RELIGIONS OF EAST ASIA (Essay Sample)

RELIGIONS OF EAST ASIA Name: Class + Course: Date: Religion is fundamental to East Asia, constituting crucial aspects of this region’s history. Understanding the religious groups in this region requires comprehending the complex relationship between religious, cultural, and economic factors in the communities. In addition, it is essential to understand the different aspects of these groups, such as their modalities and practices that differentiate one religion from the other. This information is a valuable tool for analyzing existing and emerging religious groups, including the new group that has arisen in the Laurentian Mountains. In the current case, a new religion appears in the Laurentian Mountains and is founded by a teacher of East Asia descent. An evaluation of the new groups reveals relational, liturgical, personal, and immediate aspects that define the practices within this group, consistent with the characteristics of religious groups in East Asia. Relational Aspect The case presents a new religious group that emerged in the Laurentian Mountains, founded by a female founder. The group lives in a communal setting with shrines dedicated to different deities present in the compound and pilgrims arriving during weekends and holidays to participate in worship and rituals. An analysis of this group and its practice shows various aspects consistent with Chau’s modalities of religious groups. One of the evident aspects is the relational feature that focuses on creating and supporting robust relationships within the group. These relationships are between human beings and also between deities and people. The relational aspect of these groups was vital in promoting social connections. In many of these groups establishing and sustaining these relationships involved practices such as setting up shrines and pilgrims from other parts who visited to partake in religious rituals.[Adams Chau, “Modalities of Doing Religion,” in Chinese Religious Life, ed. David A. Palmer, Glenn Shive, and Philip Wickeri (New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 67-84.] The information about the new group in the Laurentian Mountains is consistent with these practices. From the provided description, this group has various shrines dedicated to different deities in the compound. In addition, worshipers from surrounding areas pay for their pilgrimage during the weekends and holidays when they come for religious practices. When analyzing the religions of East Asia, pilgrimage is one of the aspects that emerge in almost all religious groups, implying that it is one of the fundamental practices in maintaining relationships between worshippers and deities and between the people. For instance, Mt. Fugi is a common example of a pilgrimage, who climbs the mountain while following a set of rules. By having shrined dedicated to different deities in the compound, the new group encourages worshipers to visit, maintaining the relationship.[Sawada, Janin. “Religious Culture in Transition: Mt. Fuji.” Essay. In Defining Shugendo: Critical Studies on Japanese Mountain Religion, ed.by Andrea Castiglioni, Fabio Rambelli, and Carina Roth (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2022), 188–251.] Liturgical Aspect Another characteristic present in this group is the liturgical aspect. Fundamentally, practices under this aspect involve the performance of religious rituals by a spiritual leader or specialist. In most cases, the ritual procedures under liturgy are elaborate and customary in the worship process. In East Asia, this modality is present in most religious groups, such as the rites in Confucius and Daoism and chanting in the sutra, among others. The new religious group is no exception to these practices. The worshippers who come to the compound during the weekends and holidays participate in worship rituals. When examining the religions of East Asia, rituals are a constant aspect as the rituals within each religion were some of the distinctive features defining that particular group. Some of the evident rituals in the different groups in East Asia religions include beliefs such as Buddhism practicing rituals such as prayer beads and jiezhu, a women’s ritual, which eventually became a symbol of friendship and prestige in communities. In the new group, the founder leads various rituals in which the followers partake in the different worship rituals. The presence of rituals in the new groups aligns with the liturgical aspect and practices, characteristic of religions of East Asia.[Adams Chau, “Modalities of Doing Religion,”] [Hwang, Hwang, and Todd A. Henry. “Ritual Specialists in Colonial Drag Shamanic Interventions in 1920s Korea.” Chapter. In Queer Korea (Durham: Duke University Press, 2020), 55–89.] [Neky Cheung, “‘Receiving Prayer Beads,’” in Recovering Buddhism in Modern China, ed. Jan Kiely and Brooks JESSUP (New York: Columbia University Press, 2016), 291-332.] Personal Aspect Notably, the personal aspect of the groups and religious practices is also evident in this group. This modality entails engaging in practices aimed and self-improvement. In his text, Chau sees this personal feature as involving activities that constitute having long-term awareness in altering and enlightening oneself. According to the available description, this new group engages in daily chanting, meditation, and physiological exercises. Ideally, activities such as meditation and physical exercise are aimed at improving the physical and mental well-being of the participants.[Adams Chau, “Modalities of Doing Religion,”] Among the religious groups in East Asia, self-improvement is fundamental to enhancing the individual’s interconnectedness with the universe and achieving freedom from one’s perceptions of perfection. Practices such as meditation and chanting are present in various religious groups of East Asia, such as Buddhism. For instance, morning chanting is a part of cultivating the external body in Daoism, while other religious groups, such as Buddhism, embrace practices such as evening recitations. Chanting is also evident in other groups, such as Mt. Fugi, where it was a ritual that pilgrims participated in while climbing the mountain. In this new group, the followers are engaged in daily chanting, which is part of self-cultivation. It is worth noting that these religious groups embrace self-improvement practices for different reasons. While these goals are not discussed in the case of this new group, other religions, such as Daoism, seek to achieve immortality, be reincarnated into a better life in Buddhism, and become better and closer to sage wisdom in Confucianism. Within the personal modality, this self-improvement also contributes to self-cultivation, pursued by both the literate and illiterate. By embracing practices such as chanting and physical activities, this group exhibits the personal aspect of groups.[Chün-fang, Yü. “The Meditation Tradition Chan Buddhism.” Chapter. In Chinese Buddhism: A Thematic History, 172–97. University of Hawai‘i Press, 2020] [Janin. “Religious Culture in Transition] The Practice of Seeking Immediate Results Remarkably, seeking immediate and quick results is a widespread practice among religious groups. In this aspect, the worshippers within the religious groups pursue reasonable practices and seemingly yield instant results, with rituals and magical procedures being the most sought-after approaches. In this modality, practices associated with magical power and perceived qu...