Rels 204 Chinese Religions Key Terms Flashcards
Analects
compilation of the sayings attributed to Confucius
Chan
school of meditation in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (Zen in Japan), influential in the arts
Confucianism
Western term for the broad and pervasive religious tradition involving the learned scholars (literati), study of Confucius’ Analects and the Five Classics, and traditional rituals involving especially the family and the ancestors
Confucius, Konzi
teacher (ca. 551-479 B.C.E.) whose philosophy of life became dominant in Chinese culture
Cultural Revolution
the period from 1966 to 1976 in China during which Red Guards attempted to destroy all forms of “old” religion and culture
Dao (Tao)
“way.” Chinese term for a spiritual path; for Daoists, the indefinable source of all reality, the way of nature
Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching)
“Classic of Dao and Its Power”; earliest and very influential text of Daoism
Daoism
broad term for Chinese tradition based on the Daode Jing and Zhuangzi; and also the variety of Daoist practices involving rituals, priests, scriptures, and techniques for prolonging life
Daoist canon (Daozang)
library of sacred texts and commentaries produced in Daoist religious movements, numbering over one thousand volumes
daoshi (tao shih)
Daoist priest
feng shui
geomancy, the Chinese art of reading forces of yin and yang so as to determine the most beneficial location for graves and houses
filial piety, xiao (hsiao)
primary Confucian virtue of respect toward parents and ancestors
Five Classics
the heart of the Confucian scriptures, including the Shujing (Classic of History), the Shijing (Classic of Poetry), the Yijing (I Ching, Classic of Changes), the Lijing (Classic of Rites), and the Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals)
Five elements or five agents
Chinese idea of five modes of energy in the universe that mutually influence each other: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water
five relationships
Confucian teaching of proper reciprocal roles and moral norms in the basic human relationships: father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, ruler and subject, and friend and friend.
Guanyin (Kuan Yin)
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, widely worshiped in China as a god/goddess of great mercy (Kannon in Japan)
Gui (kuei)
earthly yin spirits; malevolent spirits in Chinese popular thought
Han Dynasty
period in China (from ca. 202 B.C.E. to 220 C.E.) during which Confucianism became the state ideology and cult, Buddhism made its entry, and religious Daoism developed
Heavenly Masters
early sect of Daoism whose lineage continues today as the Orthodox Unity sect
Huayan (Hua Yen)
A Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism based on the Garland Sutra
Jade Emperor
supreme god in Chinese popular religion
Jiao (Chiao)
important festival in religious Daoism, the Rite of Cosmic Renewal
Laozi (Lao Tzu)
legendary author of the Daode jing and founder of Daoism (according to tradition, born in 604 B.C.E.)
Legalists
school of thought in China that emphasized the need for strict law and order
li
rites, propriety; the confucian code of ceremonial behaviour; also principle (different than “rites”) Neo-Confucian teaching that identifies principle as the underlying source of all phenomena, operating together with qi (material force)
literati (ru, ju)
learned Confucian scholars
Mandate of Heaven
in Chinese religion, the expression of Tian’s moral will, especially in granting prosperity to virtuous rulers and cutting short evil ones
Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung)
leader (1893-1976) of the Chinese Communist movement and of the People’s Republic of China
Matteo Ricci
first Jesuit missionary to China (1552-1610)
Mazu (Ma Tsu)
widely worshiped goddess of Chinese seafarers; known as the Queen of Heaven
Mengzi (Meng Tzu, Mencius)
leading thinker (ca. 372-289 B.C.E.) whose writings shaped the Confucian tradition
Neo-Confucianism
revival of Confucian thought in the 11th century C.E., with emphasis on the underlying principle of all things
no-action (wuwei)
basic Daoist principle of not doing anything contrary to the flow of nature
noble person (junzi)
ideal Confucian goal; a noble person defined by moral character
Pangu (P’an Ku)
in Chinese tradition, mythic primordial person out of whom the whole universe developed
principle (li, different word from li meaning ‘rites’)
Neo-Confucian teaching that identifies principle as the underlying source of all phenomena, operating together with qi (material force)
Pure Land
school of Buddhism focusing on worship of Amitabha Buddha (Chinese: Amituo fo), with hope of rebirth in the Pure Land Buddha realm
Qi (ch’i)
material force, breath, flowing vital energy, in Chinese tradition
qigong
broad term for variety of Chinese physical exercises to cultivate qi in body and spirit
Qing Ming (Ch’ing Ming)
“clear and bright” festival; spring festival of visiting and renovating ancestral tombs in China
rectification of names
Confucian program for the development of a moral society by properly structuring social relationships
religious Daoism
variety of Daoist practices involving rituals, priests, scriptures, and techniques for prolonging life
ren (jen)
humaneness, an important ideal in Confucianism
Shang Di (Shang Ti)
supreme god worshiped by the Shang rulers in ancient China
shen
in Chinese tradition, heavenly yang spirits; benevolent and honored spirits, including ancestors
Son of Heaven
title of Chinese emperor
spirit writing
in Chinese religion, writing on a tray of sand or on paper by a spirit who moves the pen
taiji (t’ai-chi)
Great Ultimate that underlies and generates all things; a popular Chinese exercise is called taiji quan (fist of the Great Ultimate)
Taiping Rebellion (T’ai P’ing)
abortive popular movement in the mid-nineteenth century in China, based on religious ideas, attempting to change the hierarchical structure of society
Three Ages of the Dharma
Buddhist teaching of increasing decline and degeneracy in humans’ ability to follow the Buddhist path: the age of the Perfect Dharma, the age of the Counterfeit Dharma, and the age of the End of the Dharma
Three Pure Ones
designation for highest gods summoned by Daoist priests
Tian (T’ien)
“heaven,” from ancient times in China considered an ultimate power that rules especially through the moral order
Tiantai (Ti’ien T’ai)
a school of Mahayana Buddhism in China, based on the Lotus Sutra
Total Perfection
Daoist sect from the Song era that practices monastic life, still existent today
Tudigong (T’u Ti Kung)
local earth god in Chinese religion
Ullambana
Buddhist festival in China and Japan worshiping the souls of ancestors and providing for souls temporarily released from purgatory; called Obon in Japan
Wuwei
See no-action - basic Daoist principle of not doing anything contrary to the flow of nature
Xunzi (Hsun Tzu)
important Confucian thinker (ca. 300-238 B.C.E.) who advocated a realistic understanding of the human inclination toward evil
Yijing (I Ching)
The Classic of Changes, an ancient Chinese divination manual based on sixty-four hexagrams (Each of six unbroken and broken lines)
yin and yang
Chinese idea of polarity of forces in the universe; yin is passive, earthly force, and yang is active, heavenly force
Zaojun (Tsao Chun)
God of the Cooking Stove in Chinese religion
Zhou Dynasty (Chou)
long dynasty (ca. 1123-221 B.C.E.) during which the classics were compiled and the Confucianist and Daoist traditions developed
Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi)
leading thinker of the Neo-Confucian movement (1130-1200 C.E.)
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)
important early teacher (ca. 369-286 B.C.E.) whose book bearing his name has been very influential for the Daoist movement
