1570-1045 BCE

Northern China

Craddle of Chinese civilization

many finding

first signs up organized civilization

Ritual sacrifices of both oxen and humans

Power of shang Panthenon (hierarchy) with Di, Nature Powers (unreasonable), Former Lords, PreDynastic Ancestors of Shang...etc

Sizeable armies

**Oracle bone inscriptions (oxen and turtle shells) for Divinatory rituals

Supreme god=Di (shangdi)

Spirits of Royal ancestors("ancestor worship")

A lot of respect for Shang King b.c all rulings auspicious with no records of wrong divinations

Belief in life after death

Burial sites=reflection of status

Anyang was last capital (had tombs of Shang kings)

Earliest written records about chinese religion and beliefs

2008 unearthing at the temple of the Duke of Zhou

Divinatory rituals performed by or on behalf of Shang Kings

*Tried to make sense of world and unfolding of future events

Communication b.w humans and various spirits

used oxen and turtle shells

Shoulder bones or scapulas

Under portion of the shell

Heated by application of hot rods into holes on the shell Drilled in advance ( at specific locations) which controlled position of cracks

Oracle bones

Superior to all spirits and divinities of Shang Pantheon

Not bribable, needy and inaccesible...no routine sacrifices made directly to him

Governed all other nature gods

Dispensed fortune and misfortune (helped out the Shang people with rain..punished Shang people with epidemics)

Eventually replaced with Tian (heaven) during transtion to Zhou Era

Belief of life after death

Regular sacrifices made to them

2 worlds that were somewhat connected...so ancestors had influence among the living

To communicated with deceased ancestor one had to use rituals or sacrifices

Reciprocal relationship (living gave tombs, funeral offerings and sacrfices; dead gave blessing and protection)

aka Mythical dynasty (2000-1500 BCE)

Beginning of Dynasty History

Erlitou Culture (?)

First Chinese dyansty

Accredited to Yu ( controller of floods)

Bronze vessels and weapons easily recasted

Delicate Jade ware

The art or act of foretelling future events or revealing occult knowledge by means of augury or an alleged supernatural agency.

Through means of crack patterns in shells

Auspicious or inauspicious

Sacrificed animals and humans

3 partakers- Role of 3 involved in sacrifices (one being sacrficed, person doing sacrifice, and interpreter)

Willing and unwilling sacrifice

Third group of spirits under cultural heroes

Minor role in inscriptions but portray involvement with religion

Impossible to please and unreasonable

represent tripartite division of the world

Founders of Chinese civilization

Heavenly Soveigrn

Earthly Soveirgn

Humanly Soveigrn

Social harmony and flawless governacne

Cultural heroes and sage- kings

Yellow Emperor (Huangdi):ancestor of the Chinese people (making fire, cooking, domestication of animals)

Zhuanxu: grandson of Huangdi

Yao: enlightened ruler, benevolence and concern for peoples welfare. abdicated throne for Shun

Shun: farmer,married Yao's daugthers, virtue, filial piety. abdicated throne for Yu

Yu: controlled great floods, great hero, system of dykes

Most revered sage king; identified as ancestor of all Chinese people

Myth relatively late (Eastern Zhou Period)

Foremost cultural hero with mythic lore

First precieved as Warrior figure that beat evil forces

Progenitor of Chinese civiliztion

Fire, cooking, domestication of animals, compass, cloothes, astronomy, etc)

Important in Daoist Panthenon, communism

1122-771 BCE

Capital at Hao

Shared language and religion of the Shang

emphasis on literary culture

Hierarchial social structure with decentralized government

Feudal system (relation of lord with vassals)

Originated of Mandate of Heaven

722-221 BCE

Divided into Spring and Autumn Era and Warring State period

Characterized by instability

722-481 BCE

political strife and reallignment

accelerated social change

no central authortiy (Zhou kings just figureheads)

various states wanted dominant power

Political alliances shifted

403-221 BCE

Interstate competition becomes violent

Large states had beuractic structures with large armies

Led to economic and techonological advances (trade, monetary usage iron technology)

Qin, big military and authoirtian state, emeged victorious

Few independent states because of warlord take over

Alot of colonization of states during this period

"moral authority to rule directly from heaven"

Final rulers of Shang dynasty corrupt so Zhou said the fulfilled a heavenly mandate

Zhou kings ruled over earth and served heaven

Kings= "sons of heaven"

Natural disaster proved that this was lost

Replaced Shang Di

Heaven as a moral force that was unambiguosly good

Exercised power according to moral standards

Anthropomorphic connotation

Power over natural and human worlds

Ethical standards that foster virtuos behavior and social harmony

Did not care about offerings

More concerned about moral character

expansion of ancestral cult during Zhou period (involved ancestors of common people also)

moral concerns for extended family

filial piety (respect for parents and ancestors)

Extention of parent-child relationship

Change in methods of decoration on bronze vessels

Change from smooth sets of vessles to large decorative vessels

Animal designs disappeared

Music influenced rituals (ex. bronze bells)

Atmospher of ritual is changed

Book of Changes explains 64

6 lines either changing (old) or unchanging (young)

old yin/yang more important than young yin/yang

There is a root version and a changed version

Heaven, earth, thunder, water, etc.

Associated to family, direction, season, etc.

2 of these form a hexagram

"Teaching of the Scholars"

Strict ethical system

official ideaology of Chinese society for a long time

Religion??

