CHINESE RELIGION - Buddhism

Ancestor worship was the first basic form of Chinese religion, when in ancient times, the highest King was called the Son of Heaven. Chinese religions are family-oriented and do not require the exclusive adherence of members (so people can also believe in other religions at the same time). This is called Pluralism.
Several religions have been part of Chinese history and it has always been accepted in China that various religions are acceptable. Generally, the percentage of people who call themselves religious in China has been the lowest in the world. Buddhism is the main religion of Chinese people. Other religions which are followed in China are Christianity and Taoism.
Three main points about Buddhism in China are as follows:

1) Buddhism was introduced into China in the 1st Century.

2) Buddhism is based on Four Noble Truths: existence is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the end of suffering comes with the achievement of Nirvana (the perfect place), and Nirvana is attained through the Eightfold Path: right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.

3) One of Buddhism's most important concepts is Karma, which is basically the belief that good actions are rewarded and evil ones are punished.

Ancient China hardly recognised the individual. But when Buddhism came to China it gave individuals a number of ways to reach a place in the spiritual world through his own efforts. It made it possible for people to reach the very highest goal of salvation. The ways to reach this were in agreement with Chinese ideas, so Buddhism soon became very popular.

A statue of Buddha. A Chinese temple.