The Nature of Far Eastern Religions

One of the most difficult concepts for Westerners to understand when they begin their studies of Far Eastern philosophy is that the entire concept of religion and magic is treated differently in the East both metaphysically and culturally. Consequently, I thought it would be a good idea to post some basic information concerning the very general aspects of Eastern spirituality before I begin positing anything specific to a system

I think it is safe to say that you will find every classification of religion imaginable native to the East with the exception of pure monotheism. As many on this board are likely already familiar with the concepts of polytheism and animism, I am, going to turn my focus to the lesser understood pantheism and monism.

There are many scholar who consider pantheism and monism the same thing, but I find that when it comes to religion, you must pay critical attention to the subtle differences among belief systems in order to properly understand their metaphysics.

Pantheism can be viewed as an organic or organismic perspective of the Divine. In pantheism, all of the little pieces of reality both seen and unseen are part of a greater Divine being. We are like cells or organs in a body, separate in function, but part of a greater whole. However, each piece is vital to the Divine organism, for without it, the Divine is unbalanced. In pantheistic religions, the ultimate goal is to maintain balance. Pertaining to the individual, we must find balance with our selves as well as others and our external environment. Daoism (Wade-Giles: Taoism) is an example of a pantheistic religion.

Monism, like pantheism, is based on the concept of the Divine whole. However, the part of the individual in the religion is very different. In monism, all of existence is a single Divine entity � there is no individual. The concept of individuality is an illusion. The ultimate goal of the monist is to recognize the separation and individuality we perceive as an illusion in order to acknowledge the Divine potential of the One. Buddhism and Hinduism are varieties of monistic religions.

Although this is but a very brief preview of Asian philosophy, I cannot stress how important it is to understand the goals of pantheism and monism in order to comprehend the metaphysics of each belief system. Whenever you are faced with a question of how something works or why reality is the way it is according to the religion, it can be logically explained if you remember the overarching goal.

Please feel free to add more posts or questions to this board. Everything is open to discussion.