Ancient Chinese Religion - Research Paper Example

Ancient Chinese Religion Overview The Shang Dynasty, placed roughly around 2000 B.C., is the earliest time period that we know much about in the present era. The Dynasty was originally thought to be a myth, a long-term event that many people were unsure about due to the lack of physical evidence that any such time had truly existed. It was not until, in 1899, when oracle bones were discovered, which were then traced back to Anyang by the 1920‘s, did people finally begin accepting the existence of the Shang Dynasty. This area near Anyang is the site of the Shang capitals, sometimes referred to as the Ruins of Yin. Here, eleven Yin royal tombs and foundations for palaces and ritual sites, as well as thousands of other artifacts, were discovered, helping to piece together the mystery shrouding the Dynasty. Based on what the majority of the artifacts depicted, it was determined that the Shang Dynasty consisted of people in China worshipping various gods, most of which were based on what we view as mythology today. The Dynasty ruled in the northeast regions of the China proper, or Inner China, based on the location of the artifacts. History of traditional Chinese indicates that the Shang Dynasty consisted of thirty kings and seven capitals, only two of which have been discovered by archeologists. Based on all of the aforementioned findings, it has also been determined that the Shang Dynasty was the cause of the invention of writing. Pantheons As previously mentioned, those of the Shang Dynasty worshipped a multitude of gods. These gods ruled over some aspect of life or nature, such as the god of love or the god of the sun. Above all of these gods, there was a higher god known as Shang-Ti. Shang-Ti holds a similar position that God does in modern-day Christian religions, having been considered the ruler of Heaven. Unlike other religions, Shang-Ti was not represented with images or idols, which is a practice of Chinese tradition. As such, there is no way to determine how the Shang Dynasty viewed their god, though the artifacts revealed that he was favorably worshipped by those that followed him. Later on during the Dynasty, the people began worshipping yet another deity, a natural force called t’ien, which was translated to mean Heaven. People also believed that their ancestors became gods after they had died and their souls had gone to Heaven, and were thus worshipped. Each family member was worshipped by their living family. It was believed that when each person died, they wanted to be worshipped like the other gods were. As people in the Shang Dynast believed that their souls went to Heaven after death, it was already assumed that these deceased family members were in similar positions to the gods that they already worshipped. Similarly, when a king would die, not only would his spirit go to Heaven to be worshipped, but so would the spirits of prisoners and slaves that were sacrificed and buried with the king. The same could be said for the people that were sacrificed during important dates and events on the calendar of the Shang Dynasty. Regardless of how someone died, whether it was murder, sickness, or a sacrifice, they were worshipped by their living family members. The Shang pantheon was split up into four different types. The first type were the ancestors of kings whose actions influenced the prosperity of the state. The second type consisted of the minor deities who remain to have unknown origins; many of these, though, can be found throughout Chinese mythology in our modern era. The third classification of pantheon were the forces of nature, such as gods of wind or rain. The final category was, as previously mentioned, Shang-Ti, who also represented the entire pantheon, forces of nature and ancestors combined. As in many religions that follow polytheism, the Shang Dynasty contained a multitude of gods that served various purposes, all of which were overseen by the ruling god, Shang-Ti. Even though these gods are mythological beings to us nowadays, there is no evidence that has been found to suggest where the Shang Dynasty determined the existence of these gods. It is thought that what is mythology to us might have been real to those alive during the Shang Dynasty. The oracle bones and artifacts discovered only revealed that these gods had been worshipped during the rise of the Shang Dynasty. Ritual and Religious Activities As previously mentioned, a common ritual in the Shang Dynasty was the sacrificing of people to the gods and to Shang-Ti. Many of these sacrifices took place when a king would die, offering up the souls of slaves and prisoners to the gods, Shang-Ti, and the former king. This act was seen as respectful to the gods and king, an honor and blessing for having provided their people with the rulers that made their state thrive. It was believed that if the deities were not properly honored, the people would suffer and their kingdom would fall. The sacrifices and rituals were seen as payment for a job well done and for success to continue. Yet another ritual, though seldom done due to its timing being random and unpredicted, was the crowning of a new emperor or empress. Those that ruled over the Dynasty were picked by the leading force of Heaven, which was usually Shang-Ti or t’ien. A ruler would remain an emperor or empress as long as Shang-Ti or t’ien wanted them to rule. When they felt that their time was done, or if they became on happy with how they were running the state and treating their people, that ruler would be overthrown, an act that was considered to be undertaken by Shang-Ti or t’ien. After the ruler was overthrown and the new one was put into place, there were often feasts and sacrifices offered to Shang-Ti or t’ien in honor of their continued concern for the people of the Dynasty. Feasts, rituals, or sacrifices that either honored the gods or provoked them to produce change or fortune in the people of the Dynasty were also quite common. Many of these coincided with various times of the year, such as crop growth during the colder seasons. Rituals would be commenced to honor the god of the sun and the god of rain, two important aspects to crop growth. If the rituals went well, the people of the Dynasty would have a bountiful crop supply. Afterwards, some of these crops would also be left as offerings to the gods that helped them in their endeavor. Modern-day Taoism, both a philosophy and a religious faith, was achieved through the religious activities of meditation and fasting. Taoism is the