In the long history of the development of human society, a large number of religious beliefs have emerged. These religions have had a positive impact on the advancement of social civilization in a particular historical period. Religion often regulates people's behavior and contributes to the maintenance of social order and the progress of civilizationAt the same time, at the emotional level, religion can also provide people with spiritual comfort and become a source of emotional sustenance.
There are many religions in the world, and the total number of recognized religions exceeds 10,000, but the number of religions that can reach a global impact is quite limited. At present, the three major religions in the world are undoubtedly ** religion, Islam and Buddhism.
But people do not know that in the long course of human history, there was a religion that once became a world-class religion, and now it has almost disappeared. The name of this religion may be little known, but for us Chinese, its nickname is a household name. Today, we're going to take you on an in-depth look at this religion that has vanished.
Manichaeism has a long and rich history.
Manichaeism is the vanished religion mentioned above, whose founder, Mani, was born in Persia and founded about 1,700 years ago.
Mani was originally a follower of other religions and joined well-known religions such as Buddhism, ** Religion and Islam. However, he never found a true sense of belonging in these religions. Therefore, he brought together the advantages and characteristics of various religions to create a completely new religion and named it after himself.
The original art form of Manichaeism was similar to **, which is not surprising because Manichaeism came from Persia, so Manichaeism was not completely detached from Western influences on concepts such as God and Jesus. However, the dogma of Manichaeism is somewhat stricter than that of **. The real development and evolution of Manichaeism came after it was introduced to the East.
After Manichaeism gradually developed and grew in the West, it began to send believers to preach around the world, and the influence of Manichaeism also extended to India, Egypt and other countries.
Although Manichaeism was ostracized by the rulers of other countries and its adherents were brutalized, there is no doubt that their spread was a great success.
Manichaeism has undergone tremendous changes in India, absorbing many of the characteristics of Indian Buddhism. At the same time, Manichaeism gradually began to be significantly different from ** religion, but more similar to Buddhism.
Manichaeism was introduced to China during the Wu Zetian period, when the Tang Dynasty integrated various cultures, so Manichaeism quickly took root in China and became a localized religion.
Chinese know the reasons for Manichaeism.
Manichaeism may be a religion that everyone is not familiar with, but this religion has another name that we Chinese feel very familiar with - Mingjiao.
Mr. Jin Yong once described Mingjiao as the most important sect in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", and used a lot of words to describe it, making it occupy a very important position in the **.
Mr. Jin Yong's works were well-known decades ago, and many teenagers took "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" or "The Legend of the Sky and the Dragon" to fantasize that they could become heroes on the rivers and lakes in the future.
Replace the creed of religion.
Manichaeism has had a new development in India and has been integrated with Buddhism, so it can be said that the canons of Manichaeism are very similar to Buddhism in some way, but more restrictive in comparison.
Manichaeans are expected to offer devout service to the Buddha every day, keep good thoughts, and help each other. In addition, they are required to exercise strict self-discipline in their daily lives, abstaining from all meat consumption, harming animal life, and abstaining from alcohol.
Manichaeanism believed that man's seven passions and six desires were the root of all evil, so they advocated that their followers suppress human nature and avoid sexual immorality. In other words, Manichaeism discourages its followers from starting a family and reproducing their offspring.
For the Chinese people, in line with the concept of "there are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is great", this situation is undoubtedly extremely dangerous. As a result, the initial development of Manichaeism in China did not go well, and few people were willing to join this foreign, heavily regulated religion.
Manichaeism seized the opportunity and soon after, the Anshi Rebellion broke out in China. In the process of quelling the war, Manichaeism made important contributions to the Tang Dynasty royal family, which also greatly enhanced its image in the eyes of the common people. Thus, Manichaeism began its formal development in China and had many adherents.
The demise of Nepal.
The fall of Manichaeism can be said to be traceable, because the fate of this religion was not very good. It was called "Mingjiao" and came into conflict with what would become the Ming Dynasty of China. Naturally, the Ming Dynasty wanted to suppress such a religion associated with its own name, so Manichaeism was severely restricted during the Ming Dynasty.
Under the influence of the political situation, people began to alienate Mingjiao and no longer regarded it as a good religious group, so many Manichaean believers also left Mingjiao and turned to Buddhism, which was supported by ** and similar to Manichaeism.
During the Qing Dynasty, Manichaeism was not given a chance to be revived because the rulers did not pay attention to the sect because they did not consider it useful to their rule, and eventually Manichaeism largely disappeared from Chinese mainland.
Although Manichaeism has left behind a large number of religious documents and religious buildings, true Manichaean believers have disappeared without a trace.
As an inevitable product of the development of human civilization, religion represents the deepest desire of human beings. To a certain extent, it can restrain people's behavior and play a positive role in social development in a specific historical period.
However, nowadays, with the continuous progress of science and the stability of people's lives, we do not need religion to soothe our hearts and give comfort as in the past, because science can already explain most of the problems in our daily lives. However, it is also meaningful to read the history of religion in your spare time.