Religions in China and Japan

Confucianism
A fundamental doctrine of Confucian ethics is that the nature of man is good. It is through faulty education and bad example that man deteriorates. He must by his own effort develop a stable good character and to achieve this he must have a strong will and a true ideal. The object of Confucius was to produce the “Superior man,” the man who knew the right thing and did it, a man of faultless virtues.

Confucianism’s ideology
“Requite injury with justice and kindness with kindness,” was the teaching of Confucius.

The tomb of Confucius is one of the holiest places in China and there are temples in every city, which are dedicated to him.

Temple of Confucius in China

Taoism
Unlike Confucius Lao-tse holds that injury should be recompensed with kindness.

The ideology of early Taoism
Lao-tse thought that China suffered from over- government and so he said that the best government was that which governed the least. He regarded war as a great calamity and was opposed to capital punishment. He was for a return to the state of nature, in which the way of salvation of the state as well as the individual according to him.

The essence of Taoism
In short Taoism was a way to attain perfect blessedness. When universal law is the law of one’s being, he is one with the universe.

Buddhism
It is a religion about suffering and the need to get rid of it.

Meditation
Buddhists try to reach Nirvana by following the Buddha's teaching and by meditating. Meditation means training the mind to empty it all of thoughts. When this happens what is important comes clear.

Buddhist temple – pagoda

Shintoism
Shintoism originated from the ancient cult of the spiritualization of nature and the deification of dead ancestors.