Religion in China - A Reflection of my Experiences

   What an experience the last year has been. The experience of the people, the history, religion and my time as a teacher are memories I will never forget. I might be teaching one last year in China as well, though that is something I'm still figuring out.

    Religion in China is complicated. Historically it has been used to both promote the status quo of power (power of the gentry and noblemen through Confucianism and the Emperor as "Son of Heaven") while also acting a force of resistance against the gentry in government, as seen by movements such as the Yellow Scarves, the Taiping Rebellion and others. Many times they were used to empower the people by having communal food for all and other means of supporting the families who joined said movements.

     An interesting point is that even the Cultural Revolution could not do away with the old traditions. The old ways were never fully crushed. This past school year I worked in the countryside and took part in Mid-Autumn Festival with my colleague who is also a friend and saw the fruits that were laid out in honor of the Moon Festival and in hopes of wealth and success.

     First I want to mention Confucianism and how important it has been historically in relationship to education. When Confucianism became the base for the hypothetical reason for lords being able to advance, China became one of the earliest meritocracies. This focus on reading, writing and general knowledge in Confucianism is a part of the Chinese system that lives on this day, and is something any nation can learn from.

     I also visited Linggue Temple in Baoying a few times and witnessed how much a part of life it is for the community. The Temple is an important part of funerals, marriages, births and festivals. A few years ago I saw Fajing Temple in Hangzhou serving the same purpose. Religion in China helps with facing all the different parts of an individuals life.


    Though like America, there is also the corruption and connection to Money. At Linggue Temple my friend and I would get conned by a man who worked there and I would witness in Suzhuo the Xuan Miao Taoist Temple and it's connection to money by blessing gold at a gold shop that sat just outside the Temple...that whole area was the market and material meeting the ancient rituals and philosophy that contradicted said materialism.  


     China has also had a great diversity of faith. The Abrahamic Faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity have all settled to some degree in China (less so Judaism though), as well as the ancient traditions that still carry on and the big three of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. 


     The big three with a few exceptions still live the contemplativeness of their past teachers. Many a Buddhist and Toaist Temple can still be found on top of a mountain, and most temples are designed to be large spaces...like a cathedral. You can get lost in reflection and can see how nature is always changing and impermanent in the fish, plants and turtles that are living within the Temples. 


     There will always be more to write, but these are some of the major things I noticed during my amazing year teaching in China. 


   

The Northern Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta) - Suzhou, China - March 31st, 2012

One of the first things I noticed about the Temples in Suzhou (and most of the things in Suzhou) is that many of the sites that people can visit are cheap or free. The North Temple Pagoda (Beisi Ta in Chinese) is one of the places that nearly anyone regardless of income would be able to visit, especially compared to the Temple prices in most of the big cities like Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

At the gate were tourist busses (every major site has them) and people selling their wares, as well as some old beggars at the gate. To get there Randy and I had walked for nearly an hour from the Humble Administrator's Garden.

At the entrance of the Temple just past the gate is a giant fat laughing Buddha sitting down behind a large stone altar. The Buddha is made of stone and his face and form is such a joyful way to be greeted in such a place as this.

The Temple itself isn't all that large for being a tourist site, which really leaves so much of it's charm and holiness of the place. In the center of the grounds rises the 9 story Pagoda (was once 11). In the middle of the Pagoda is Guan Yin draped in a red cape. The darkness adds peacefulness to the place and the narrow passageway to her is like a baby's entrance to and from the womb. I did the three bows as the other folks who passed through were doing and noticed an old couple whose seemed the most present in the act of worship (compared to some of the younger folks and the few tour groups).

After that we climbed to the second floor before descending back down. It was good we didn't go farther up, the walls have no railings on the way down making it rather dangerous (combined with the small worn down steps). The Pagoda is ancient dating all the way back to the 3rd Century, and being rebuilt once more in 1582.

After exciting the Pagoda we entered the Temple grounds where incense was being burned by couples and individuals. It was here I bought some incense and burned it for my friend Hien who had died last year. Since her funeral I've been wanting to visit but have been unable to, so in China I've wanted to honor her here.

The Three Great Golden Buddhas rose up as I bowed three times towards them with the incense that was afire and then placed it upon the sand where the others stood. In China three is lucky number. Packs of incense are in three, every Temple usually has three figures at the back.

When I left my heart was full of remembrance and time felt as if it had slowed down as I left the grounds with Randy.

Garden Tombyard of Puhaddin - Yangzhou, China, March 11th, 2012

The last place of historical and religious significance we would visit was the Tombyard of Puhaddin. Beyond the peacefulness of the place, the thing that stood out was how well the place had been kept and the history of the relationship between China and Islam that was present.

The Tombyard is still used today for some worship services and because of it some areas are locked off from tourists...such as the prayer hall which I was able to catch a glimpse of through the small windows that covered the door of the hall.

The entrance to the Tombyard is a large gate which leads into a garden that's not feeling it's best. A lot of the grass and plants are dead and the water looks a bit malnourished, but there are still areas where it feels like a peaceful garden should...such as the hill top that leads the second gate where there are areas to sit and rest.

