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Shendao shejiao

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This article is about the philosophy. For the Chinese Legalist philosopher, see Shen Dao. For ornate roads leading to Chinese dignitaries' tombs, see Spirit way.

Shendao shejiao
Chinese神道しんとう社しゃ教きょう
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShéndào Shèjiào
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Shendao teaching (Chinese: 神道しんとう设教 or 神道しんとう社しゃ教きょう; pinyin: shéndào shèjiào; lit. 'by "theistic ways" establishing the [moral] teachings')[1][a] is a Chinese philosophical perspective on religion. Originally it referred to conduct conforming and in harmony with the principles of Nature, following the subtlety of the path of Heaven's Way; it lays the basis for the teachings of tianxia, a worldview promoting social order and harmony, in which the commoners were unified and compliant, to the benefit of the whole society. It is also translated as "to educate by means of mysticism", the education here referring to moral education.[2]

The Chinese idea of "Shendao" arose in the early Western Zhou and later became a strategy and method of character education in the Confucianism ideological system, for strengthening integrity or virtue (德とく, dé) and other socially desirable traits. As it developed, concepts of gods, ghosts and demons were used as a means of character, or moral, education; such training included theories about the effect of fate or fortune, heaven or hell.[3]

Shendao is considered instrumental in the later adoption of the Western concept of religion in China.[1]

Shang dynasty

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In the Shang dynasty system of polytheism, the supreme god, the "Shangdi", is only a natural manifestation of the "Tiandao" (天道てんとう 'way of heaven'). The "emperor" in the divination is similar to what Xunzi said during the Warring States period, "Heaven has its own course, not for Yao to exist, not for Jie to perish" (Xunzi - Treatise on Heaven), as a natural law without direct influence on earthly affairs. Shang sacrifices were never only to ancestral gods and nature gods, often asking for "emperor" but never offering sacrifices to "emperor". The Shang belief in ghosts and gods is not essentially different from prehistoric beliefs, and there is no element of artificial political control and deception in later times.[4][5][6]

Zhou dynasty

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In contrast to the primitive polytheism of the Yin (Shang), the Zhou strengthened the divinity of the Shangdi and weakened the many ancestral and nature gods. The King Wu of Zhou established a special "imperial registry" to worship God.[7] The god of the land was built with chestnut wood to "make the people tremble".[8] The Zhou also created the "imperial court" as the "office" of the Emperor. King Li of Zhou believed that the emperor could send down "a great Lu order to protect my house, my position, and the body of Hu". (Hu Gui, Zhonggui 4317). There are also Yi inscriptions that say, "The emperor is weary of the death of the wrecked emperor, and the pro-insurance of my (there is) Zhou, the summer of the people of the four directions, the death of not Kang Jing (Shi Xiang Gui, Zhonggui 4342), meaning that the glorious emperor was always looking down on and blessing our Zhou dynasty and the common people in the four directions, so that everything under the sky was safe and stable. The emperor of the Zhou dynasty not only "sends down virtue", but also monitors the words and deeds of his subjects.[9]

The world of the gods, mainly "emperor" and "heaven", became a strong backing for the kingship of the Zhou Dynasty, and established the concept of rule with "Mandate of Heaven" as the core, while the king of the Zhou was analogous to "heaven" as a father-son relationship, thus the term "Son of Heaven" began to appear.[5] This practice of the Zhou was Shendao's establishment of religion, which became a tool for political rule and adapted to the needs of patriarchal kingship.[10][11][5] Confucianism, on the other hand, asserts that "a gentleman has three fears: fear of heaven, fear of adults, and fear of the words of the saints. When the words of saint are taken as the precepts of God, Shendao becomes a special religion that is godless and man-made."[This quote needs a citation]

