Religions of Southeast Asia • Hinduism • Islam • Buddhism • Shintoism • Confucianism

1. Religions of Southeast Asia •Hinduism •Islam •Buddhism •Shintoism •Confucianism

2. Asian Religions

3. Birthplaces of Twelve Major Living Religions

4. Buddhism in Southeast Asia • Buddhism is one of the important religions of mainland SE Asia • Founded in Northeast India in 6th c. BC by Siddhartha Gautama • After Siddhartha’s “awakening” or enlightenment, he came to be called the Buddha (The Enlightened One) • In the 3rd c. BC Buddhist missionaries traveled throughout India to Sri Lanka and beyond to most of SE Asia. • Buddhism began to lose influence in India in the 8th c. due to the rise of Hinduism and Islam

5. Buddha’s Birthplace and Dispersion of Buddhism to East Asia

6. Buddha’s Early Teachings: Four Noble Truths • The truth of suffering, • The truth of the cause of suffering, • The truth of the end of suffering, • The truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.

7. Buddha’s Early Teachings: Four Noble Truths • To ease suffering one must let go of attachments by following the Eight-fold path: • Right understanding of four noble truths: • Right thinking • Right speech • Right action • Right living • Right effort • Right mindfulness • Right concentration

8. Buddhist Practices • Meditation - Mental concentration and mindfulness • Mantras - Sacred sounds • Mudras - Symbolic hand gestures • Prayer Wheels - Reciting mantras with the turn of a wheel

9. Buddhism in Southeast Asia Today • Buddha established the sangha, the order of Buddhist monks, that is still flourishing today in mainland SE Asia • Virtually all male Buddhists enter the sanghato become monks for at least a short time during their lives; this provides merit for their parents • The sanghacontinues to help spread and protect the Buddhist faith • Mainland SE Asia is still predominantly Buddhist • Approximately 360 million adherents worldwide

11. Burmese Monks Burmese Nuns

12. Confucianism in South East Asia • Confucianism developed in China: a belief system begun by the moral philosopher, Confucius (551 BC –479 BC) • Confucianism is a complex set of beliefs emphasizing harmony, stability, consensus, hierarchy and authority • There is no priesthood and no formal ritual • Confucian ideas still have a profound effect in Vietnam, Singapore, and among Chinese in cities throughout the region • There are approximately 6 million Confucians in the world. Almost all are in SE Asia.

13. Beliefs and Practices of Confucianism • Beliefs: • Confucian ethical teachings include the following values: • Li: includes ritual, propriety, etiquette, etc. • Hsiao: love within the family: love of parents for their children and of children for their parents • Yi: righteousness • Xin: honesty and trustworthiness • Jen: benevolence, humaneness towards others; the highest Confucian virtue • Chung: loyalty to the state, etc. • Practices: Certain rituals are associated with the four stages of life: • Birth • Reaching Maturity • Marriage • Death

14. MAIN TENETS OF CONFUCIANISM • The Sacred Past: Confucius believed people should study the past to understand how to behave and be virtuous. • The Social Code (Relationships): Political relationships are like family relationships, but larger. Rulers should behave toward their subjects they way fathers do with their children. Certain rituals of the past should be followed with this code. • Self-Improvement: Strive to become a virtuous man. If all become virtuous, there will be harmony in society.

15. Confucianism

16. Origins of Hinduism • Hinduism originated in India; it spread to SE Asia, and other parts of the world • It is considered one of the oldest religions in the world and can be traced to the 2nd millennium BC • In the 1st c. AD, Hinduism was spread throughout SE Asia by Indian traders who established marketing centers on their routes • Today, there are approximately 900 million practicing Hindus

17. World Dispersion of the Hindu Community

18. Beliefs of Hinduism • Believe in a Supreme God – Brahman – the force present in all things • Every living thing has a soul • Central belief involves cycle of birth, death and rebirth (reincarnation) controlled by Karma - • Karma is the belief that one’s actions have good or bad consequences • Life should be lived according to the dharma (code of conduct)

19. Practices of Hinduism • The Ganges is considered sacred, the home of the goddess Ganga • annual pilgrimages to the many temples and shrines located along its shores • Drink, bathe, and, after death, have their ashes scattered in the river. • Bathing in the Ganges is a purifying ritual to wash away sins • spreading one's ashes in the water upon death may improve one's karma and hasten salvation.

20. Practices of Hinduism • Main texts are The Vedas (knowledge) and their supplements • Main Dieties: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva • Puja – rituals involving worship of dieties • Darshan – the act of seeing and being seen by the diety to attain grace • Devotional poems and dances are part of many rituals • Dawali, Festival of Lights, most famous of Hindu celebrations

23. Shintoism in SE Asia • Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan • Approximately 3-4 million adherents worldwide • Contains aspects of Buddhism and Toaism – mixture of religious traditions • “Shinto" means "way of the kami." Shinto beliefs focus on the existence and power of the kami, or gods, that exist in the world, in nature, and especially in and throughout Japan. • Adiverse and ancient set of traditional and ritual practices that create and express the natural relationship between the Shinto gods (called "kami") and the people and places of Japan.

24. Shinto Practices • Daily shrine worship either at public shrines or small household shrines • Shinto rituals performed by male priests - Purification rituals are common • Humans and kami (divine spirits) exist in the same world. Shrine worship is the method of establishing the connection between humans and the divine. • Wish-fulfilling amulets and protective talismans may be left at a shrine, taken from a shrine, carried on one’s person, or placed in personal spaces. Once a year all amulets and talismans are burned in a purification festival. • Great respect is held for nature and ancestors. Ancestor worship is a significant practice of Shintoism. • Many national festivals (matsuri) revolve around Shinto beliefs and celebrate the seasons, Japanese history, and other Japanese events and traditions

25. Shintoism does NOT have:a formal founder written documents before the 8th century CE list of formalized ethics system of dogmatic beliefs or creedsspecific holy book

26. Shinto Shrines

27. Origins of Islam in Southeast Asia • Islam’s roots in SE Asia are debated: some argue that Islam came directly from Arabia in the Middle East; some say Islam came from India via the Middle East; others claim Islam was brought to SE Asia through Muslim Chinese traders • Islam arrived in SE Asia sometime in the 13th c. long after Hinduism, Animism and Buddhism • Islam in SE Asia influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism • There is great Islamic diversity throughout SE Asia due to the mix of religious traditions

28. Islam in Southeast Asia today • Indonesia most populous Islamic country in the world (90% Muslim) • Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and India also have large Muslim populations • 1.3 billion adherents worldwide

29. Works Cited Carroll, Beverly J. “Shinto Basics.” World-Religions-Professor.com. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. “Confucianism.” http://www.freehostingguru.com/. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. “Confucianism: The Philosophy Explained.” http://www.mitchellteachers.org/confucius/philosophy/ ConfucianPhilosophyNotesHandout.pdf/.Web. 6 Apr. 2014. Kleinmeyer, Cindy. “Religions of South East Asia.” Northern Illinois University. June, 2004. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.