A devotee holds a basket containing her family’s statue of Ma Zu over an incense burner at Dajia Jenn Lann Temple 大甲鎮瀾宮 as part of a ritual.

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At a Glance

Religious pluralism and tolerance are hallmarks of social life in Taiwan. Citizens enjoy complete freedom of religion, a right guaranteed by Articles 7 and 13 of the Republic of China Constitution and a fact confirmed by numerous outside

observers, including the U.S. Department of State in its 2010 Report on

International Religious Freedom. Traditional beliefs, religious tradi-tions from other parts of the world and recently developed religions are all practiced freely in Taiwan.

As part of the ROC’s centennial celebration, an international seminar on religious development in the ROC was held by the Taiwan Associa-tion for Religious Studies in May 2011. A series of exhibitions and fes-tivities organized by various religious groups have also been scheduled throughout the year.

• Syncreticpracticeswidespreadindiversereligiousenvironment

• Folkbeliefsflourishthroughcommunitydevelopment

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Spiritual LandscapeReligious Pluralism

Taiwan’s religious landscape is richlyvariegated.According to the Ministry ofthe Interior, in 2010, 1,816 religious andsocial associations were registered inTaiwan. They belonged to 27 registeredreligions or religious groups (see table).Whilereligiousgroupsarenotrequiredtoregister with the government, those thatdoandalsomeetrelevantregulationsen-joytax-exemptstatus.

The religious traditions that claimthe most adherents in Taiwan are folkreligion, Taoism and Buddhism. Theseaccountformostofthemorethan15,000places of worship registered in Taiwan.AncestorvenerationconsonantwithCon-fucianvaluesremainswidelyobservedinTaiwan.Asizeableminorityofpeople inTaiwan adhere to monotheistic religions,particularlyChristianity.

Historical OverviewUntil four centuries ago, Taiwan

was inhabited mainly by Austronesianpeoples, whose beliefs consisted of acombination of animism and ances-tor veneration. Buddhism and Taoismwere among the first non-indigenousreligionstobeintroducedtoTaiwanwiththeimmigrationofHanpeoplesfromthesoutheastern provinces of the Chinesemainland (see Chapter 2, “People andLanguage”).Theimmigrantsalsobroughtwith them various other beliefs over thenextfewcenturies.

European traders brought new reli-gions to Taiwan as well. Protestant mis-sionaries accompanying the Dutch EastIndiaCompany—whichestablishedpostsin southwestern Taiwan beginning in1624—proselytizedtotheHanandindig-enouspeoples theyemployedorencoun-tered.RomanCatholicmissionariesmadetheirfirstappearancein1626onTaiwan’s

northern shores when a Spanish expedi-tionfoundedsettlementsinthevicinityoftoday’sKeelungCity基隆市 and NewTai-peiCity’s新北市 DanshuiDistrict淡水區.Associated with Spanish holdings in thePhilippines, these settlements flourisheduntiltheDutchdrovetheSpanishofftheislandin1642.

Otherreligions,includingIslam,wereintroducedoverthenextthreeandahalfcenturies. This was especially true fol-lowingWorldWar II, when a new waveoffaithsarrivedinTaiwanwithmainlandimmigrants who relocated to Taiwanwith the Kuomintang (KMT) 中國國民黨

Registered Religious Groups

Baha’iFaithBuddhismChineseHeritageandMoralSources玄門真宗

ChineseHolyReligion中華聖教

ChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaintsChurchofScientologyConfucianism中國儒教會

HaiTzeTao亥子道

HolySpiritAssociationfortheUnificationofWorldChristianity(orUnificationChurch)HuangChung黃中

I-Kuan Tao 一貫道

IslamIsm 太易教

Li-ism 理教

MaitreyaGreatTao彌勒大道

Pre-cosmicSalvationism先天救教

RomanCatholicismSekaiMahikariBunmeiKyodan(WorldDivineLightOrganization)世界真光文明教

Taoism TibetanBuddhismTiender 天德教

TientiTeachings天帝教

Tien Tao 天道

TenrikyoUniverseMeallerFaith宇宙彌勒皇教 VariousProtestantChristianDenominationsXuanYuanJiao軒轅教

Source:MinistryoftheInterior

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government. These included I-Kuan Tao andseveralothersthatarebasedonCon-fucianism,TaoismandtraditionalChineseschools of thought.Following the liftingof martial law in 1987, more religiousgroupshavebeenestablished.