Belief, worship and ritual

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Shendao is a religion based on the way of ghosts and gods, which is from the Tuan Chuan of the Zhou Yi (I Ching).[12][13][14] The common term for witchcraft and divination is "Shendao", which is different from the original meaning of the Zhou Yi. The ancient Chinese ruler's policy towards religious beliefs was to strengthen his rule by the divine right of "Heaven and Man", also known as Shendao. The use of Jesa (sacrifice), divination, and other mystical practices to convince people was slightly different from the original meaning of the Zhou Yi. However, there are some thinkers who do not believe in ghosts and gods: Fan Zhen completely denied the existence of ghosts and gods but affirmed the role of Shendao teaching. It is said that Shendao "can govern the country, compel the people, and change the customs",[This quote needs a citation] and is thus able to eliminate the less desirable behaviours in a society, and encourage beneficial ones.[citation needed]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 神道しんとう设教 and 神道しんとう社しゃ教きょう are homophones both pronounced as Shéndào shèjiào: 设 means 'set-up or arranged', while 社しゃ means 'social'.[citation needed] The homophonic nature of them likely gives a dual meaning of both social organization, and intentional social organization.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Christian Meyer - Scholars | Institute for Advanced Study". www.ias.edu. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. ^ Xiaohu, Cao (17 December 2021). "Trustworthiness Education in Ancient Chinese Beliefs". Advances in Vocational and Technical Education. 3 (4): 70–73. doi:10.23977/avte.2021.030414 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2523-5834.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) Archived 6 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Book of the Later Han biography of Weixiao [zh]："You want to bear the sky and obey the people, to assist the Han and rise, in fact, there is no command, how will be able to see the faith in the public? It is appropriate to urgently set up a high temple, called the minister to the shrine, the so-called Shendao teaching, help people God also."
  4. ^ 晁あきら福ぶく林りん《论殷代だい神かみ权》，《中国ちゅうごく社会しゃかい科学かがく》1990年ねん第だい1期き
  5. ^ a b c 晁あきら福ぶく林りん, Chao Fulin (2015). "先さき秦しん社会しゃかい最高さいこう权力的てき变迁及其影かげ响因素もと" [The change of supreme power in pre-Qin society and its influencing factors]. 中国ちゅうごく社会しゃかい科学かがく (2).
  6. ^ 晁あきら福ぶく林りん《说商代だい的てき“天てん”和かず“帝みかど”》,《史学しがく集しゅう刊かん》2016年ねん第だい3期き
  7. ^ 《清きよし华简·系けい年ねん》：昔むかし周しゅう武たけし王おう监观商しょう王おう之の不ふ恭きょう上帝じょうてい，禋祀不ふ寅とら，乃作帝みかど籍せき，以登祀まつ上帝じょうてい天神てんじん，名めい之の曰千亩，以克反はん商しょう邑，敷じき政せい天下でんか。
  8. ^ 《Analects Eight rows of Dancers》：「哀あい公こう问社于宰我が。宰おさむ我わが对曰："夏なつ后きさき氏し以松，殷いん人じん以柏，周しゅう人じん以栗，曰：使つかい民みん战栗。"子こ闻之，曰：“成なり事ごと不ふ说，遂とげ事ごと不ふ谏，既往きおう不ふ咎とがめ。"」
  9. ^ Book of Documents, Book of Zhou, Lü Xing, God oversees the people.
  10. ^ Du Yong (杜もり 勇いさむ) (26 July 2021), 千亩之战析疑 [Analysis of the Battle of Qianmu (the Thousand Acres)] (PDF) (in Chinese), Central Plains Culture Research, Interim results from the National Social Science Fund major project "Multi-volume History of the Western Zhou Dynasty" (17ZDA179), archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2022, retrieved 9 July 2022
  11. ^ 雷かみなり晓鹏:从清华简《系けい年ねん》看み周しゅう宣せん王おう"不ふ籍せき千せん亩"的てき真相しんそう，《农业考古こうこ》，2014,(4)
  12. ^ 《周しゅう易えき·观卦·彖传》："观天之の神道しんとう，而四时不忒，圣人以神道どう设教，而天下か服ふく矣。"
  13. ^ 《礼れい记·祭さい义》："明あかり命いのち鬼神きじん，以为黔首则，百ひゃく众以畏かしこ，万民ばんみん以服。"
  14. ^ Kong Yingda《Correct Meaning of the Five Classics [zh]》："Shen Dao, subtlety, no direction, the reason is not known, the eye is not visible, do not know so however is called Shen Dao, and the four seasons of the season is seen."
  • 《中国ちゅうごく哲学てつがく大だい辞典じてん》
  • 《四书五经辞典》
  • 《中国ちゅうごく古代こだい典章てんしょう制度せいど大だい辞典じてん》
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