Asian Art

East Asian religions

In the study of comparative religion, the East Asian religions, form a subset of the Eastern religions which originated in East Asia. This group includes Chinese religion overall, which further includes ancestor veneration, Chinese folk religion, Confucianism, Taoism and popular salvationist organisations (such as Yiguandao and Weixinism), as well as elements drawn from Mahayana Buddhism that form the core of Chinese and East Asian Buddhism at large. The group also includes Shinto and Tenrikyo of Japan, and Korean Shamanism, all of which combine shamanistic elements and indigenous ancestral worship with various influences from Chinese religions. Chinese salvationist religions have influenced the rise of Japanese new religions such as Tenriism and Korean Jeungsanism; as these new religious movements draw upon indigenous traditions but are heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy and theology. All these religious traditions generally share core concepts of spirituality, divinity and world order, including Tao ('way') and De ('virtue'). The Shang dynasty of ancient China worshipped their ancestor, Shangdi ('Highest emperor'). The Shang dynasty was defeated by the Zhou dynasty, whose deity, Tian ('Heaven'), emphasized virtue. However, rather than replacing or excluding Di, Tian spared Shangdi and encouraged ancestor worship instead. This symbolizes how Confucianism, while emphasizing virtue and condemning barbarism, did not replace existing beliefs and traditions. Early Chinese philosophy proposed its own concept of Tao (the Way) to define virtue. The Hundred Schools of Thought, the ancient Chinese philosophical movement that sought to articulate the Tao, eventually consolidated into Confucianism and Taoism. Together with Buddhism arrived from India, these traditions came to be regarded as the Three Teachings or Three Ways, fostering a pluralistic religious framework across East Asia. Consequently, while terms incorporating Tao—such as Shinto, Pungryudo—appear throughout the East Asian religious landscape.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Afsharid Iran
• ▸Marcel Proust
• ▸Amitābha

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