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How did Taoist and Buddhist practices blend in Chinese folk religion after the Song dynasty?
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Taoism
Questions and answers about the religio-philosophical Chinese tradition of Taoism.
Following the Song dynasty (960β1279), the boundaries between Taoism and Buddhism in Chinese folk religion became increasingly blurred, leading to a state of coexistence where worshippers often made no clear distinctions between the two traditions.1
This blending was characterized by several key developments:
- Mutual Borrowing: Competition for influence among the populace resulted in significant cross-pollination of practices. Taoism adopted Buddhist-influenced concepts of the afterlife and purgatory, while Buddhism underwent a partial "Taoicization" to adapt to Chinese cultural conditions.2
- Syncretism of the Three Religions: A popular movement known as the Three Religions (sanjiao) emerged, which amalgamated Confucian ethics, Taoist systems of merit, and Buddhist concepts of reincarnation. This synthesis was widely disseminated through popular "books on goodness" (shanshu).23
- Shared Practices: By the Song period and beyond, the two traditions were not viewed as mutually exclusive. Common people and literati alike engaged in an intellectual and religious "amalgamation," where individuals might participate in rituals or hold beliefs derived from both Taoist and Buddhist sources simultaneously.4