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Religions of Ancient China by Herbert Allen Giles Pdf
"Religions of Ancient China" by Herbert Allen Giles is an educational text that helped to bring the rich history of ancient China to the western world. A seminal text, the book is still worth reading today, despite the greater number of books on the topic that are now available.
Religions of Ancient China by Herbert A.C,Herbert A. C. Pdf
Several events of a supernatural character are recorded as having taken place under the Chou dynasty. In B.C. 756, one of the feudal Dukes saw a vision of a yellow serpent which descended from heaven, and laid its head on the slope of a mountain. The Duke spoke of this to his astrologer, who said, "It is a manifestation of God; sacrifice to it."-from "The Ancient Faith"This concise 1906 work is the perfect introduction to the faiths of the Chinese civilization, from the earliest stories about the creation of the universe and the religious ventures of philosophers and emperors 5,000 years ago, to the "benevolent agnosticism" of Confucianism and the "doctrine of Inaction" of Taoism, to the sophisticated metaphysics of Buddhism. Unearthing surprising tidbits-human sacrifice, for instance, was not unknown in ancient China-this is a respectful, humanistic overview of the beliefs of a venerable peoples.British linguist and diplomat HERBERT ALLEN GILES (1845-1935) helped devise a new system to transliterate Mandarin into English. He served as an emissary to China from 1867 to 1892, and was later the second professor of Chinese at Cambridge. He also wrote The Civilization of China, Historic China and Other Sketches, and China and the Manchus.
Early Chinese Religion: Part One: Shang Through Han (1250 BC-220 AD) (2 Vols) by John Lagerwey,Marc Kalinowski Pdf
Together, and for the first time in any language, the 24 essays gathered in these volumes provide a composite picture of the history of religion in ancient China from the emergence of writing ca. 1250 BC to the collapse of the first major imperial dynasty in 220 AD. It is a multi-faceted tale of changing gods and rituals that includes the emergence of a form of “secular humanism” that doubts the existence of the gods and the efficacy of ritual and of an imperial orthodoxy that founds its legitimacy on a distinction between licit and illicit sacrifices. Written by specialists in a variety of disciplines, the essays cover such subjects as divination and cosmology, exorcism and medicine, ethics and self-cultivation, mythology, taboos, sacrifice, shamanism, burial practices, iconography, and political philosophy. Produced under the aegis of the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations chinoise, japonaise et tibétaine (UMR 8155) and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris).
Throughout history, China has been the home and destination of many religious and philosophical traditions. Confucianism and Taoism, in addition to Buddhism, are the so-called "three doctrines" or teachings, which have played an important role in shaping Chinese culture.The elements of these three belief systems are incorporated into the traditional Chinese religion, that is, worship devoted to local gods and ancestors; this has always been - and continues to be - the religion of the majority of the population, family-oriented and not requiring exclusive adherence, which allows the practice or expression of personal beliefs of different faiths at the same time.Some scholars prefer not to use the term "religion" in reference to Chinese belief systems, suggesting instead that it be "cultural practices", "systems of thought" and philosophies as their most appropriate definition. While Confucianism in its religious aspect corresponds to the traditional religion of worship of local gods and ancestors, Taoism has developed as an ecclesiastical movement distinct from the common religion since the 1st or 2nd century. Buddhism was introduced in the 1st century and grew to have a strong impact in China, which it still preserves today.Today's Chinese state officially recognizes five religions, managed through centralized institutions: Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam. Traditional religion in all its forms, even if not centralized at the bureaucratic level, enjoys freedom. According to statistics 70% of Chinese people practiced traditional religion, including 13% who practiced traditional cults in a Taoist doctrinal or ritual framework or popular religions influenced by Taoism, while those who identified themselves only as initiated "Taoists" were 0,8% (the term "Taoist" in China is traditionally reserved only for Taoist priests or those who undertake direct discipleship under their leadership, and is not traditionally extended to the multitude of lay followers). The adherents to Buddhism were 14%, and of these the formally initiated Buddhists formed 1.3%. Christians were 2.4%, of whom 2.2% were Protestants and 0.2% were Catholics. Muslims were 1.7%. The remaining 13% of the population was not religious (they were atheist, agnostic or had not declared any preference). Confucianism as a religious designation is popular among intellectuals, although there are various popular movements of Confucian origin.