belief that people should not attempt to get their way in life by force, but through compromising with and using natural forces in their favor (Thorp, 2006). It is a belief amongst Taoists that a universal force flows through every living thing and that representing this force is vital to a happy life. To become more in-tune with this force, people of the Dynasty would meditate or fast, activities that would help them to obtained a heightened sense of awareness, thus allowing them to tape into this force. People also lived accordingly to the thought that happiness could only be properly obtained through representing the life force. Taoism is one of the few practices of the Shang Dynasty that survived and still exists and is practiced today. The people of the Shang Dynasty lived their lives in almost constant worship and ritual. Everything was done and tended to with great care in fear of upsetting the gods, Shang-Ti, and t’ien. Likewise, nearly every aspect was done while giving thanks to the gods or with the gods’ happiness in mind. Negative and harmful acts, such as murder or rape, would have been looked down upon by the gods, and were therefore seldom occurrences; the only exception to this would be if an emperor or empress was murdered while being overthrown by another. This was seen as an act of the gods and t’ien. With every breath taken by the people of the Dynasty, thanks was given to the gods for their compassion and generosity, and with the final breath the gods were thanked for their goodness before the person’s soul left the earth to join these immortal beings in Heaven. Shang Society “The Shang Dynasty was an aristocratic society, with a king ruling over the military nobility. Territorial rulers were appointed by him in return for their support in his military campaigns (“Shang Dynasty”).” The king would act as the high priest of society and often lead the divination ceremonies; as king, it was believed that the deities held them in high regard, believing them to be the only ones to properly rule and conduct certain religious ceremonies. Beneath this aristocratic class was the priest class, which played a fairly large role in the government. It was their duty to keep records of the government, including who had ruled and who was currently ruling, as well as being in charge of the religious practices. People of the Dynasty were then categorized based on their social class, a structure quite similar to the one that is followed today. However, as the Shang Dynasty was an aristocratic society, what is considered middle class to us now would have been lower class in the Dynasty though, of course, they did not use such terms to describe their statuses. Statuses were not always based on money, worldly possessions, or education, but on who they were related to or where they stood in regard to a relationship with the king, other members of royalty, or if family members were in the military. At the bottom of Shang society were the slaves and prisoners, usually indistinguishable from one another. The slaves, despite their place in society, were often revered as they were the ones most commonly sacrificed to the gods. Living in the palaces of the kings, they were often treated with respect, seldom seeing the treatment that slaves did in the decades before the Emancipation Proclamation. Most times, they were treated no different than children that had chores that needed to be done. However, the prisoners were treated much differently, especially if they were used as slaves in the royal households. The prisoners were considered the lowest of society’s members and were treated as such. Relationship Between Religion, Society, and Politics Unlike many countries and even states, the Shang Dynasty combined religion, society, and politics due mainly to the fact that the Dynasty was formed under the beliefs of the ancient Chinese religion. Even though the structures are not entirely understood, it is believed that most people of the Dynasty were probably unable to decipher the three categories, determining where religion stopped and society and politics picked up. Politics was perhaps the most decipherable aspect of Shang life, but as the king was often chosen based on the will of the gods, it was still greatly connected with religion. In modern-day America, the leader of the country, the President, is chosen by democratic voting. In the Shang Dynasty, it was done by the gods in accordance to how pleased they were with the actions being taken to uphold the kingdom. The religion practiced in the Shang Dynasty was practiced by every citizen regardless of their status or position in life and society. It was a way of life simply in the fact that it consumed every aspect of life. Everything that a person did was done for the sake of their beliefs and to please the gods and find true happiness. It is because of this that society and politics were seen almost as being simultaneous with the religious aspects of life in the Shang Dynasty. Oracle Bones The oracle bones that were discovered in the later part of the 1800s remain to be our sole source for not only understanding what happened during the Shang Dynasty, but discovering that something did happen. The oracle bones were often made of buffalo or cattle bone, though many were also made from the underside of a tortoise shell. The inscriptions, or glyphs, of the oracle bones revealed the names of deified ancestors and former kings. They were also used for divinatory practices, providing the kings with answers to such questions as to who would win an oncoming war or if there were any weather concerns that should be prepared for. They were also used as medicinal purposes, especially malaria (Chang et al, 2005). The oracles bones that were found, roughly a total exceeding 20,000 bones, have helped piece together what took place during those early years of life. The organization of society and politics are now understood fairly well, as well as the belief system in regard to the many gods of the Shang Dynasty religion. Given the amount found, it is assumed that there are many more oracle bones yet to be uncovered, an ongoing event that can only be helped with time. Works Cited Chang, Kwang, Pingfang Xu, Liancheng Lu, and Sarah Allan. The Formation of Chinese Civilization: An Archaeological Perspective. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. Print. "Shang Dynasty." ThinkQuest. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. . Thorp, Robert L. China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Print. Read More