Major ReligionsBuddhism

Immigrants from what today are theChinese coastal provinces of Fujian 福建

and Guangdong 廣東 brought BuddhismtoTaiwan.Oneearlyversionwaszhaijiao 齋教, a form of lay Buddhism compris-ingseveraldifferent sectsdatingback tothe Ming 明 dynasty (1368-1644). Eachincluded its own mixture of elements ofBuddhism, Taoism, Neo-Confucianismandfolkreligion,butallobservedaveg-etariandiet. In the latterhalfof the17thcentury, Buddhist monks first arrivedfrom Fujian. Temple construction beganin Tainan 臺南 andprogressednorthwardafter the Qing 清 dynasty (1644-1912)tookcontrolofwesternTaiwanin1683.

Buddhism in Taiwan grew with thearrival of monks among the wave of

refugeeswhorelocatedtoTaiwanduringthe Chinese CivilWar in the late 1940s.During the period of martial law (1949-1987), Buddhist temples were urged tojointheBuddhistAssociationoftheROC中國佛教會—theauthorizednationalorga-nizationforBuddhisminTaiwan.

Tibetan Buddhism emphasizesthe practice of meditation and otherspiritual disciplines under the direc-tion of a master. The earliest mastersof this school to arrive in Taiwanwere Zhangjia 章嘉 Khutughtu (theMongolian term khutughtu signifies areincarnated bodhisattva; for more onbodhisattvas, see “Guan Yin” section)andKanjurwaKhutughtu,whohadfledthe violence of the Chinese CivilWar.Around1960,TibetanBuddhistmastersMingyurRinpocheandGelekRinpoche(the Tibetan term rinpoche refers to ahighlyreveredteacherbelievedtobeareincarnatedmonasteryabbot)came toTaiwan. In 1997, they built the WhiteHorse Temple 白馬寺 in Yunlin County雲林縣, the island’s first Tibetan Bud-dhist house of worship. In 1997, theTibet Religious Foundation of His

Acolytes listen attentively to a lecture by Master Huimin 惠敏法師 at Dharma Drum Buddhist College.

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HolinesstheDalaiLama達賴喇嘛西藏宗教

基金會wasestablishedinTaipei 臺北.Since the advent of democracy,

Buddhist organizations have multipliedrapidly and the scope of their activitieshas grown. The following people havebeen especially influential in Taiwan’sBuddhist community, and are known fortheiremphasisonservicetohumanity:• Master Cheng Yen 證嚴法師 (1937- )

founded the Buddhist CompassionRelief Tzu Chi Foundation 佛教慈濟慈

善事業基金會 in Hualien 花蓮 in 1966.Her foundation focuses on humanitar-ian, educational,medical andenviron-mental conservation causes. Popularlyknown as Tzu Chi, the organizationhas been internationally lauded for itsabilitytomobilizevolunteersandfundsand for distributing relief suppliesand aid to victims of natural disastersworldwide. Its missions are supportedby a global volunteer network ofaround 7,200 medical professionals.Among its institutions in Taiwan are BuddhistTzu Chi General Hospital佛教慈濟綜合醫院, the Buddhist Tzu ChiStem Cells Center 佛教慈濟骨髓幹細胞中

心, DaAi Television 大愛電視 and TzuChiUniversity慈濟大學.

• Master Hsing Yun 星雲法師 (1927- )establishedtheFoGuangShanMonas-tery 佛光山 in Kaohsiung 高雄 in 1967.Sincethen,theorderhasfoundedmorethan 200 Buddhist centers across theglobe. Its many educational institu-tions include Fo Guang University 佛

光大學 and Nanhua University 南華大

學 inTaiwan,andtheUniversityof theWest in the United States. It reachesa wider public through Beautiful LifeTelevision 人間衛視 and a newspaper,theMerit Times 人間福報.ThroughBud-dha’sLightPublishing,itoffersEnglishtranslations of Buddhist scriptures andworksbycontemporaryscholars.

