Religions of East Asia

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the religions that emerged from Ancient China that shared a strong belief with Daoism, and are centered around philosophies glorifying the cosmos. The paper also includes some material regarding tales from Japan.

From the Paper:

"There are variations in early Chinese religious tales. Along with other verbal accounts like the Westerner Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey and later Shinto tales from Japan, ancient Chinese dogma changed and evolved each time it was retold. These early religions also believed in the yin and the yang; different spirits living harmoniously together. Like Shinto, these religions also believed that their ancestors survived through each family's ancestral worship. The more attention paid to one's dead ancestors, the stronger those ancestors become through the memory of the living (Noss 264). The main creation myth of these collected tales concerns a square earth supported by the curved heavens. The devious god Gong Gong, also known as Kung Kung, knocked over one of the four pillars which held the earth level, (Noss 258). Nu Gua, a goddess, repaired the broken column, and therefore saved the earth. She is later said to have created man out of mud. Nu Gua spent much time meticulously creating some of her mud creations; others she formed carelessly. Pan Gu was also an important figure; according to myths he grew over ten feet daily. Early mythic figures of ancient Chinese legends were half-man, half-beasts, (Noss 264). These early sovereigns ruled over their kingdoms for thousands of years."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Confucius. The Analects. Penguin Classics. New York. 1998.
• Noss, David S. History of the World's Religions. Prentice Hall. 12th ed. 2008.

More papers on Religions of East Asia:

• Essay # 24511 : "East Asia Religions"
• Essay # 49038 : "Buddhism in East Asia"
• Analytical Essay # 147305 : "The Hydraulic Societies of the Ancient World"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: