Chinese+Religions

by sean You may have seen the yin yang symbol, but do you know what it is. It is the symbol of Taoism. Taoism came from ancient china. It is a very interesting religion due to its cool history, strange symbol, and natural philosophy. The history of Taoism is truly unique.No one knows who created Taoism. Though it is often believed that it was founded by Loa Tuz. He was thought to be a teacher in a religious school. Some say that the Taoist philosophy was created by a group of teachers. Usually though, “Lao Tuz … is regarded as the creator for the foundation of the Taoist philosophy” (Hundoble). He developed the philosophy of Taoism and spread it around china. The yin yang is the symbol of Taoism. It always contains a light color (usually white) and a dark color (usually black). Yin, which is the white side, represents good things and yang, which is to black side, represents the bad stuff. “Since nothing is totally good or bad each side contains a small dot of the other side” (Religious tolerance). “It represents the balance of opposites in the universe” (Religious to lerance). The yin yang is also an important symbol of the Taoist philosophy. The Taoist philosophy is also very interesting. Taoism isn’t totally a religion. It does have some religious aspects, but it is mostly a philosophy. “Taoism is the principle that all things take care of themselves and form an interlocking unity” (Bobba). “The reason it isn’t a religion is because Taoists don’t have to believe in anything. Taoism has absolutely no benefits, because they think we will all end up the same way.” (Bobba). There is no heaven only death. Taoism is one of the coolest religions. It has an awesome history, weird symbol, and a natural philosophy. All of these things put together, make Taoism one of the most interesting religions of all time. **//__Buddhism__//** - By Richard Everyone has heard of the little statue of a fat man, whose belly you rub for good luck, but have you ever wondered how he came to be? From the time Buddhism was made as a religion, its effects on ancient China, and have been going on for a long time. Buddhism has been around for a long time, and it is not only in China, but all over Asia, and across the world. The importance of Buddhism to the Chinese culture can be illustrated of one knowing its history, its spread to China, and its influence on modern day China. Buddhism did not actually start in China, but in India. At first in China, the two main religions were Confucianism and Taoism. Buddhism was founded by Sakyamuni, who was originally a prince of a small state in North India. He had seen a lot of people suffering and their sorrows, and that’s what drove him to leave his father’s palace. He wanted to find what causes a man’s sorrows and how to free them from it. At the age of 35, he had reached enlightenment. After that he preached the truth he had found and gradually it was accepted by many people. He was regarded by his followers as the Buddha, meaning the awakened one. Among his teaching were the four Noble Truths. They were, Sorrow is the universal experience of mankind. The cause of sorrow is desire. The removal of sorrow can only come from the removal of desire. Desire can be systematically abandoned by following the eightfold path(hinduwebsite). However, Buddhism was then about to spread all over Asia.
 * __ Taoism __**

Buddhism was first introduced into China at the beginning of the Eastern Han. This was probably because of the opening of the Western Regions, which made traveling between China and India a lot easier than before. In AD 67, two Indian monks came to Luoyang. Emperor Ming Di ordered the building of the White Horse Temple, and asked the monks to translate all the Buddhist scriptures into Chinese right away. They were followed by many more monks from India and West Asia. At first, Buddhism could only be practiced by members of the ruling class. It was during the period of Northern and Southern dynasties that it was spread among the lower class people. At first, Buddhism did not find many followers. It was in the 2nd century AD that people started to follow Buddhism, most likely because of its similarities with Taoism(discoverychannel). Buddhism is still spreading and growing in China today. The most popular form of Buddhism in China and Taiwan is a mix of the Pure Land and Chan schools. Recent surveys of the total number of Chinese Buddhist are between 660 million and over 1 billion. China has the most Buddhist followers in the world, followed by Japan. It is hard to acquire the total number of practicing Buddhist because some followers practice the religion in their home rather than a temple. They do this with a shrine and statue of the Buddha, which makes it easier on some families since some temples are extremely crowded. Buddhism is tacitly supported by the government. The Guanyin Statue of Hainan is 108 meters tall and took a total of six years to build. It is a statue of a Buddhist god and is the largest statue of that particular god in the world. Also in April 2006, China organized the World Buddhist Forum and in March 2007 the government banned mining in sacred Buddhist Mountains(Wikipedia).

Buddhism has greatly impacted ancient and modern day China. With the discovery of Buddhism, to the first time it reached China, and it currently in China today, it has impacted so many people and created so many new things. Without Buddhism, who knows where China would be today.

**__ Bibliography __** Bobba. "Is Taoism a religion?" __Taoism Frequently Asked Questions__. 10 Mar. 2009 .

Book of philosophy. (online image) , 13 Mar. 2009

//Buddha Statue.(Online Image)Available http://[|www.lioncity.net/.../ index.php?showtopic=83843], March 12, 2009

Buddha Temple.(Online Image)Available http://[|www.dallasnews.com/ sharedcontent/dws/fea/trav], March 12, 2009//

"Buddhism." __Http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ancient_china/religion/buddhism/index.shtml//__. Discovery Channel. 16 Mar. 2009.

Buddhist Monks.(Online Image)Availible http: farm2.static.flickr.com/ 1400/1419772642_2463f..., March 15,2009 "Chinese Buddhism." __Http:www.hinduwebsite.com/buddhism/chinese_buddhism.asp__. 16 Mar. 2009.

Hundoble, Julia. "Taoism, Basic Fundamentals." __California State University, Chico -- Chico State__. 10 Mar. 2009 . Lao Tzu. (online image) , 13 Mar. 2009

"TAOISM." __ReligiousTolerance.org by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance__. 10 Mar. 2009 [].

Wikipedia. "Buddhism in China." __Www.Wikipedia.com__. 16 Mar. 2009 Yin yang. (online image) ,13 Mar. 2009