RELI 2732 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Spirit Tablet, Religion In China, Orthopraxy
27 Apr 2016
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A person can practice all of the above religions simultaneously. Practices orthopraxy (correct practice) rather than orthodoxy (correct belief: belief separates and unites jews, christians and muslims, but practice" unites daoists, buddhists and confucians. Must be nourished (as the physical body was in life) Chinese ancestral spirit tablet: physical focus for ancestor veneration. 2nd burial: after about 20 years, bones are cleaned and placed in a new urn, to show that they are cared for. Daoism: because of buddhist influence, the daoists did not see heaven and hell as permanent. Gods, ghosts, and ancestors: gods and ancestors are yang phenomena. Ancestors venerated by their individual families: ghosts are yin phenomena harmful if the body or spirit is not properly buried or cared for. Offered food can be cooked, but it is never offered within the house (like a hobo: ancestors. Can be both worshipped as an ancestor spirit by the family and feared as a ghost by others.