MasterShengYen• 聖嚴法師(1931-2009)founded Dharma Drum Mountain 法

鼓山 in NewTaipeiCity in1989.Theorganization has since establishedmany chapters in Taiwan and aroundthe world in addition to forming aninternational meditation group. ItsDharma Drum Buddhist College法鼓佛教學院 i s the only Buddhis t institutionthatoffersreligiousdegreeprograms accredited by the Ministryof Education (see “Religious Study”section).A founding member and thefirst chair of the World Council ofReligiousLeaders,MasterShengYenpublished over a hundred works onBuddhistdoctrine.

• Master Wei Chueh 惟覺法師 (1928- )started out by teaching Zen (chan 禪)Buddhism to a small group of peopleathisretreatnotfarfromTaipei.Ashisteachingsdrewmoreattentionandfol-lowers,MasterWeiChuehbuilthisfirstmissionary base, the Ling Quan ChanMonastery 靈泉寺, near his retreat.Later, he built a larger temple, theChungTaiChanMonastery中台禪寺,inNantouCounty南投縣toaccommodatea growing number of believers and toserve as the mission’s headquarters.Over 90 affiliated meditation centersin Taiwan and about a dozen abroadhavebeenestablished.

• Master Hsin Tao 心道法師 (1948- )founded theLingJiouMountainBud-dhistSociety靈鷲山佛教教團,whichhasbranches in countries acrossAsia. Heis most famous for establishing theMuseumofWorldReligions世界宗教博

物館inNewTaipeiCityin2001.Heisalso the founderof theGlobalFamilyfor Love and Peace 愛與和平地球家, aninternational nongovernmental organi-zationthatpromotesinter-religiousco-operationandengagesinhumanitarianreliefefforts.

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TaoismTheterm“Taoism”isusedtodescribe

the philosophical school of Taoism 道家 and religious Taoism 道教.Theformerisaviewofthecosmosandhumanity’splaceinit,basedprimarilyontheteachingsofLaoTzu老子asexpressedintheDao De Jing 道德經andothertexts.Thelatterisapolytheistic tradition with a vast corpusof scriptures that incorporates elements ofphilosophicalTaoismandhonorsLaoTzuandothersagesasdeities.

In Taiwan, Taoism was invigoratedby the arrival of priests from mainlandChina following the island’s return to

ROC rule in 1945, among whom wasZhang Enpu 張恩溥, the 63rd-generationleaderofTianshiJiao天師教 (alsocalledZhengyi Jiao 正一教). This has sincebecome one of the most popular Taoistsects, and the number of Taoist temples has increased from 2,600 to more than9,200today.

With the establishment by ZhangEnpu of a Taoist fellowship in 1951and the founding of the Taoism Soci-ety of the ROC 中華民國道教會 in 1966,greater structure was brought to Tao-ism in Taiwan. Over the past several decades, Taoist groups have becomeincreasingly involved in social serviceanddedicated toconveyingamoreso-phisticated understanding of Taoism’sphilosophical underpinnings and ofvariousdisciplinesaimedatpromotinghealthandenlightenment.

I-Kuan TaoI-KuanTao,whichmightbetranslated

as “the all-encompassing way,” evolvedfrom Xiantian Tao 先天道 founded byHuang De-hui 黃德輝 in 17th-centuryChina. First brought to Taiwan byadherentsafterWorldWarII,I-KuanTaoattractedasubstantialfollowing.

I-Kuan Tao teaches that one Taounderlies every religion. Its followersrevereanumberofpersonagesanddeities,including Lao Tzu, Confucius, Buddha,Jesus Christ and Mohammed—above allofwhomisMingMingShangDi明明上帝 (GodofClarity).AdherentsalsopracticevariousConfucianritualsandholdsmallgroupservicesatfamilyshrines.

Like Buddhism, I-Kuan Tao advo-catesavegetariandiet,andmanyvegetar-ian restaurants in Taiwan are run by itsfollowers. The faith is active across theglobe,withI-KuanTao’sworldheadquar-tershavingbeenestablishedin1996inElMonte,California.

The Museum of World Religions in New Taipei City features hundreds of artifacts and models of prominent places of worship around the globe.

