over 10%, falling to approximately 2% in

When studying the rich history of arts and recreation in the Song Dynasty, it is evident that there were many newly pioneered practices that completely captivated the populous and became the epitome of several long-established genres. When one observes the progression of visual arts through the Song Dynasty, landscape painting established itself as the most prevalent and important of the multitude of forms in this genre. Close examination of entertainment reveals that the dramatic arts, with emphasis on shadow-puppeteering, became the most enjoyed form of amusement in the Song Dynasty. Finally, nothing had become more delightful than the everyday life of a citizen, which never had a dull moment. Chinese art and recreation came to a