The Origin of Taoism I Ancient Chinese Religions
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The ancient Chinese ancestors believed that all things had spirits, which led to the worship of nature, totems, souls, and ancestors. Over time, it gradually developed to the integration of ancestors and celestial deities, forming the embryonic form of the supreme god.
The worship of ghosts and deities had already existed in the primitive society period. The ancestors regarded the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, mountains, rivers, and peaks as being governed by deities, thus feeling a sense of awe and worshiping them devoutly. At that time, besides having the natural worship due to the belief that all things had spirits, the ancestors also believed that the soul did not perish after death, so the worship of ghosts and deities emerged. Various funeral rituals and ceremonies for sacrificing to ghosts and driving away ghosts gradually took shape. It is recorded in the "Bamboo Annals" that "When the Yellow Emperor passed away, his minister Zuo Che took his clothes, hat, table, and walking stick and offered sacrifices to him in the ancestral temple."
By the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the natural worship in the prehistoric period had developed into the belief in God and the Mandate of Heaven, and initially formed a celestial deity system centered on God. Whenever something happened, witches and shamans would ask God for answers through divination. The primitive worship of ghosts and deities had developed into the ancestor worship based on blood ties and combined with the patriarchal relationship, and the ancestor worship activities were held regularly. During this period, religious professionals who specialized in communicating between ghosts and deities and humans—witches and shamans—had already emerged. Among them, witches summoned deities through singing and dancing and had a set of witchcraft for driving away ghosts with spells; shamans pleased deities with words and were the masters of ceremonies responsible for welcoming deities and praying in religious sacrificial activities. They treated people's illnesses, divined good or bad fortune, drew talismans and recited incantations, etc. At that time, both the state and society were dominated by witches and shamans.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the worship of ghosts and deities further developed, and the worshiped ghosts and deities had formed three systems: celestial deities, human ghosts, and earthly spirits. And the worship of ancestral spirits was put on a par with the sacrifice to heaven and earth, which was called respecting heaven and ancestors. It is probably because all things originate from heaven and humans originate from their ancestors.
The reason why Taoism in later generations became a polytheistic religion originated from the ancient worship of ghosts and deities. The Taoist rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices in later generations also had a close relationship with the ancient sacrificial rituals and etiquette for ghosts and deities.
When people worship deities, they need to hold sacrificial activities, and sacrificial activities cannot be separated from the "ritual and music civilization." With the collapse of rituals and music in the Spring and Autumn Period, the ritual and music civilization gradually spread from the upper class to the folk and was inherited by folk alchemists and witches and shamans later. After the establishment of Taoism, it evolved into the Taoist rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices. Therefore, a considerable part of the ritual and music civilization of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties was preserved by Taoism. In fact, Taoism is the inheritor of the ritual and music civilization.
The worship of ghosts and deities had already existed in the primitive society period. The ancestors regarded the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, mountains, rivers, and peaks as being governed by deities, thus feeling a sense of awe and worshiping them devoutly. At that time, besides having the natural worship due to the belief that all things had spirits, the ancestors also believed that the soul did not perish after death, so the worship of ghosts and deities emerged. Various funeral rituals and ceremonies for sacrificing to ghosts and driving away ghosts gradually took shape. It is recorded in the "Bamboo Annals" that "When the Yellow Emperor passed away, his minister Zuo Che took his clothes, hat, table, and walking stick and offered sacrifices to him in the ancestral temple."
By the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the natural worship in the prehistoric period had developed into the belief in God and the Mandate of Heaven, and initially formed a celestial deity system centered on God. Whenever something happened, witches and shamans would ask God for answers through divination. The primitive worship of ghosts and deities had developed into the ancestor worship based on blood ties and combined with the patriarchal relationship, and the ancestor worship activities were held regularly. During this period, religious professionals who specialized in communicating between ghosts and deities and humans—witches and shamans—had already emerged. Among them, witches summoned deities through singing and dancing and had a set of witchcraft for driving away ghosts with spells; shamans pleased deities with words and were the masters of ceremonies responsible for welcoming deities and praying in religious sacrificial activities. They treated people's illnesses, divined good or bad fortune, drew talismans and recited incantations, etc. At that time, both the state and society were dominated by witches and shamans.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the worship of ghosts and deities further developed, and the worshiped ghosts and deities had formed three systems: celestial deities, human ghosts, and earthly spirits. And the worship of ancestral spirits was put on a par with the sacrifice to heaven and earth, which was called respecting heaven and ancestors. It is probably because all things originate from heaven and humans originate from their ancestors.
The reason why Taoism in later generations became a polytheistic religion originated from the ancient worship of ghosts and deities. The Taoist rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices in later generations also had a close relationship with the ancient sacrificial rituals and etiquette for ghosts and deities.
When people worship deities, they need to hold sacrificial activities, and sacrificial activities cannot be separated from the "ritual and music civilization." With the collapse of rituals and music in the Spring and Autumn Period, the ritual and music civilization gradually spread from the upper class to the folk and was inherited by folk alchemists and witches and shamans later. After the establishment of Taoism, it evolved into the Taoist rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices. Therefore, a considerable part of the ritual and music civilization of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties was preserved by Taoism. In fact, Taoism is the inheritor of the ritual and music civilization.
