What are the characteristics of religion during the Ming Dynasty? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
Most people believe that the religion of the Ming Dynasty did not have much value, but in reality,
The rise and fall of religion in the Ming Dynasty was a very important stage in the history of Chinese religion.
After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty by Emperor Taizu, the highest ruler advocated for the protection of religion, but also issued policies to rectify and restrict religion, with rectification and restriction being the main focus.
This is mainly due to the continuous strengthening of imperial power and the gradual weakening of religion as a tool of governance. Unlike the situation of official religions, folk religions in the Ming Dynasty continued to develop for a long time, so the control over religion naturally became a component of the Ming Dynasty’s authoritarianism. So what were the characteristics of the development of religion in the Ming Dynasty?
The advantageous characteristics of religion in the Ming Dynasty – the combination of benevolence and power, and the inclusiveness of both
Religious belief is an ancient social and cultural phenomenon that has profound and far-reaching significance for the development of human social history. In the early Ming Dynasty, a relatively tolerant religious policy was implemented, which involved a wide range of aspects including politics, economy, national governance, and family continuity.
It maximally met the needs of society at that time, provided conditions for the stability and development of the Ming Dynasty regime, alleviated ethnic conflicts, resolved most border crises, and made the people of the country submit. The development of ethnic and religious culture during the Ming Dynasty enhanced national identity and promoted the stability and development of multi-ethnic countries.
Culturally, we have always adhered to the religious policy of Confucianism as the mainstay and Buddhism and Taoism as the two wings, advocated cultural integration education, enhanced ethnic integration, and maintained political stability in multi-ethnic countries. Below is a brief discussion on the characteristics of religion in the Ming Dynasty, mainly including the following points:
Religion is moving towards secularization
Unlike the prosperous Tang and Song dynasties, Buddhism and Taoism developed towards secularization after entering the Ming dynasty.
In the book “Religion in the Ming Dynasty” compiled by Professor He Xiaorong and others, it is recorded that “it gradually penetrated into the lives of the people, gradually moving from Buddhist and Taoist doctrines to Buddhist and Taoist beliefs, and from Buddhist and Taoist monks to Buddhist and Taoist commoners”.
Religion began to enter people’s lives and gradually became the religion of the common people, which formed one of the many characteristics of religion in the Ming Dynasty.
Adhering to the benevolent sentiment of caring for all sentient beings, religion is becoming more and more down-to-earth, moving from the other world to this one, becoming increasingly secularized and popular. Buddhism and Taoism have developed towards secularization, providing favorable conditions for the rise of folk religions, and the majority of lower class people have enthusiastically participated in folk religious activities. It is precisely because the vast majority of the people are eager for folk religions that the uprisings launched by the White Lotus Sect and the uprisings organized by the Eastern Mahayana Sect have shaken the court and the public. It had a significant impact on the politics and ideology of the Ming Dynasty.
Islam was introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty and further developed during the Ming Dynasty,
Combining traditional Islamic philosophy with traditional Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism to establish a new and more suitable Islamic philosophical system in China that meets the needs of Chinese society,
Combined with Chinese tradition, it is inseparable from religion and customs, closely linked to the lives of Muslims, and its secularized characteristics are self-evident.
Various religions coexist in diversity, with Buddhism and Taoism being the main ones
In the highly centralized feudal era of monarchy, the attitude of the emperor was crucial to the growth of religion. In order to maintain feudal monarchy, consolidate the position of the emperor, and avoid fierce conflicts with the idea of “Confucianism governing the world”, the rulers of the Ming Dynasty formulated a series of religious policies, turning religion naturally into a political means of maintaining their rule. Faced with various religions, the policies implemented by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty were open and inclusive.
But after all, there are many types of religions, and in order to maintain political stability, different policies are implemented for different religions, combining control and protection.
It was precisely due to the unique cultural environment of the Ming Dynasty that the phenomenon of “a hundred flowers blooming” in religion emerged. In the coexistence of many religions, Buddhism and Taoism are the main ones.
During the Hongwu and Yongle periods of the early Ming Dynasty, although Confucianism and Neo Confucianism held a dominant position, people’s persistent pursuit of achievements led to a certain degree of development in religious thought. At that time, the famous minister Song Lian was proficient in Buddhism and had an influence on Ming Taizu. However, under the influence of extreme authoritarianism, Buddhism did not thrive in the early Ming Dynasty.
During the Yongle period, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di attached great importance to Tibetan Buddhism. After Yongle, due to the strengthening of the power of eunuchs and the fact that their own situation was particularly in line with the Buddhist doctrine of the afterlife, they supported the construction of temples and the ordination of monks. After the Zhengde era, the study of the mind emerged, Zen Buddhism developed, and various famous monks emerged within Buddhism. This has led to significant development of Buddhism.
For the lofty and reclusive Taoism, rulers also attach great importance to the development of Taoism based on the principle of making the best use of talents. From Taizu to Chengzu Zhu Di, they were more inclined towards Taoism compared to other religions. Ming Taizu claimed to have seen the “Three Pure Ones of Taoism”, Ming Chengzu claimed to have received help from Taoist gods, and even Ming Xiaozong, who advocated for the “Hongzhi Zhongxing” movement, believed in Taoism. The emperor believed in Taoism and the people followed suit. Taoism, like Buddhism, has received great support and popularity among the people.
In the late Ming Dynasty, Western missionaries brought Catholicism to China, and rulers used these foreign religions to establish friendly diplomatic relations with overseas and ethnic minorities. To consolidate the rule.
The Ming government also provided tolerant broadband to Islam. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang once praised Islam in his “Praise to the Most Holy One Hundred Words”.
