Known as the Empire of the Great Ming, the Ming Dynasty is considered as one of the greatest eras in ancient history. Along with its popularity, this particular era was responsible for the restoration of the Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal. It was also the time when the Forbidden City was established. Aside from its awe-inspiring achievements, people may wonder what religions were prevalent during the Ming Dynasty.
Taoism and Buddhism
The Ming Dynasty had several religious inclinations, but the dominant religious beliefs during that time were Taoism (also Daoism on the left) and Buddhism ( on the right). Some people believed in having a harmonious relationship with nature. During this era, scriptures and various practices were done to establish harmony with nature. On the other hand, others believed in Buddha (Buddhism). Some Chinese spent their whole life based on Buddha’s teachings. In fact, Buddhism has played a major role in shaping the way Chinese people think.
Taoism or Daoism is a religious or philosophical tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony withthe Tao (Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào; literally: "the Way", also romanized as Dao). The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists.
Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. An Indian religion, Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. Buddhism originated in Ancient Indians a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia.
other religions in the Ming dynasty :
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Confucianism
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Islam
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Chinese folk religion
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Heaven worship
The Arrival of Christianity
Christianity was also spreading in China during the Ming Dynasty. Christianity arrived along with the Jesuit missionaries. The Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci was one of them. He was able to convince Chinese members of the upper class to join with him through the advanced Western technology he introduced to them. Some Chinese were cajoled to live the Christian life.
