Philosophy, culture and religion of Ancient China

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

China is a country with an amazing culture that dates back several millennia. But not only culture is amazing here, but also religion and philosophy. Even today, the religion of Ancient China continues to thrive and resonate with contemporary art and culture.

About culture in brief

The culture of the Celestial Empire reached its peak during the formation of the empire, during the reign of the Qin and Han dynasties. Even then, Ancient China began to enrich the world with new inventions. Thanks to him, the world heritage was enriched with such important inventions as the compass, seismograph, speedometer, porcelain, gunpowder, and toilet paper, which first appeared in China.

It was here that nautical devices, cannons and stirrups, mechanical clocks, drive belts and chain drives were invented. Chinese scientists were the first to use decimal fractions, learned how to calculate the circumference, and discovered a method for solving equations with several unknowns.

The ancient Chinese were literate astronomers. They first learnedcalculate the dates of the eclipse, compiled the world's first catalog of stars. In ancient China, the first manual on pharmacology was written, doctors performed operations using drugs as anesthesia.

Spiritual culture

As for the spiritual development and religion of ancient China, they were due to the so-called "Chinese ceremonies" - stereotyped norms of behavior that were clearly fixed in ethics. These rules were formulated in ancient times, long before the construction of the Great Wall of China began.

Spirituality among the ancient Chinese was a rather specific phenomenon: the exaggerated importance of ethical and ritual values led to the fact that religion as such in China was replaced by philosophy. That is why many are confused by the question: "What religion was in Ancient China?" Indeed, try, immediately remember all these directions … Yes, and they can hardly be called beliefs. The standard cult of the gods here is replaced by the cult of ancestors, and those gods that have survived have turned into abstract deity-symbols, without likening to a person. For example, Heaven, Tao, Heaven, etc.

Philosophy

To tell briefly about the religion of Ancient China will not work, there are too many nuances in this matter. Take, for example, mythology. The Chinese replaced myths popular with other peoples with legends about wise rulers (based, by the way, on real facts). Also in China there were no priests, personified gods and temples in their honor. The functions of the priests were performed by officials, the highest deities were the deceased ancestors andspirits that personified the forces of nature.

Communication with spirits and ancestors was accompanied by special rituals, which were always arranged with special care, as they were a matter of national importance. Any religious idea had a high level of philosophical abstraction. In the religion of Ancient China, there was an idea of the Higher Beginning, which was given the name Tien (Sky), in rare cases Shang-Di (Lord). True, these principles were perceived as a kind of supreme and strict generality. This universality could not be loved, imitated, and there was little point in admiring it. It was believed that Heaven punishes the wicked and rewards the obedient. This is the personification of the Higher Mind, therefore the emperors of Ancient China bore the proud title of "son of Heaven" and were under his direct patronage. True, they could rule the Celestial Empire as long as they retained virtue. Having lost her, the emperor had no right to remain in power.

Another principle of the religion of Ancient China is the division of the whole world into yin and yang. Each such concept had many meanings, but first of all, yang personified the masculine principle, and yin personified the feminine.

Yang was associated with something bright, light, solid and strong, that is, with some positive qualities. Yin was personified with the Moon, or rather with its dark side and other gloomy beginnings. Both of these forces are closely related to each other, as a result of the interaction, the entire visible Universe was created.

Lao Tzu

In the philosophy and religion of ancient China, the firstthere was such a direction as Taoism. This concept included the concepts of Justice, Universal Law and Supreme Truth. The philosopher Laozi is considered its founder, but since there is no reliable biographical information about him, he is considered a legendary figure.

As one ancient Chinese historian Sim Qian wrote, Laozi was born in the kingdom of Chu, for a long time he did the work of protecting the archive at the royal court, but, seeing how public morals were falling, he resigned and left for the West. How his fate turned out is unknown.

The only thing left of him is the composition "Tao Te Ching", which he left to the guard of the border outpost. It marked the beginning of a rethinking of the religion of ancient China. In short, this small philosophical treatise collected the basic principles of Taoism, which have not changed even today.

Great Tao

At the center of Laozi's teachings is such a thing as Tao, however, it is impossible to give an unambiguous definition to it. In a literal translation, the word "Tao" means "Way", but only in Chinese did it get such a meaning as "logos". This concept meant rules, orders, meanings, laws and spiritual entities.

The Tao is the source of everything. An incorporeal, hazy and indefinite something that is a spiritual principle that cannot be comprehended physically.

All visible and tangible being is far below the spiritual and ephemeral Tao. Lao Tzu even dared to call Tao non-existence because it does not exist.like mountains or rivers. His reality is not at all the same as the earthly, sensual. And therefore, the comprehension of Tao should become the meaning of life, this is one of the features of the religion of Ancient China.

Lord of the Deities

In the second century AD, the followers of Laozi began to deify him and perceived him as the personification of the true Tao. Over time, the ordinary man Laozi turned into the highest Taoist deity. He was known as Supreme Lord Lao, or Yellow Lord Lao.

At the end of the second century, the "Book of the Transformations of Lao Tzu" appeared in China. Here he is spoken of as a being that appeared before the creation of the universe. In this treatise, Laozi was called the Root of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of the Deities, the Forefather of Yin-Yang, etc.

