Chapter 21 3. Where there is light, there is shadow

Religion is the lifeline of Indians. No nation seems to be as obsessed with religion as the Indians.They may not have a country or a nation, but they cannot live without a religion.They don't even have to stick to a certain religion.Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Sikhism, you name it.Hinduism is divided into Vedicism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism in a narrow sense.No religion, no. In fact, the evolution of civilization, the spread of culture, the change of regime, and the rise and fall of dynasties are all closely related to religion in India.The Maurya Dynasty believed in Buddhism.After its third-generation monarch, Ashoka, put down his butcher knife and converted to Buddhism, the troops sent to neighboring countries were no longer troops, but eminent monks who promoted Buddhism.This earned him the title of "The Holy King of the Wheel", and Buddhism became one of the three major religions in the world.The Gupta Dynasty believed in Brahmanism.But like the Mauryan Dynasty, it is very tolerant of all religions.As a result, Indian culture reached its peak under the rule of this dynasty, comparable to the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and produced great works like Shakuntala.There is also the Guishuang Dynasty established by foreigners, which actually spread Buddhism to their hometown, Central Asia, and then to China.

The Delhi Sultanate of the Turks and the Mughal Dynasty of the Mongols both adopted Islam as the state religion.But Akbar, the third-generation monarch of the Mughal dynasty, not only had a loose policy, but also married a Hindu woman as his wife. How could this not be "the heart of the world"?On the contrary, the Delhi Sultanate, which adopted a high-handed policy, was resisted by the Hindu princes in the south; the forced implementation of Islam accelerated the demise of the dynasty.His religious policy only left an opportunity for the aggression of neighboring countries and Westerners.

Emperor Akbar once said that all religions have light, and where there is light, there are more or less shadows.Obviously, the emperor was wise, and he saw it very clearly. Maybe, say something about Judaism. Judaism can be called a miracle in the history of nations in the world.No one can lose their motherland for 1,800 years and be scattered all over the world like them, but their nation still exists.This can only be attributed to their culture, especially their religion, the earliest "monotheism" in the world.In fact, as long as he believes that his God Yahveh is "the only Lord", believes in the teachings of the prophets, abides by the religious rules, and strictly abides by taboos, then no matter where he is, no matter whether he is rich or poor, his skin color is black or white, he is a Jew .

Unfortunately, the experience of Indians and Jews does not apply to us. We are also a nation with particularly strong cultural power.In the history of China, the country can be divided, but the culture remains the same; foreigners can take over, but the culture must be recognized.Because "subjugation" is only about one family, one family, one regime, the destruction of culture is a big deal.Therefore, Qin became Han, Sui became Tang, Song became Yuan, and Ming became Qing. As long as the culture or cultural spirit remains unchanged, the world will still be the same world, and China will still be the same China.

However, our cultural power has nothing to do with religion. The Chinese are probably the least religious consciousness, religious concepts and religious beliefs in the world.Before the introduction of Buddhism, the Chinese did not know what religion was.After the introduction of Buddhism, it was also regarded as "alchemy" at first. Yes, the Chinese also worshiped ghosts and gods.But very soon, our attitude becomes irreligious.Confucius said that "sacrifices are as if they are present, and sacrifices to gods are as if they are present."In the final analysis, it is the golden mean of pragmatism.Does God exist?Do ghosts and gods exist?Is there really a mysterious power in the dark?If it works for you, just pretend it exists.

Is this also faith and religion?Faith has never been necessary for Chinese people.The same goes for religion. This raises three questions: First, where did religion come from?Second, why do people have it?Third, why don't we?

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