According to incomplete statistics, there are about 654.38 billion religious believers in China. There are more than 85,000 places for religious activities in China. More than 300,000 faculty members believe in religion. All kinds of data show that people in China still have deep yearning and pious feelings for religious beliefs.
According to national laws, China citizens have the freedom to believe in religion and not to believe in religion. Before the laws of our country, all religions are equal, and religious activities must be carried out within the framework of national laws, and there must be no illegal acts.
According to statistics in recent years, Buddhism and Taoism are the most popular religions in China. Buddhism originated from ancient India, but Taoism is a religious school born and bred in China. Now let's discuss and introduce the biggest difference between the postures of believers in the two religions. Why are Buddhist monks and Taoists vegetarian, but monks look fat and big, while Taoists are thin?
Reasons for historical development
According to the folklore in China, since ancient times, monks are fat and monks are thin. However, both of them are vegetarian monks who don't eat meat. Why is the gap so big?
Buddhism has a history of 2,500 years, and was successfully introduced to China from ancient India in the Han Dynasty. But its great development did take place in the Tang Dynasty, when the fashion aesthetic style was full. Buddhism, which was popular at that time, was deeply influenced by the image of the Buddha.
Wu Zetian was in power at that time. In order to exclude dissidents, she vigorously promoted Buddhism, and compiled and painted Buddhist images according to the actual situation of the contemporary era, which was widely circulated among the people, causing many people to believe in Buddhism one after another. Since then, most monks have retained a plump image in many people's impressions.
However, Taoism is a local religious belief in China. Taoism originated in China during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and has gone through more than 2,200 years since the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties, the fashion aesthetic trend of society was to be thin and beautiful. According to the pictures of ladies in Wei, Jin and Southern Dynasties, we can see that most of the women in the paintings are tall-boned, with fine features and slender figures, and they were women who were pursuing beauty at that time.
The period of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties in China was the heyday of the establishment and development of Taoism. At that time, Taoism spread in China as far as Persia and Greece. Various images of Taoist content are combined according to the fashion style of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and widely circulated among the people.
The reasons of two religious beliefs and pursuits.
There are still great differences and differences between the contents pursued by Buddhism and Taoism. First, according to the content and pursuit of Buddhism, meditation is often pursued. A monk basically sits and meditates by chanting sutras except for eating in a day, and seldom exercises. This is also one of the reasons for their fullness.
Monks who believe in Buddhism are all pursuing clear minds and seeing nature. Most of them sit in their rooms and meditate all day, and most of the time they are motionless. With the development and popularization of modern science and technology, some daily chores such as chopping wood and carrying water in ancient times have been avoided. This has also led to a small amount of exercise, which is now more direct. Just like modern office workers, they sit so much every day and lack exercise. Over time, he began to lose his posture and gain weight.
But Taoism is more derived from martial arts, and many spirits and thoughts are contained in martial arts handed down from generation to generation. So their daily activities are more about exercise and exercise than Buddhism. People's daily activities in Taoism are mostly sports. In the long run, practicing martial arts and acrobatics consumes too much body fat, making its muscles more solid. For the appearance, it is leaner.
Moreover, Taoism also pursues non-staining, and there will be broken valleys in the process of self-cultivation. Don't eat anything for a long time, just practice spirit. This is why people in Taoism are so thin. According to the present situation, Taoist priests in Zhong Nanshan practice and exercise for more than five hours almost every day.
Moreover, Taoism has also studied pharmaceutics such as traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times. It is good at balancing and reconciling its own body, and will not make the body in a state of puffiness and pursue reasonable health.
Second, the famous images of Maitreya in Buddhism are all topless and fat buttocks. But it is this image that gives people an amiable, kind and loving image. This just echoes the pursuit of harmony and openness pursued by Buddhism. In most people's impression, the image of Taoism is always white-haired, standing on the top of the mountain, holding dust, refining medicine, or traveling around, killing demons. It is an image of a sage like style and a fairy spirit.
What Taoism pursues is this kind of Taoist spirit, which is extraordinary in temperament, strong in iron, transcending the secular world and pursuing inner peace. From ancient times to the present, according to people's aesthetics, only being thin can show this kind of fairy spirit. Therefore, most people in Taoism are thin.
One pays attention to sage like type, looks handsome, and when he gets fat, he ruins everything. One pays attention to Purdue sentient beings, looks generous and has no Buddhist roots.
Respect different religious beliefs
According to the above introduction, we can see that Taoism and Buddhism have different cultural ideas. Not only in ideology and culture, but also in living habits. But no matter what kind of ideological culture and religious belief, it is worth understanding and respecting.
Taoism cultivates the aura, purifies its own psychology and pollutes itself. But Buddhism is more about letting yourself know and understanding your inner troubles and worries. They have different ideas and contents, and it is even more unnecessary for us to demand that their living habits be consistent. Of course, people are fat, short, tall and thin, etc., but no matter what kind of body shape, they are sincerely pursuing the religion they believe in.
China is a multi-religious country, and each religious culture has its own apostles. We are concerned about equality and freedom. Different religious cultures have their own uniqueness. Whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, maintaining respect is the moral bottom line that we must abide by.