In the culture and religion of Ancient China, Lao Tzu was considered the source and lifeblood of all things. He reincarnated internally 9 times and externally changed the same number of times. A couple of times he appeared in the guise of advisers to the rulers of Antiquity.

Confucius

The main religions of ancient China developed largely thanks to Confucius. It was he who opened the era in which the foundations of modern Chinese culture were laid. It is difficult to call him the founder of religion, although his name is mentioned in the same row with the names of Zoroaster and Buddha, but questions of faith occupied little space in his ideology.

Also, there was nothing of an inhuman being in his appearance, and in the stories he was mentioned as an ordinary person without any mythical additions.

OhHe is written as a simple and outrageously prosaic person. And yet he managed to enter the annals of history, leaving his imprint not only on culture, but also on the spirit of the whole country. His authority remained unshakable, and there were reasons for that. Confucius lived in an era when China occupied an insignificant part of the modern territory of the Celestial Empire, this was during the reign of Zhou (about 250 BC). At that time, the emperor, who bore the title of the son of Heaven, was an authoritative person, but did not have power as such. He performed exclusively ritual functions.

Teacher

Confucius became famous for his scholarship, because of which he was close to the emperor. The philosopher constantly improved his knowledge, did not miss a single reception at the palace, systematized Zhou ritual dances, folk songs, compiled and edited historical manuscripts.

After Confucius was 40 years old, he decided that he had the moral right to teach others, and began to recruit students for himself. He didn't discriminate by background, although that didn't mean anyone could become his disciple.

Great Instructions

Confucius gave instructions only to those who, having discovered their ignorance, sought knowledge. Such classes did not bring much income, but the fame of the teacher grew, many of his students began to occupy enviable government posts. So the number of people who wanted to learn from Confucius grew every year.

The great philosopher was not concerned about the issues of immortality, the meaning of life and God. Confuciusalways paid great attention to everyday rituals. It is from his submission that today in China there are 300 rituals and 3000 rules of decency. For Confucius, the main thing was to find a way to the peaceful prosperity of society; he did not deny the higher beginning, but considered it distant and abstract. The teachings of Confucius became the foundation for the development of Chinese culture, as they de alt with man and human relationships. Today, Confucius is considered the nation's greatest sage.

Zhang Daolin and Taoism

As already mentioned, the philosophy of Lao Tzu influenced all spheres of culture and formed the basis of a new religion - Taoism. True, this happened several centuries after the death of the founder of the Tao.

The direction of Taoism began to develop the preacher Zhang Daolin. This religion is complex and multifaceted. It is based on the belief that the world is completely inhabited by countless good and evil spirits. You can gain power over them if you know the name of the spirit and perform the necessary ritual.

Immortality

The doctrine of immortality is considered the central doctrine of Taoism. In short, in the mythology and religion of ancient China there was no doctrine of immortality. Only in Taoism did the first mention of this issue appear. It was believed that a person has two souls: material and spiritual. The followers of the current believed that after death the spiritual component of a person turns into a spirit and continues to exist after the body dies, and then dissolves into the sky.

As for the physical component, thenshe became a "demon", and after a while she went into the world of shadows. There, her ephemeral existence could be sustained by the sacrifices of her descendants. Otherwise, it will dissolve into the earth's pneuma.

The body was considered the only thread that bound these souls together. Death caused them to separate and die, one sooner, one later.

The Chinese were not talking about some gloomy afterlife, but about the endless extension of physical existence. The Taoists believed that the physical body is a microcosm that needs to be turned into a macrocosm like the universe.

Deities in Ancient China

Somewhat later, Buddhism began to penetrate into the religion of ancient China, the Taoists turned out to be the most receptive to the new teaching, borrowing many Buddhist motifs.

After some time, the Taoist pantheon of spirits and deities appeared. Of course, the founder of the Tao, Lao Tzu, stood in a place of honor. The cult of saints became widespread. Famous historical figures and virtuous officials were ranked among him. The deities were considered: the legendary emperor Huangdi, the goddess of the West Xiwangmu, the first man Pangu, the deities of the Great Beginning and the Great Limit.

Temples were built in honor of these deities, where the corresponding idols were exhibited, and the people of China brought offerings to them.

Eight immortal gods ba-xian were considered a special category of deities. According to Taoist teachings, this eight saints travel the earth and interfere in human affairs.

Art andculture

Evidence of the relationship between traditional religions and art in ancient China can be found in literature, architecture and fine arts. For the most part, they developed under the influence of religious and ethical-philosophical knowledge. This applies to the teachings of Confucius and Buddhism, which penetrated the territory of the country.

Buddhism has existed in China for about two millennia, of course, it has changed markedly while adapting to the specific Chinese civilization. On the basis of Buddhism and Confucian pragmatism, the religious thought of Chan Buddhism arose, later it came to its modern, completed form - Zen Buddhism. The Chinese never adopted the Indian Buddha image, creating their own. Pagodas are similarly different.

If we talk briefly about the culture and religion of Ancient China, we can draw the following conclusions: religion in the old era was distinguished by particular rationalism and pragmatism. This trend is still present today. Instead of fictitious deities, the Chinese religion contains real historical figures, philosophical treatises serve as dogmas here, and 3000 rules of decency are used instead of shamanic rituals.