At the beginning of the Qiankun era, he was named in the heavenly register, preached as a great saint, was born in the Western Regions, was given the Book of Documents, thirty books, and universal salvation. He was a hundred million ruler and teacher, a leader of all saints, assisted in the destiny of heaven, protected the people, prayed at five times, silently wished peace, had the heart in Allah, strengthened the aspirations of the poor, greatly saved the suffering, penetrated the depths of the underworld, uplifted the soul, freed from sin, benevolence covered the world, spread throughout history, reduced evil and returned to one. His religious name was Halal, Muhammad, the most noble saint
The Ming government highly respected the customs of Islam, and also built many Islamic buildings for Islam, fully demonstrating the Ming government’s great respect for Islam.
From the above content, it can be seen that the rulers of the Ming Dynasty had a friendly and tolerant attitude towards religion, allowing for freedom of religious belief. The world of religious belief saw unprecedented comprehensiveness and diversity.
Moreover, rulers adopt a combination of control and indulgence in the face of religion, rather than blindly supporting or forcefully banning it. This not only maintains royal power, but also ensures the healthy development of religion within controllable limits.
Mutual exchange and integration of various religions
Various religions coexist in the Ming Dynasty, and there will be exchanges between different religions. Inevitably, there will be exchanges and integration between Korean religions, and religions will learn essence from each other to further innovate and progress their own religions.
During the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, emphasis was placed on the divine right of kings, and religious thought exhibited an attitude of the unity of the three religions. The so-called integration of the three religions refers to the trend and phenomenon of the fusion of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The later emperors once followed the religious ideology of Ming Taizu. In the late Ming Dynasty, Zhang Zhong and others combined Islam with traditional Chinese Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, promoting the establishment of China’s Islamic religious doctrine system.
After the introduction of Catholicism to China, missionaries tried their best to learn and integrate Catholic doctrine with Chinese Taoism and Confucianism, adapting to Chinese culture and striving to achieve “localization of China”. They consciously approached Cheng Zhu Neo Confucianism and met the high-ranking officials and nobles of the Ming Dynasty’s upper class society. As a result, they received support and response from many people and officials.
Islam has been widely spread in China, and it has a system called “scripture hall education”, which mainly focuses on imparting scriptures. After being introduced to China, it was combined with China’s private school education to form a religious education system with Chinese characteristics.
As for folk religions, such as the White Lotus Sect and the Western Dacheng Sect, they basically blend and absorb the ideas and doctrines of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. They mostly absorb the doctrines and ideas of Taoism and Buddhism,
But overall, it is based on the principles of Confucianism.
The religious beliefs of imperial concubines in the Ming Dynasty have practicality
The supreme ruler believes in religion, which plays a role in stabilizing society and consolidating political power. However, as the ruling consort group, their status is higher than that of women in general society, and their religious beliefs have practicality with family as the main focus. The group of imperial concubines in the Ming Dynasty had a wide range of religious beliefs, including Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and folk religions, with individual beliefs showing diversity. Most of them are from prestigious families and are subject to various restrictions after entering the palace, with their activities limited to the harem and ancestral temple.
The imperial concubines of the Ming Dynasty were not allowed to interfere in internal affairs, and the best way to demonstrate their noble status and differentiate themselves from ordinary women was to participate in religious activities. In this way, they can not only gain the favor of the emperor, but also demonstrate their noble identity, indicating that their religious beliefs have a certain practical role.
As concubines, they pray for the prosperity of the country and the safety of the people. When building temples, they aim to promote the prosperity of the country and the health of the dragon body. At the same time, they also pray for the continuity of their offspring, after all, male offspring are the core of a country, a necessary condition for its continuation, and also determine the status of the empress dowager.
Additionally, in history, the survival rate of imperial heirs was relatively low, and the fertility rate of concubines was also low. In order to maintain their status in the palace, their desire to have children became increasingly strong.
These inevitable practical factors will directly or indirectly affect the religious beliefs of the concubines, giving them practical meaning of praying.
The shortcomings of religion in the Ming Dynasty – hybridity and constant disputes
Although religion in the Ming Dynasty could stabilize people’s hearts, consolidate rule, and promote cultural exchange, it still had its flaws. Numerous religions coexist, and many viewpoints are in constant dispute, disrupting the political order and endangering the people. For example, the popularity of Taoism in the late Ming Dynasty and the belief in ascending to immortality gradually undermined the benign policies formed during the reign of Emperor Chengzu, and had a negative impact on the lives and thoughts of the people.
For example, the introduction of Western Catholicism led to the spread of Western learning to the East. However, in the process of religious exchange, China absorbed more Western viewpoints, while there were fewer or even no new viewpoints introduced to the West. This has had a certain impact on the religious thoughts of the Chinese people, and this unequal cultural exchange is not conducive to the long-term development of a healthy culture between China and the West.
Conclusion
Looking at the characteristics of religion in the Ming Dynasty, various religions merged with each other, and religious ideas penetrated each other, moving from this shore world to the other shore world, and then returning from the other shore world to this shore world, moving towards secularization. The rulers and concubines’ faith in religion returned from transcendence to reality, starting from reality and exerting a series of tremendous influences on the Qing Dynasty’s rule and modern society, allowing future generations to see the reality, livelihood, and politics of the religious world.
From here, it can be found that the religion of the Ming Dynasty was at a crossroads of old and new, transitioning from ancient to modern times.
In addition, the diversity of religions in the Ming Dynasty reflects the strong inclusiveness of China’s religious and cultural heritage, as well as the forms of Chinese beliefs.
The exchange, learning, and integration between different religions enhance the feelings of people from different countries and regions, while playing a positive role in the progress of ideological and cultural development between different countries and regions.
