Chinese folk religion Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Diversity== Chinese religions have a variety of sources, local forms, founder backgrounds, and ritual and philosophical traditions. Despite this diversity, there is a common core that can be summarised as four theological, cosmological, and moral concepts:{{sfnp|Fan|Chen|2013|pp=5-6}} ''[[Tian]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=天|p=tiān|l=Heaven}}), the [[Absolute (philosophy)|transcendent source]] of moral meaning; ''[[qi]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=氣|s=气|p= qì}}), the breath or energy that animates the universe; ''[[Ancestor veneration in China|jingzu]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=敬祖|p=jìng zǔ}}), the veneration of ancestors; and ''[[bao ying]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=報應|p=bàoyìng}}), moral reciprocity; together with two traditional concepts of fate and meaning:{{sfnp|Fan|Chen|2013|p=21}} ''[[ming yun]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=命運|p= mìngyùn}}), the personal destiny or burgeoning; and ''[[yuan fen]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=緣分|p=yuánfèn}}), "fateful [[coincidence]]",{{sfnp|Fan|Chen|2013|p=23}} good and bad chances and potential relationships.{{sfnp|Fan|Chen|2013|p=23}} [[Yin and yang]] ({{lang-zh|t=陰陽|p=yīnyáng}}) is the polarity that describes the order of the universe,{{sfnb|Adler|2011|p=[http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Writings/Non-theistic.pdf 13]}} held in balance by the interaction of principles of "extension" ({{lang-zh|t=神|p=shén|l=spirit}}) and principles of "returning" ({{lang-zh|t=鬼|p=guǐ|l=ghost}}),<ref name="Teiser, 1996">Teiser, 1996.</ref> with ''yang'' ("act") usually preferred over ''yin'' ("receptiveness") in common religion.<ref name="Thien Do, 2003, pp. 10-11"/> The ''[[taijitu]]'' is used in folk religion, along with the [[bagua]], to represent the natural forces and power that deities like [[Zhong Kui]] wield.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bowker |first=John |title=World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored & Explained |publisher=[[DK (publisher)|DK]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-7440-3475-2 |location=New York |pages=167 |author-link=John Bowker (theologian)}}</ref> ''[[Ling (Chinese religion)|Ling]]'' ({{lang-zh|t=靈|p=líng}}), "[[numen]]" or "[[sacred]]", is the "medium" of the two states and the inchoate order of creation.<ref name="Thien Do, 2003, pp. 10-11"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page