The second gate is like an entrance to any Temple where its a circular entrance, though the colors are not temple colors. The Tombyard itself is made up of greens and whites as the main color. One of the areas that stands out the most in the Tombyard is the Pagoda that was made where prayer is called. It is made in the style of Chinese architecture (the curved roof) though at the top is a moon, a symbol of Islam and where we were located. Right next to the Pagoda was a walkway honoring a general whom an Emperor had honored. We went up to the top of the Pagoda and were able to see the building housing some of the greater Tombs (Like Puhaddin's Tomb). The Tombyard is a mixture of Chinese and Arabic architecture which really gives it a feeling of history (beyond the ancient tombstones themselves). It is quite a lovely and peaceful and has so much information.

Beyond the second gate is where the gravestones are as well. The gravestones date all the way back to the Song Dynasty, and in the room across from the tombs are coal copies of Yuan Dynasty era tombstones with translations of what had been inscribed in Arabic. Each room has its purpose listed, as well as when it was built and its importance to the Muslim community in Yangzhou.

The area had so much history present. Both of the warriors honored in the Tomb and those the Chinese Lords had chosen to honor like Puhaddin who was a teacher in Yangzhou. Most of the people honored were warriors and merchants from the Song all the way to the Qing Dynasty.

While we were there a small tour group was being lead through all the areas of the Tombyard. Historically China has never been at odds with Islam even though Chinese and Muslim Empires had fought in the past, there isn't the same legacy of the crusades and conquest of Spain and the Ottoman conquest and because of it, there isn't the same bad blood between China and Islam as there is between Europe and Islam.

The area spoke of harmony between the two cultures and could be seen in a small way in the small tour group where the Muslim guide guided a more traditional looking Chinese family through the Tombyard telling of the rich history of this powerful place.

Baoying Adventure and Return to Linggue Temple - The pros and cons of Organized Religion

[Posted late because Cameron's girlfriend couldn't remember how to sign in to Blogger while Cameron's overseas.]

What an adventure today has been! It started with going around town with Randy (the other teacher from Washington State who I've become friends with) and going to KFC (which was a nice break from the usual but of course totally unhealthy) and visiting the classic Chinese park when we walked over to Linggue Temple.

Now for the interesting part. After walking for about fifteen minutes we came upon Linggue Temple, I had remembered correctly where it was! Once there we began walking around and taking in the silence and serenity of the open spaces that made up the Temple squares and walkways around each building that housed a Buddha, Bodhisattva or all of the above.

Most of the building were locked, except for two. We entered that one where a Golden Buddha was. It was here we learned the Chinese way of prayer at the temple full bow on the ground/mat with hands open palm upwards. We did this three times for luck and than rung the lucky gong three times for luck. During this time I talked to a young monk who was a teenager or younger. He was very kind and I told him about my study Buddhism in college. After the ringing and prayers we were asked to make a donation, I made of twenty-yuan and then recieved a booklet.

After we made our way to the back to the City God Temple area. This building is made of grey stone compared to the others that are painted yellow. A man who works at the Temple opened it and showed us around as well as giving us incense to burn to the local deity. After we were asked to make a fifty yuan donation. We got blessed necklaces and another booklet for it but it was there I realized once again the negative of so many organized religions and the disadvantage of organizations in general...

How many poor would be able to make that kind of donation to the Temple and local deity? How it goes is one who is well off is already in a better position to receive many more blessings of wealth, luck and success (the big three emphasis in regards to the supernatural in China). In old Catholicism and probably still in some corrupt parishes money does talk...someone who can give more is likely to be respected more and less likely to be questioned. The only way out of this for someone who is poor is to gain power in the Temple, Church or Institution itself. This I think is one of the greatest cons of organized faith in general (obviously not all faiths are guilty of it, but it does happen).

The pros can best be described in the times of silence bowing where extreme peace experienced, or in the sound of the gong that the monk, man or I rang...the sound can make one fully present in that moment and with it a release of all the anxiety from the day or past moments. There is a space here for people to remember those they've lost, to celebrate a birth or simply to reflect. It was made for people and it clearly shows this.

I plan on returning again and will write about those future visits. But this is what it was like my second time coming where I really had to time truly take it all in and notice the pros and cons present.

Mid-Autumn Festival – Baoying, China – September 12, 2011 – The Essence of Religion

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival over here in China. Yes, I am in China right now teaching English at a high school in China. While in China I plan to do faith visits that won’t have me ending up in a prison and writing about religious events that I take part in. I won’t be posting though (my girlfriend will) since Google blogs are blocked. Mid-Autumn Festival at its core is religious, allow me to explain why.

                On my way to the Baoying countryside I noticed something that was in all households. Nearly all households have Guan Yin, the goddess and bodhisattva of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism. Her role is similar to Mary in Catholicism as an advocate for those who have little and watching over families. She is especially related to fertility, the harvest and wealth, which are extremely important in the countryside.

                The common wishes people have are found expressed in prayers within nearly all faiths. These wishes are the wish for a more comfortable life (better harvest, new job, job, recovery from sickness, ect.), the possibility of children and the well being of family and friends. I have heard these prayers expressed in the conversations with people of the Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Jewish faiths and have experienced it in China in relationship to Buddhism.

               I think in many ways this has helped improve people. It is along these larger than life expressions of the infinite and unknown that people have sought to help one another. Mayahana Buddhism is based around family, I experienced that at the Mid-Autumn Festival today where I was treated as honored guest and invited to be a part of the family. Just as the infinite, unknown God or divine reminds us of what we don’t have; it reminds to cherish all the more what is a part of our life.

                So have a joyous day today and if you are religious or spiritual, look at your faith and how it relates to the unknown and think of how it has connected you to others and in what way it shows you the wholeness of the moment right now.