The ancient Chinese are said to have three doctrines: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, with Christianity and Islam arriving only in the 7th century A.D. Laozi, according to tradition, was the 6th century B.C. Chinese philosopher who wrote the Tao Te Ching of Taoism. Confucius (551-479) taught morality. His philosophy became important during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.220). Herbert A Giles (1845-1935), a British Sinologist who modified the Roman version of Chinese characters, says although it is often counted as a religion of China, Confucianism is not a religion, but a system of social and political morality. The Indian emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries to China in the third century B.C.
In Search of Personal Welfare by Mu-chou Poo,Poo Mu-Chou,Muzhou Pu Pdf
The first major reassessment of ancient Chinese religion to appear in recent years, this book presents the religious mentality of the period through personal and daily experiences.
Religions of Tibet in Practice by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Pdf
Originally published in 1997, Religions of Tibet in Practice is a landmark work--the first major anthology on the topic ever produced. This new edition--abridged to further facilitate course use--presents a stunning array of works that together offer an unparalleled view of the Tibetan religious landscape over the centuries. Organized thematically, the twenty-eight chapters are testimony to the vast scope of religious practice in the Tibetan world, past and present. Religions of Tibet in Practice remains a work of great value to scholars, students, and general readers.
Ancient Chinese Religion and Beliefs by Brian Hanson-Harding Pdf
From ancient Chinese concepts of the cosmos to their perceptions of the afterlife, the ancient Chinese had a rich and varied system of religion and beliefs. In this useful resource, readers will get an overview of the progression and development of ancient Chinese religions. The text illuminates the relationships between their gods and their priests and shamans. Among many other details, readers will learn about the relationships and rituals of Confucianism, the values of Daoism, and Buddhism’s cycle of existence.
Early Chinese Religion, Part One: Shang through Han (1250 BC-220 AD) (2 vols.) by John Lagerwey,Marc Kalinowski Pdf
Together, and for the first time in any language, the 24 essays gathered in these volumes provide a composite picture of the history of religion in ancient China from the emergence of writing ca. 1250 BC to the collapse of the first major imperial dynasty in 220 AD. It is a multi-faceted tale of changing gods and rituals that includes the emergence of a form of “secular humanism” that doubts the existence of the gods and the efficacy of ritual and of an imperial orthodoxy that founds its legitimacy on a distinction between licit and illicit sacrifices. Written by specialists in a variety of disciplines, the essays cover such subjects as divination and cosmology, exorcism and medicine, ethics and self-cultivation, mythology, taboos, sacrifice, shamanism, burial practices, iconography, and political philosophy. Produced under the aegis of the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations chinoise, japonaise et tibétaine (UMR 8155) and the École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris).
Religions of Ancient China by Herbert Allen Giles Pdf
Excerpt from Religions of Ancient China The problem of the universe has never offered the slightest difficulty to Chinese philosophers. Before the beginning of all things, there was Nothing. In the lapse of ages Nothing coalesced into Unity, the Great Monad. After more ages, the Great Monad separated into Duality, the Male and Female Principles in nature; and then, by a process of biogenesis, the visible universe was produced. An addition, however, to this simple system had to be made, in deference to, and on a plane with, the intelligence of the masses. According to this, the Male and Female Principles were each subdivided into Greater and Lesser, and then from the interaction of these four agencies a being, named P'an Ku, came into existence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Demystifying the gods, goddesses, and mythology of Ancient Chinese society. by Henry Romano Pdf
We have in China the universal worship of ancestors, which constitutes (or did until A.D. 1912) the State religion, usually known as Confucianism, and in addition we have the gods of the specific religions (which also originally took their rise in ancestor-worship), namely, Buddhism and Taoism. (Other religions, though tolerated, are not recognized as Chinese religions.) It is with a brief account of this great hierarchy and its mythology that we will now concern ourselves. Besides the ordinary ancestor-worship (as distinct from the State worship) the people took to Buddhism and Taoism, which became the popular religions, and the literati also honoured the gods of these two sects. Buddhist deities gradually became installed in Taoist temples, and the Taoist immortals were given seats beside the Buddhas in their sanctuaries. Every one patronized the god who seemed to him the most popular and the most lucrative. There even came to be united in the same temple and worshipped at the same altar the three religious founders or figure-heads, Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Tzŭ. The three religions were even regarded as forming one whole, or at least, though different, as having one and the same object: san êrh i yeh, or han san wei i, “the three are one,” or “the three unite to form one” (a quotation from the phrase T’ai chi han san wei i of Fang Yü-lu: “When they reach the extreme the three are seen to be one”). In the popular pictorial representations of the pantheon this impartiality is clearly shown.
