Everyone's view of faith is different, some are convinced, some are firmly denial. However, in the hearts of most of us, there is a faith that runs through it like the pillar of life.
China has a long history, and a diverse religious culture has emerged in the process of its development. Over time, the images of believers in different dynasties also took on different styles.
Among them, Buddhism and Taoism are the two most influential religions. Curiously, however, Buddhist monks tend to be plump, while Taoist monks are often skinny.
Although the two religions are expressed in China in the form of faith, their internal roots and cultural backgrounds are very different. These differences do not occur by chance, but have a deep causal relationship.
Buddhism came from overseas, while Taoism was born in China itself, which determines the difference in cultural backgrounds and values between the two.
Buddhism originated in India, was introduced to China with the Western Han Dynasty, and gradually realized sinicization through social changes. Taoism, on the other hand, was proposed by two Chinese philosophers in the late Spring and Autumn Period, Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi, and later sorted out by Zhang Daoling to form a Taoist sect and spread widely in society.
It can be seen that Taoism is a localized religion in China, and its birth predates Buddhism. Buddhism was originally a religion in India, and it absorbed elements of popular Taoism and metaphysics in China to become "Sinicized Buddhism".
In addition to their different places of origin, the two also advocate very different religious cultures.
The sinicization of Buddhism emphasizes "wukong", that is, under the teachings of Zen Buddhism, all things will eventually return to emptiness. On the contrary, Taoism adheres to the concept of "two in one life, two in three, and three in all things", and firmly believes that the growth of all things is never-ending and continuous.
As a result, the fundamental ideals of the two religions are significantly different, and the worldviews and values they advocate are also very different. These two religions are also of unique value for later scholarly research.
Buddhism is influenced by Indian thought and has a more concrete view of things, believing that everything is made of matter. Therefore, the modern research direction of this mainly focuses on the materialization of "earth, wind, water and fire".
Huaxia is the birthplace of Taoism, and its classification is ancient and unique. We are accustomed to dividing things into yin and yang, and this idea is embodied in Taoism.
Taoism divides the development of things into five forms, and this view has had a profound impact on the research of later generations. These two very different Chinese religions have significant differences in character and behavior among their adherents.
Monks in Buddhism and Taoist priests in Taoism are followers in their respective religions.
All along, we have very different impressions of monks and Taoist priests. Monks are usually presented"Plump and rounded"image, and the Taoist priest often is"Emaciated and shriveled"Target.
What is the reason for this? There is a theory that this is related to the way of ruling in different periods, and that different dynasties will have different aesthetic pursuits. Since Buddhism spread in China at different times, the focus on adherents will also be different.
When Buddhism was first introduced to the Han Dynasty, people did not have a special pursuit of body shape, so there was no image of a monk to refer to. However, by the time of the Tang Dynasty, one"Fat is beautiful"The concept of people has changed dramatically.
In the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian's rule suppressed Taoism, but this indirectly promoted the development of Buddhism. The dominant aesthetic of this period was dominated by plump and rounded body shapes, and as a result, the image of Buddhism also began to become rounded and plump.
Especially when building the Buddha statue, Wu Zetian even personally ordered to make the Buddha statue more plump, just like Maitreya Buddha. Therefore,"Fat and plump"It became the image pursuit of the monks of the Tang Dynasty.
However, the Taoist priests did not have such an image pursuit. Because in the era of Taoism, no ruler would have such a high pursuit of a plump body.
As a result, they can always adhere to their religious ideas and not be influenced by the aesthetic ideas of society.
In Taoist culture, Taoist priests are committed to achieving the goal of becoming immortals through the cultivation of immortal Tao and self-cultivation. In order to achieve this, they need to perform daily exercises, which require them to maintain a strong body and a light posture.
In addition to the differences in physical pursuits, there are also significant differences in the daily life styles of monks and Taoist priests. Although monks don't eat meat dishes, this does not mean that they eat a balanced diet.
In their daily diet, the monks choose vegetarian food, so that the food does not smell meaty, and naturally cannot fill their stomachs, so they distribute more staple foods. However, eating too much starch-rich foods such as rice porridge and noodles can easily lead to obesity.
During the day, the monks hardly exercise, they spend most of their time meditating cross-legged and unable to burn the fat in their bodies. Day after day, the monks' bodies gradually became obese and their images became plump.
In contrast, although the Taoist priests eat vegetarian food every day, they have enough exercise, and they pursue fairy wind and Taoist bones, and have higher requirements for maintaining a light body, so they can't let their body "fat" in their daily life, and their image is naturally more capable.
In addition to the above reasons, the difference in the stature of monks and Taoist priests is rooted in their respective religious beliefs. The so-called "Buddhism does not kill" and Taoism's "belief in qi", since ancient times, people have different views on eating meat, and among the believers of these two religions, they have their own opinions.
Buddhists believe that vegetarianism is because they can't kill, not because they don't want to eat, but because of the limitations of their faith. In Taoism, vegetarianism is based on the religious belief that meat is unsuitable for consumption.
Therefore, the Taoist priests did not eat meat, purely out of inner instinct, and they rejected this kind of food that might affect their cultivation.
Although vegetarianism is the same, the motivations behind it are different, so the effects on the body and mind are also very different. The monk's body is fat, in fact, it is only because in the Tang Dynasty ruled by Wu Zetian, the social atmosphere advocated plumpness, which made people pursue the image of Buddha statues to be full.
And because the Taoist priests were not valued by the Tang Dynasty, they always insisted on religious beliefs, so their image has always remained thin.
Although Buddhism and Taoism have different beliefs, as the two major existing religious cultures in China, they both affect people's life pursuits to a certain extent, and also maintain social harmony and stability at the level of cultural beliefs.
In the face of different religious beliefs, we need to maintain an impartial and objective attitude and look at their contribution to social harmony in an impartial manner. Only in this way can we live peacefully with these products of human faith and walk through the years together.