As the Han Empire fell into disarray, so did the Confucian ideological framework. The significance and importance of the supernatural and nether world heightened as scholars and intellectuals began to raise their interest towards the new explanations. This newly formed interest resulted in the creation of indigenous Chinese tales, often with unusual and extraordinary storylines. At the same time, this “new philosophical inquiry” sparked off Buddhism’s influence. As Buddhism spread throughout the country, many foreign Buddhist literatures were translated where most of these tales and stories were of didactic nature. Therefore, rather than just focusing on the plot of the story, these stories sought to teach and educate people of the Buddhist ideologies and concepts. Consequently, Scholars combined these two major principles, indigenous Chinese tales and Buddhism, to create the Chinese Buddhist miracle tales.
One of the earliest collections of strange tales, Lieh-i chuany, reveals motifs of indigenous Chinese tales. Although the story contains elements of supernatural themes and plots, “it presents its narration in a straightforward prose style with little embellishment for artistic pur-poses” (Gjertson 289). This once again points to its authenticity as an indigenous Chinese source. Ts’ai Chih ch’I is one example of the stories where a man accidentally journeys into the netherworld. In it, Ts’ai Chih, finds himself making a delivery for the God of Mt. Tai who then revives his dead wife:
“The emperor asked, "How many years has it been since your wife died?" "Three years," replied Chih. "Would you like to see your wife?" asked the emperor. "I would be indebted to the Heavenly Emperor's favor!" answered Chih. The emperor then or...
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...strating the inevitability of karmic retribution, but it also emphasizes the high regard one should have for living beings, a basic tenet of Buddhist faith.” (Gjertson 301)
The Chinese Buddhist miracle stories drew from both the indigenous stories of China and those from Buddhist beliefs. In the beginning, illustrations of the netherworld often placed Mt. Tai as the centerpiece however as time wore on, this changed. Stories were written of the netherworld with little mention of Mt. Tai, but rather an empire whose head judge was Yama. The bureaucratic structure naturally originated from Chinese beliefs (Waley) but whose ruler, Yama, originated from Buddhism. In addition to this, Chinese tales became more than a story, and took on a didactic nature focusing on Buddhist ideology. This was the influence that Buddhism brought to these strange ancient tales of China.
The Death of Woman Wang, by Jonathan Spence is an educational historical novel of northeastern China during the seventeenth century. The author's focus was to enlighten a reader on the Chinese people, culture, and traditions. Spence's use of the provoking stories of the Chinese county T'an-ch'eng, in the province of Shantung, brings the reader directly into the course of Chinese history. The use of the sources available to Spence, such as the Local History of T'an-ch'eng, the scholar-official Huang Liu-hung's handbook and stories of the writer P'u Sung-Ling convey the reader directly into the lives of poor farmers, their workers and wives. The intriguing structure of The Death of Woman Wang consists on observing these people working on the land, their family structure, and their local conflicts.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
...assical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West) is a story of redemption. Although this goes beyond the scope of “The Monkey’s Story”, which ends with Monkey imprisoned under the mountain and condemned as Heaven’s worst criminal, through a “journey to the west” with a Buddhist monk in an effort to retrieve religious scrolls for the Buddha, Monkey is able to shed his violent and troubled past, transcend his identity as a trickster, and ultimately redeem himself. In this way, Monkey can be viewed as a Bildungsroman for Monkey, similar to the way in which The Odyssey can be thought as one for Odysseus. Monkey undergoes a journey towards wholeness, transitioning from a fragmented self dominated by the trickster to a relatively whole self with the overarching archetype of hero. Archetypes do not stay the same forever; they are fluid, dynamic, and ever-changing.
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurred in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment.
The second part of the journey visits, ancient China in 1500 BCE, a thousand years prior to the formation of the Daoism school of thought. (Brodd, Little and Ny...
The wars, the victories, the defeats and deaths arose from the warrior’s duty to the Buddhist Law. These warriors lived their duty and this is reflected through the tales that illustrate actions that include loyalty and respect towards other warriors.
Over the course of history, individuals have questioned the universe in which we live in and searched for a purpose of our existence. The belief in a higher presence, other than our own, has existed since man can remember. From this belief, religion was established and can survive and flourish. Buddhism and Taoism are two great religious and philosophical traditions in Chinese history. For hundreds of years, these two have shaped Chinese lifestyle and thought. Readings from the Tao Te Ching, Buddhists scriptures, and Herman Hesse’s Siddharta explain the various aspects of Buddhism and Taoism, but in the end there is only one common belief, and that is the existence of a Supreme Being.
