Religion in China and Japan

[外人・・・様！]

It seems to me that China and Japan are not very religious countries. I think when the communists took over China they intentionally... what's the word I'm looking for... "ended" religion.

In Japan, people go to shrines and temples, but I don't think anyone actually has faith. There is the idea of

1)Born shinto

2)Marry Christian

3)Die Buddhist...

Anyone have a comment on this?

[Quest]

They are religious but they don't actively preach their religions.

Religious activities are just part of the tradition.

[ananda]

Taoism and Buddhism are the most important 'religion' in China. Both

of them have no restrict ritual and no goal for expanding the members.

For Daoism, it's hard to call it a 'religion', it's originally a mixture of tales

and fairies to the point of people's view, it borrowed Tao's philosophy and

became a religion. Buddhism influenced China during Tang & Song

dynasties, after the controversy between the confucius scholar and the

buddhists, a china-style-Zen Buddhism overwhelmed(so it's said that one

could be a success Zenist if he is not a good confucian and pure-land

buddhist.). Buddhism doesn't aimed for salvation, but to let you know the

five-essence(form, feelings, perceptions, formations, consciousness)

doesn't differ with emptiness, and through the hundreds of thousands

practicing way, you could jump out the circles of life and reach the status

of nirvana. You and your behavior help yourself. You could practice in

every place and every time in any method even walking, running, zazen.

So not only those who are in the temples are the disciples, the disciples

could be in any places and with any appearance.

[外人・・・様！]

The intresting think to me, is that the purpose of reaching nirvana is to end the cycle of reincarnation... Because life might be worse than not living.

Hmm...

Zazen, how would you it be pronounced in Chinese? (座禅）

[Quest]

Zazen, how would you it be pronounced in Chinese? (座禅）

In modern mandarin, it's pronounced "zuo4 chan2".

In Cantonese, it's “zo6 sim4".

Shanghaiese or Fujianese pronunciations may be closer to the Japanese pronunciation.

[wenjing*girl]

It seems that religion here is more of a duty than a conviction of the heart.

[ananda]

The intresting think to me, is that the purpose of reaching nirvana is to end the cycle of reincarnation... Because life might be worse than not living.

Hmm...

Zazen, how would you it be pronounced in Chinese? (座禅）

sorry I can't provide more deep explanation about nirvana 'cause I'm quite

a newbie to Buddhism. But nirvana is not only about life or death, but ....

Zazen is 坐禅(zuo4 chan2) or 禅定(chan2 ding4)