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ChristianitySeventeenth-century forays by Span-

ishandDutchmissionariesnotwithstand-ing,asustainednativeChristianpresencedid not exist in Taiwan until the middleof the 19th century. At this time, Qing treaties with Western powers opened upports,includingthoseinTaiwan,toWest-ern trade and missionaries. Followingthis, Christian evangelizers establishedmissions in Taiwan. Among Protestantdenominations, the Presbyterian ChurchhasattainedprominenceinTaiwaninpartdue to the work of such missionaries asCanadianphysician-cum-pastorGeorgeL.MacKay.Rev.MacKayarrivedinTaiwanin1871anddevotedtherestofhislifetoserving the island’s inhabitants. In1879,hesetupTaiwan’sfirsthospitalofWest-ern medicine in Danshui, where he alsofoundedOxfordCollege牛津學堂 to train localmissionaries.In1884,Rev.MacKayestablished Taiwan’s first girls’ school,theDanshuiGirls’School淡水女學堂.

Roman Catholicismalsohasastrongpresence on the island. Early Catholicmissionaries include Dominicans Fer-nando Sainz and Angel Bofurull, whocameto TaiwanfromthePhilippinesvia

Xiamen 廈門 in 1859 and founded thefirst church inKaohsiung, theHolyRo-saryChurch.SainzwentontofoundtheImmaculate Conception Church天主教萬

金聖母聖殿 in PingtungCounty屏東縣,theoldest extant Roman Catholic church inTaiwan.The apostolic nunciature of theHolySeetotheROCislocatedinTaipei.In 1967, the Chinese Regional Bishops’Conference 天主教會台灣地區主教團 wasestablished in Taipei. The conference iscurrently presided over by ArchbishopJohnHung洪山川.

Christianity developed in new direc-tionsafter1949,withaninfluxofclergyandbelievers,bothProtestantandCatho-lic, arriving from mainland China. Be-sidesChristiangroupsoriginatingabroad,churchesinTaiwaninclude“independentchurches,” either founded in mainlandChinabefore1949byChineseChristians(suchasTrueJesusChurch真耶穌教會)orestablishedinTaiwanafter1949(suchasBreadofLifeChristianChurch 靈糧堂).

IslamIslam firstcametoTaiwanabout300

years ago with migrants from Quanzhou

The Taipei Holy Family Catholic Church offers services in Mandarin, Holo 河洛語, English, Indonesian and Japanese.

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泉州inmainlandChina’sFujianProvince.Overtheyears,uptotheperiodofJapa-nesecolonialrule,thiscommunitygradu-ally shrank through intermarriage or theadoptionofothercustoms.WorldWar IIandthecolonialgovernment’sstrictcon-troloverreligiousactivitiesresultedintheseveringof tiesbetweenMuslims acrosstheTaiwanStrait,leadingtotheshrinkingoftheisland’sMuslimpopulation.

ThesecondwaveofMuslimimmigra-tion took place following the war. FirstwerethosewhocametoTaiwanforbusi-ness, followed by those who relocatedwith the KMT government. During the1960sand1970s,thegovernmentbroughtto Taiwan groups of soldiers, many ofthem Muslim, who had continued fight-ing ChineseCommunistforcesafter1949frombasesinMyanmar.

Muslims have founded several orga-nizations, primary among which is theChinese MuslimAssociation (CMA) 中國

回教協會, which oversees halal food certi-fication.TheCMAhasalsoplayedasup-portingroleinthenation’sdiplomacywithMuslimcountries.Itsheadquartersarelo-catedattheTaipeiGrandMosque(TGM)臺北清真寺, which was built in 1960 andhas been designated a religious heritagesite.BesidestheTGM,Taiwan’sMuslimcommunity is also served by the TaipeiCulturalMosque臺北文化清真寺aswellasbymosquesinTaoyuan桃園,Taichung臺中,Tainan,KaohsiungandZhongli中壢.

Folk ReligionFolk religion, or popular religion,

playsaprominentroleinreligiouslife.Itispolytheisticinnature,andpractitionershonorvariousseasonalcustomsandfesti-vals.Asitdoesnotdemandexclusivead-herencetoasinglesetoftraditions,thosewho practice folk religion might alsobelievein,forexample,thetenetsandfig-uresofTaoism or Buddhism.WhenHan

peoples from southeastern China beganto migratetoTaiwanduringthe17thcen-tury,theybroughtwiththemsuchbeliefs.

The vast array of deities in folk reli-gion forms a system that resembles thepolitical structure and government bu-reaucracy of imperial China. It consistsof hundreds of male and female deitiesfrom theTaoist andBuddhist pantheons,aswellasapotheosizedhistoricalfigures.Practices are a combination of Taoist,Buddhist and Confucian ceremonies, aswellasancestorveneration.