Moral Code and the 5 relations

Lack of supernatural being (Confucious as just a teacher)

Hierarcy with 5 relations (everyone had designeated place)

Anthtopocosmic: harmony with nature

Belief in heaven

Supernatural realm

Quest for sagehood

Scholarly followers of Confucianism

Refers to class of specialists who transmitted texts and rituals of ancient Zhou dynasty

Many were involved in government and public office

Elite segment of Chinese society with cultural refinement and priveleges

440 years

 Interaction and vieing for prominence of many schools of thought

Embrace pluralism

Version of Confucianism meant ruler had absolute power as Son of Heaven

Emperor Wu initiated series of policies to establish syncretic form of Confucianism

Some ancient values and ritual existed before Confucious

Coherent canon of 5 texts associated with Confucian teachings

Some writings attributed to Confucious but complex origins

Book of Songs: anthopology from Zhou to Spring and Autumn; Folk Songs

Book of Change: manual of divination from Zhou dynasty

Book of Documents: chronological collection of stories etc; govt. documents of kings

Spring and Autumn Annuals: state of Lu up to Confucious; outline of events and activities of rulers of Lu

Three Rituals: rituals and governmental institutions

Once known as 6th classic (before Han period)

Lost before Han period

Impersonal creative force of the universe that is perpetual and engenders the yin and yang

Revolves around proper patterns of human nature

Provided blueprint for governance and ethical conduct

Social and political systems reflected cosmic patterns

Human endeavor articulates the Dao so impt to embody human values

Unsystamized collection of Confucious's aphoristic sayings recorded and collected by his pupils

Focuses on perfection of human conduct

Life of recluse not good

Obligation to spiritual beings AND human realm

Universal love

"Care about one's father and brother as you care about your own"

went against the five relationships (ex. parent child relation couldn't be duplicated)

Claims univesal love will "profit" the world

Righteousness monitored by heaven

Daode jing

Tao te jing

 philosopher of ancient China; professed the concept of the Dao

ALSO: the name of a Daoist book that is a composite of writing sources; helped lead the path of meditation as a practice in religion

escape from society

inner stat of conciusness

a tradition; Chinese Daoist movement founded by Zhang Daoling; heads of an official recognized Daoist church; has 3 different eras: the Northern, the Southern, and modern-day

ancient chinese way of taoist alchemy

became a religion

best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and longevity; invested in techniques to realize states of immortality

attempt to reconcile an immortality-centered Daoism with Confucianism

Chinese philosopher during the Warring States Period; recognized self-preservation

survival instinct, rather selfish

Supreme Clarity; 'supreme pure ones' from the highest Taoist pantheon;

divine revelation communicated by perfect beings'

exploration of inner world and spiritual cultivation

Numinous Treasure; a branch of Taoism; synthesis of religious ideas of Shangqing texts, the rituals of th Celestial Masters, and Buddhist practices

defied form of Laozi; synthesis of ideas of midevil Daoism; move away from elitest concerns with interior exploration typical of the Shangquing; replaced with focus on communially oriented forms of worship

community ceremonies

substantial incorpoartion of Buddhist concepts

jiao

a renewal of their cosmic mandate and efficacy

Daozang; includes teachings of Daode jing and Zhuang Zi

open collection of sacred text divided into 3 caverns

Buddhism is influencing Daoism; a step in the creation of a common Daoist identity between modern/midevil and Buddhism/Daosim

Cavern of Perfect

of Mystery

of Divinity

All originated from different scriptures

relations between Daoist tradition; hierarchically arranged legacies; arranged a schema for the other important aspects of Daoist doctrine and practice including the ordination of priests and organization of scripture

coherent canon of Daoist scriptures divided into 3 parts

Quanzhen School; major sect of Daism originating in Northern China; specializes in the process of alchemy within the body

Monastic Daoism

Continues as 2 main traditions of Daoism

Celestial Masters

Tianshi

Daoist movement founded by Zhang Daoling in 142 CE; three eras

theocratic state with beuracracy

first emergence of Daoism as organized religion

Magical Practitioner

a category of Chinese technical specialists that flourished from the third century BCE to the fifth century CE

Lingbao school

a group of people that dismissed the beliefs of relization of harmonious society thorugh an adherence to ritual or by setting a moral example

THought that people are inherently selfish and we need laws to control antisocial tendancies

Literal interest in individual rights; wanted to expand power of the state

Mengzi

Mencius

7 books

man who thought humans were inherently good; believed in 4 natural virtues leading to sagehood: humanness, rightness, propiety, moral intelligence

first academic thinking

criticized other thinkers

believes that the basic nature of humans is bad and that man is born with desires

believes that morality was created because it was needed not because it was innate

thought man was made of 2 elements: nature and activity

Primordial force

Yang- pure life, light element; formed heaven

Yin- dense and heavy element; formed earth

Account for change and transformation of things

Support notion that all things go through stages of change

Mozi was main avicate

Love all as you love yourself

Clashed with 5 relationships of Confucianism

tian in Confucianism

Yang- light element

cares about moral and ethical conduct rather than offerrings

Chinese thinkers and sages have understood human beings and the

cosmos as a single, organismic whole. The goal of human life is to

harmonize oneself with heaven and earth and to return to the

transcendent source of both humans and the world.