Buddhist Religion
The stupa on the right marks the spot where Siddhartha Gautama gave his first sermon and was built about 500 A.D. The Buddha was born to a privileged existence, his father was a King in what is now Nepal in the 6th century B.C. Siddhartha rejected the caste system and polytheistic Hindu religion and taught that one should overcome ego and become enlightened.
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Basic background:
Thai Buddhist monks |
Sand Mandala created by Tibetan Buddhist monks |
Buddhism was practiced in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, from ca. 400 A.D. Probably built in 7th century A.D., originally covered with plaster and gold decoration. Now destroyed by the Taliban |
Buddha's eyes on stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tibetan Buddhist Monastery |
Buddhist Mantra (chant): "The jewel is in the lotus" Om mani padme hum
Om Ma Ni Pe Me Hung (Tibetan version) Listen to
Jainism
Founded in 550 B.C. by Mahavira, but said to have existed much more anciently, the Jain Dharma has two groups, those who are white-clad and those who are sky-clad (nude).
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This hand represents the Jain vow of Ahimsa-- non-injury and nonviolence. Jains are also strict vegetarians, even rejecting some types of root vegetables. Jains reject the caste system and other elements of Hinduism. |
Members of the Jain religion (White-clad) |
Uttar-Pradesh Jain Temple
Jain at Rajasthan Temple (Sky-clad)
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Chinese Religions
Lao Tsu - creator of Taoism
While Communism in mainland China has repressed religion, there is still a broad representation of religious beliefs found among the various ethnic groups of China. The main religions are Theravada Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity, and Shamanism of various groups such as the Dongba of the Nakhi, and the Tuva.
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K'ung-fu-tzu (Master K'ung)
known as Confucius
Confucianism is not a religion, but a code of ethics
Buddha in Suzhuo, China |
Confucianism
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Confucianism is a philosophy of the Hakka Chinese. Confucius, dated from about 500 B.C., did not believe in gods or the afterlife, but set up values and social laws of compassion and official decorum in the Lunyu or Analects.
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Taoism or Tao-chiao
The Tao, or the way, is the philosophy of Lao-Tzu, ca. 600 B.C. While Confucius gave a system of moral values, Lao-Tzu left the Tao-te-Ching which is more of a philosophical or spiritual guide through life, flowing with the natural world.
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Chinese character for Tao, the way |
Symbol of the dualistic Tao with yin and yang |
Wiseman--sage |
Qinqcheng temple of Lao-Tse |
Buddhism
Quan Yin, or Kuan Yin, here depicted as a mother with child, is a compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva and goddess
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Buddhism reached China about the 1st century and was alternately embraced by the dynasties and persecuted by them. It is still widely practiced today.
Buddhist Temple in Anhui Province |
Restored red pottery Miao Yin Bird, a legendary figure in Buddhism, excavated from the mausoleums in NW China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region |
Tiger Balm Gardens in Hong Kong, or the Aw Boon Haw Gardens built in 1935 by a millionaire, displays a mythological and Buddhist vision of gods, demons, pagodas and the earth.
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Falun Gong
Falun Dafa symbol
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Falun Dafa is a movement that arose in China in the early 1990s. Started by Li Hongzhi, this movement concentrates on becoming enlightened and raising oneself to a higher level of existence through the body, mind and spirit. The swastika in the Falun symbol is from ancient Chinese manuscripts and not related to Germany's Nazi regime. This is a controversial religion in the eyes of the Chinese government.
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Bon Religion of the Zhang Zhung culture in Tibet
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Bon is the animistic, shamanistic religion that preceded Buddhism in Tibet.
Group of elder women in Tibet performing the Shun, a song and dance ritual pre-dating Buddhist times |
Tuva Shamans in Siberia/Mongolia
On the Siberian border of Northwestern Mongolia is the land of the Tuva. The Tuva shaman are famous for their throat-singing.
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Viet Nam
CaoDai
Cao Dai Temple, West Vietnam
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Cao Dai Service
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Reading
Read chapters 20-21 prior to the next class
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