RELIGIONS OF ANCIENT CHINA
by Herbert A. Giles
Professor of Chinese at the University of Cambridge,
Author of "Historic China," "A History of Chinese
Literature," "China and the Chinese," etc., etc.
Contents
SELECTED WORKS BEARING ON THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA
First Published 1906 by Constable and Company Ltd., London.
PREPARER'S NOTE This book was published as part of the series Religions: Ancient and Modern. The Psychological Origin and Nature of Religion, by J. H. Leuba. Judaism, by Israel Abraham. Celtic Religion, by Professor E. Anwye. Shinto: The Ancient Religion of Japan, by W. G. Aston, C.M.G. The Religion of Ancient Rome, by Cyril Bailey, M.A. Hinduism, by Dr. L. D. Barnett. The Religion of Ancient Palestine, by Stanley A. Cook. Animism, by Edward Clodd. Scandinavian Religion, by William A. Craigie. Early Buddhism, by Prof. T. W. Rhys Davids, LL.D. The Religions of Ancient China, by Prof. Giles, LL.D. Magic and Fetishism, by Dr. A. C. Haddon, F.R.S. The Religion of Ancient Greece, by Jane Harrison. The Religion of Ancient Egypt, by W. M. Flinders Petrie, F.R.S. Pantheism, by James Allanson Picton. The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, by Theophilus G. Pinches. Early Christianity (Paul to Origen), by S. B. Slack. The Mythologies of Ancient Mexico and Peru, by Lewis Spence, M.A. The Mythology of Ancient Britain and Island, by Charles Squire. Islam, by Ameer Ali, Syed, M.A., C.I.E. Mithraism, by W. G. Pythian-Adams. The publishers were: Constable and Company Ltd, London; Open Court Company, Chicago. The 1918 edition was printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner, Frome and London.
RELIGIONS OF ANCIENT CHINA
CHAPTER I — THE ANCIENT FAITH
Philosophical Theory of the Universe.—The problem of the universe has never offered the slightest difficulty to Chinese philosophers. Before the beginning of all things, there was Nothing. In the lapse of ages Nothing coalesced into Unity, the Great Monad. After more ages, the Great Monad separated into Duality, the Male and Female Principles in nature; and then, by a process of biogenesis, the visible universe was produced.
Popular Cosmogeny.—An addition, however, to this simple system had to be made, in deference to, and on a plane with, the intelligence of the masses. According to this, the Male and Female Principle