Buddhism and China’s Spiritual Beliefs

(Translated by Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD)

The indigenous spiritual beliefs of China are Confucianism and Daoism. These paths are centred on the idea of the achievement of Sagehood with these enlightened beings often referred to as philosophers of religion. As China’s culture has placed a great emphasis upon the recording of history, and the replication of tradition, these spiritual beliefs have been transmitted intact over thousands of years. As a result, Chinese culture highly respects the elderly, and values their experience. China has never had the Western notion of secularism – where spirituality is separate from everyday life – nor the convention that the nobility are separate from the clergy, etc. Although distinct spiritual paths with unique teachings and understandings, Confucianism and Daoism have in many ways integrated with one another. When Indian Mahayana Buddhism arrived in China, it was integrated into both Confucianism and Daoism, and this process of assimilation gave this foreign teaching a distinct Chinese cultural flavour. This synthesis created the tradition of Chinese Buddhism.

 

Extracted from the Original Chinese Language Article

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中国族系，即儒教和道教。其信仰核心是圣贤，亦被称作是哲人宗教。中国将终极理想诉诸历史，结果是强调历史传统和巩固陈规旧习。中国极为敬重老年人和他们的经验。加强这种敬重的反面是缺乏西方式的政教分离和贵族与教士分离。儒学和道教这两大哲人宗教互相融合交织，它们还吸收了大乘佛教的影响，并给这些影响染上了浓厚的中国色彩。