Chinese Religion

The reading talked about the Three-in-one teaching, which I felt very interesting “He promoted Confucian teachings that centered on the pursuit of sage hood, expressing them in a distinctly religious idiom and selectively combining them with elements derived from other traditions, namely Daoist internal alchemy and Buddhist teachings about mental cultivation, especially those of the Chan school, ‘Introducing Chinese Religion (168).’” When I was reading this quote, an interesting question rising in my mind: what if the founder of these three religions (Confucius, Laozi and Budda) know the Three-in-one Teaching, will them agree with Lin Zhaoen? The common ideas of three religions are similar, basically they all pursue the relationship between human, heaven and earth. The goals of three religions are the pursuit of the way to be a kind person, to be a wise man, to be an honest person. We need to understand what is right and what is wrong. However, the conflicts among three religion are unignorable when we study for Three-in-one teaching. A primary method of worship of Buddhism is leaving family, how could this idea fuse with Confucianism values, which are value interpersonal relationship and pursue the establishment of social rules.

Other thing I felt very interesting is various local gods and ancestors in Chinese tradition. A primary method of worship was via the offering and sacrifices “while human beings venerate and pray to the gods with the hope of receiving their help and harnessing some of their numinous power, the gods also rely on the offering and sacrifices of the faithful. The gods’ very status and authority as divine being is dependent on the worship and respect they elicit from their devotees. That status must be continuously safeguarded and substantiated, primarily by the gods’ ability to efficaciously respond to the supplications of the faithful, ‘Introducing Chinese Religion (172)’” which is very similar as three religions. The conflicts now arise again: can people to several gods for help at time? If people really overcome the challenges that they pray for help, which god you should thanks for?

Pecoski mentioned that most people in China are atheist, I believe that may because the influence of three-in-one idea, seek common points while reserving difference. We can see the three religions have always been one, but they can never really be one. I believe special of unique of each religion and thought are crucial for them continuous exist and develop today.