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Religious Studies: East & South East Asian

Religion 101

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“It is important for the good of bruised and suffering humanity, that every people forget its personal interest to think but of those of the whole." (The Caodaist Sacerdocy)

East Asia

Terms & Definitions

  • Minjian Xinyang: academic term for Chinese folk religion.
  • De: Merit
  • Fengshui: Chinese geomancy
  • Guhun yegui: Ancestors that do not get offerings regularly; "wild ghosts"
  • Huangli: almanac for choosing auspicious dates
  • Ming: Destiny
  • The Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water
  • Yin-Yang: Chinese philosophical framework that defines the connected nature of opposites. The traditional Chinese creation story says the universe was created out of chaos, then organized into the framework of yin-yang (which in turn created us!).
  • Yun: Fate

Sources

See "Shintoism" tab under "East Asian Religions".

Terms & Definitions

  • Hanullim or Ch'onsim: supreme heavenly spirit
  • Kut: ritual where Gods and ancestral spirits are offered refreshments and entertainment in a kuttang.
  • Kuttang: private shrine, sometimes in a home
  • Mu-ism: Korean ritualized, polytheistic practices
  • Mu-dang: ritual leaders, typically women
    • Mangsin/Kangsin-mu: largest subgroup of the mu; engage in spiritual possession
    • Sesup-mu: subgroup of the mu from the south or east; engage with spirits as mediums

Sources

Southeast Asia

Terms & Definitions

  • Aliran Kepercayaan: An all-encompassing name for the religious folk traditions of Indonesia.
  • Kebatinan: mystic, esoteric doctrine from Animistic, Hinduistic, Buddhist and Islamic origin; "the science of the inner".
  • Kejawen or Javanism: the spiritual traditions of the Java people in Indonesia. A syncretic blend of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and a predecessor to the "Islamification" of Indonesia.
  • Kepercayaan: official term for various forms of mysticism in Indonesia, sometimes conflated with "belief" or "faith".

Sources

Terms & Definitions

  • Satsana Phi: religious and spiritual beliefs on the Tai ethnic group, spread throughout Thailand, Laos, and Neighboring countries.
  • Baci Ceremonies: Phi ritual meant to celebrate important events.
  • Khwan: Spirits that inhabit the bodies of humans, animals, and plants; the "vital essence" in all living things
  • Mophi: Shamanic priests

Sources

Terms & Definitions

  • Anito: Ancestor spirits
  • Bathala: supreme deity among the Tagalog ethnic group.
  • Dambana: transient altars set up to worship the anito.
  • Diwata: Deities/Gods
    • ​​​​​​​Nature Spirits
    • Guardian Spirits
    • Deified Ancestors
  • Katalonan/Babaylan: Shaman
  • Pag-anito: Seance where a katalonan communicates directly with spirits (typically the anito).

Sources

General Terms & Definitions

  • Dao Mau: Shamanic worship of Vietnamese mother goddesses.
  • Than: Spirits/gods with a focus on generational/ancestral roots
    • Thien Than: heavenly deities
    • Nhien than: nature-based deities
    • Nhan than: ancestral deities (folk heroes, legendary literary figures)
      • Thanh hoang: a Nhan than guarding a specific village.
  • Linh: Power of a god to affect the physical realm.
  • Caodaism: monotheistic worship of Highest God Cao Dai.
  • Minh Dao: Grouping of 5 folk religions predating Caodaism.

Popular Deities

  • Lac Long Quan and Au Co: father and mother of the Vietnamese people
  • The Four Immortals: Tản Viên Sơn Thánh, Thánh Gióng, Chử Đồng Tử, and Liễu Hạnh
  • The Four Palace Goddesses: Mẫu Thượng Thiên, Mẫu Thượng Ngàn, Mẫu Thoải, and Mẫu Địa

Sources

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