Sacrifice To The Ancestors

[lifeforce]

Greetings everyone.

 

I've just started to read the Chuang Tzu and have come across a term that I need some help with.

'Sacrifice To The Ancestors' has cropped up a couple of times so far and I was wondering where this came from.

Obviously there was no Taoism at the time that the Chuang Tzu was written, so my theory was that this is some sort of shamanistic/folk/family ritual that existed around this time.

I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.

Thanks

[Marblehead]

Hi Lifeforce,

 

The best info on this that I have found on the net is at this site:

 

http://www.authorama.com/ancient-china-simplified-13.html

 

Be well!

[lifeforce]

Hi Marblehead.

 

Thanks for that article. Very interesting stuff. So, it seems to be more like a praising/thanking to the family ancestors and their enshrined remains, normally conducted by the higher members of society.

There are some parallels to what is now known collectively as Shinto in Japan. Although this was derived from ancient folk and shamanistic practices also.

Thanks

[Marblehead]

Hi Marblehead.

 

Thanks for that article. Very interesting stuff. So, it seems to be more like a praising/thanking to the family ancestors and their enshrined remains, normally conducted by the higher members of society.

There are some parallels to what is now known collectively as Shinto in Japan. Although this was derived from ancient folk and shamanistic practices also.

Thanks

 

Hi Lifeforce,

 

Yeah. And also I would point out that while looking for info I realized that many suggest that the Sacrifice to the Ancients is the most important aspect of the New Year Celebration so I would say that it is observed by most, if not all, Chinese, regardless of status.

 

I also noted that the ritual existed before the I Ching was written as it is referred to in the I Ching.

 

Be well!

[VCraigP]

A principle which I have found to be very important in my cultivation is:

 

Heng makes Tong (sorry, not sure if proper Pinyin)

 

Sacrifice makes connection.

 

Sacrifice - energy, effort, lifeforce, offering.

 

Connection - become closer to, enable interaction or communication of a sort.

 

Every time I do practice I close with an offer of thanks and gratitude to the ancestors, lineage carriers both known and unknown.

 

I believe this forges a long lasting connection.

 

Craig

[Marblehead]

Hi Craig,

 

Nice addition. Thanks.

 

Be well!

[Zhuo Ming-Dao]

Sacrificing to the ancestors was a very important practice to Confucius, since it was a traditional practice by the ancients (who were ancient from the perspective of someone alive in 500-600 BC). Also, the practice reaffirmed the debt that a person owns to his parents and ancestors, so it had double the philosophical import for the Confucians. Even though Confucius did not necessarily believe in ghosts or afterlife, he believed in the necessity of that ritual, and so the court Confucians have always promoted it since then. It traveled to Japan and Korea through Confucianism at court and then spread out, where it mixed with indigenous folk practice.