It is believed that Buddhism spread to China through the Silk Road. When the Silk Road opened in the 2nd century BC, missionaries and pilgrims spread Buddhism to China. Chang Ch’ien was recorded to first bring Buddhism to China when he heard about India and Buddhist beliefs on his way back to China. In about the 1st century BC, a Buddhist community is said to have been living in China. But the most well-known story of the spreading of Buddhism is when Han emperor, Mingdi, had a dream about Buddha in 68 CE and sent Cai Yin, his official to learn more about it. Meanwhile, Mingdi learned from his ministers that he had seen Buddha, “the God of the West” in his dream. After 3 years Cai Yin came back to china with Buddhist teachings and two Buddhist monks who taught Buddhism throughout China. Soon a Buddhist community was formed and it continued to grow with the introduction of Buddhist books, art and temples.
Chinese Philosophy not only is the fruit of thinking of the Chinese nation, but also is the important component part of world culture. In Chinese philosophy, there are three main parts: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Among them, Chinese Buddhism, which came from India, experienced a course of sinicization under the influence of Chinese traditional culture represented mainly by Confucianism and Taoism , so it keeps the general features of Buddhism ,and also formed its Chinese characteristics. The changes of Chinese Buddhism from "going out of this world " to "being in this world " and "building pure land in this world " fully manifested the humanistic spirit of Chinese culture. Both Chinese Buddhism and Western Christianity are religion, but in the realm of thoughts and culture, they are important symbols of Oriental and Western culture. This paper compares the two schools' philosophy of life, so as to explore the modern meaning and value from the mankind's common culture legacy.
At this point in time, there were two major schools of Buddhism in China. The first form to emerge was known as Hinayana, or Theravada Buddhism. This loosely translated means, “The Lesser Vehicle.” Theravada Buddhism was mainly concerned with reaching individual enlightenment; how one could rise above the cycle of samsara and reach nirvana. Mahayana Buddhism, or, “The Great Vehicle,” became the popular form practiced in most of China, Japan and Korea. The followers of Mahayana believed that the entire world could reach salvation, and that those who f...
Thích Nh’at Hanh is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, religious figure and accomplished writer. Living Buddha, Living Christ is only one of his many famous publications. Thích Nh’at Hanh, is famous for his insights into spiritual heritage and mindfulness in the present moment. Many Americans are seeking religious understanding and personal spirituality, even if they do not practice in the traditional manner. Throughout this book Nh’at Hang encourages readers to find meaning, understanding, mindfulness, and peace in the teachings of Buddha and Christ. His main focus is to open meaningful dialogue between different traditions, cultures, and religious groups around the world, for the betterment
The Buddhist brought with them the concept of multiple gods and Buddha’s “spiritual state to provide the power for humans to make the transition into death and the afterlife successfully” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). Confucianism brought the obedience of the child to the parent into Chinese mainstream life, plus the “social stratification and codes governing dress, actions and communication” (Corduan, 2012, p.409). Taoism introduced the balance of forces in harmony in spirits in the form of yin and yang, thus creating that balance of nature and humans (Corduan, 2012). Christianity influenced Chinese life both socially and economically by introducing the concepts of “love for one’s neighbor, self-discipline, and trust” (Lu, 2014, p.2) as both essential and beneficial (Lu, 2014). All of these together with the traditional Chinese religion, give the Chinese culture it’s popular religion
Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements
An important part of Chinese mythology is the themes found in each story. Themes in Chinese mythology often coincide with religious values during the time. A common theme in Chinese mythology includes the respect for nature. This theme came to be as a result of Shinto and Daoist influence in parts of China. Shinto and Daoist people believe that spirits are embodied into everything, living or non-living. They also claim that angered spirits are the sole cause for natural disasters like storms, droughts, and floods. In a number of Chinese myths, the idea of spirits, their control over natural events, and the need to constantly appease them was evident (Collier 23). These myths ultimately led people to respect and preserve nature as much as possible. Another theme often found in Chinese mythology is the reverence for ancestors. Also a consequence of the Daoist religion, the veneration towards one’s ancestry is very significant in many Chinese myths. Daoists hold ceremonies and build shrines commemorating the dead ancestors of one’s lineage (Roberts 38). These tribute...
Chinese mythology began in the first dynasty of China. Their were many many many gods and goddess of the Chinese myths. Some important factors in Chinese mythology include Taoism(the search for immortality - literal, physical immortality) Confucianism(He taught the virtues of order, structure and correct behavior) And Buddism(the main religion of China) And some God’s and Goddesses’ are Heng-O, The Chinese moon goddess, Heng-O was the mother of the 12 moons and 10 suns. Mu GongYang counterpart of Yin goddess Si-wang-mu, creator god Mu Gong was the Lord of the East. Nugua, a Chinese creator goddess who made man from area mud. Pangu, the Chinese creator god who emerged from the cosmic egg. Shangdi was the supreme deity during the Shang dynasty and creator god before Pangu.