54 East Asia: Cultural Geography I – Religion in East Asia
Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One”), Buddhism originated in the 6th century BCE in northern India, and arrived in East Asia eight centuries later. The religion emphasizes following a middle path between self-denial and self-indulgence, and overcoming ignorance and bad behavior through contemplation. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, the idea that all souls are born and reborn many times in different forms. A fundamental tenet of Buddhism is karma – the belief that a person’s actions always have consequences, either in this life or the next, and that good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished. The ultimate goal of the Buddhist is nirvana, a transcendent state in which one achieves total enlightenment, and escapes the cycle of birth and rebirth and all the suffering life brings.
Confucianism originated in China in the 6th century BCE, and is based on the teachings of Confucius. As much a social philosophy as a religion, Confucianism is often blended with other religions, and emphasizes education, proper societal relationships, and respect for elders. Taoism originated at about the same time as Confucianism, and is based on the teachings of Lao-Tzu. Taoism rejects Confucian social conformity, and other “artificial” societal constructs and doctrines. Its followers seek to conform only to the underlying pattern of the universe, known as the “Way” or the “Tao.” Shamanism is a trait common to folk religions throughout the world. Followers of Shamanistic faiths seek contact with the spiritual world through a spiritual intermediary known as a shaman. Chinese folk religion is a very broad category used to describe belief systems that combine elements from multiple spiritual sources, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and shamanism.
Shintoism is a collective term for a variety of Japanese folk religions. Based in prehistoric practices, the earliest formal Shinto writings date to the 6th century CE. It usually involves animism (a belief in the connection between the natural environment and spiritual world), and ancestor veneration.
Two Abrahamic faiths that originated Southwest Asia are prominent in East Asia. Christianity, which originated in Palestine in the 1st century CE, arrived in East Asia in the 7th century, and became more common in the 1600s with the arrival of European missionaries. Islam originated on the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century CE, and was introduced to western China in the latter part of that century.
China is officially an atheist state, but has become somewhat more permissive of organized religion in recent decades. Still, it is often politically risky to publicly adhere to a particular religion, and the majority of the country’s population are at least nominally non-religious. About 22% of China’s population practice one or more of the Chinese folk religions, and another 18% identify as Buddhist. About 5% of China’s population is Christian, and 2% are Muslim. China’s sheer size means that even religious minorities amount to large populations. China is the world’s largest Buddhist country, contains more Christians than Italy, and more Muslims than Syria.
About 70% of Japan’s population practices Buddhism, and about 70% practice Shintoism, meaning that the majority of the population practice a blend of the two faiths. Christians account for 2% of Japan’s population. The majority of South Korea’s population are not affiliated with any particular religion, although many practice elements of Confucianism and Korean Shamanism. 28% of South Korea’s population is Christian, and 16% are Buddhist. North Korea has traditionally been primarily Buddhist and Confucianist, with some Christians, but independent religious organizations are effectively non-existent in the country. There are some government-sponsored religious groups, but they are tightly monitored to ensure that their spiritual teachings do no conflict with government policy. Taiwan’s religious geography is similar to much of the rest of the region. About a third practice Buddhism, a third Taoism, and a fifth are non-religious. Christians make up 4% of Taiwan’s population, and 10% practice Chinese folk religions.
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Cited and additional bibliography:
Woo, David. 20111231_170051. photo, 31 Dec. 2011. Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mckln/6639929843/. Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0).
“6 Facts about South Korea’s Growing Christian Population.” Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/08/12/6-facts-about-christianity-in-south-korea/.