The supreme deity is the Jade Em-peror 玉皇大帝. There are many deitiesunder him, who manage various affairsin the universe.At the central level, forinstance,ConfuciusandWenchangDi文昌帝(EmperorofProsperingCulture)areinchargeofeducation,BaoshengDadi保生大帝 (Life-preservingEmperor)ensuresgoodhealth,MaZu媽祖looksaftermari-timeaffairs,TaiziYe太子爺(LordPrince)wards off evil and Wang Ye 王爺 keepsawaypestilence.Atthelocallevel,ChengHuang 城隍 and the tutelary deity Tudi Gong 土地公 administer justice. Certaincommunitiesalsohonorlocalpatrondei-ties.Forexample,LordKaizhang開漳聖王

ismostlyworshipedbyHolo immigrants fromFujian’sZhangzhou漳州area,whileHakkas honor the Lords of the ThreeMountains 三山國王.

Popular DeitiesThe following are some of the more

populardeitiesinTaiwan:

Jade EmperorThe supreme ruler of heaven in

Chinese tradition, popularly called theJade Emperor, has the power to granttitlestothespiritsofoutstandingindivid-ualsandelevatethemtothestatusofde-ity.Underhisdirection,alegionoflesserbeings manages the affairs of heavenand all realms of existence below it.

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His image and those of the deities un-derhisdirectioncanbefoundinmanyTaoisttemples.

Ma ZuMa Zu (Maternal Ancestor) is the

deified spirit of Lin Mo-niang 林默娘, awomanreputedtohavelivedonMeizhouIsland 湄州島 off the coast of Fujian Province sometime during the Song 宋 dynasty (960-1279). She is believedto have employed supernatural powersduringandafterherlifetimetocuretheillandsavepeoplefromimminentdan-ger,especiallysailorsandfishermenatsea.Accordingly, she is alsoknownastheSeaGoddess.

TheenormouspopularityofMaZuin Taiwan is evidenced by the morethan 400 temples dedicated to her.Processions are held on Taiwan andPenghu澎湖 inwhichhericoniscarriedonapalanquintospreadherblessings.Ofthese,thelargestistheDajiaMaZuPilgrimage 大甲媽祖遶境, which snakesthroughseveralcounties incentralandsouthernTaiwanforeightorninedaysinthethirdlunarmonth(usuallyfallinginMarchorApril).

Tudi GongUbiquitous in Taiwan—along path-

ways in thecountrysideanddownsidestreets in cities—are relatively smalltemplesandshrines(somestandinglessthanhalfameterhigh)thathouseiconsdepicting a smiling, bearded old man,typically seated and holding a staff.ThisisthetutelaryorearthdeityknownasTudiGong.

A single deity in essence, he hasmyriad spirit avatars whose mission isto look after local tracts of land and the people residing on them. Thoughoccupying a low position in the divinebureaucracy,thisguardianspiritisoneofthemostpopulardivinities.

Cheng HuangAnother being said to have multiple

avatars isChengHuang, the City Deity,whoismandatedbytheJadeEmperortoguardparticularcitiesagainstattackandprotect their inhabitants fromevil.Leg-endhasitthatthecitydeityavatarsweredemigodswhoserved thepeopleduringtheirlifetimes,hadcompassionforthoseindangerandprotectedpeoplefrombe-ingdragged into theunderworldbyevilghosts.Itwasfor thisdemonstrationofkindness that such righteous individu-alswereultimatelydeified.

Guan GongAlsopopularisGuanYu關羽,aleg-

endary general in theThree Kingdoms三國period(221-280),whoiscommon-ly known as Guan Gong 關公.Accord-ing to legend, he fought heroically todefend theEasternHandynasty.Whencaptured by the enemy, he refused todefect and was beheaded. Guan Gongisthushonoredasaparagonofloyalty,righteousness and courage. A red faceand flowing sable beard make his im-ageinstantlyrecognizable.

Wang YeWang Ye is a generic term denot-

ing some 360 individuals whose livesbefore obtaining immortality are re-countedinhundredsoftales.Thelordsaregenerallydescribedashavingbeenpeopleofgreatmeritwho,upondying,werechargedbytheJadeEmperorwithprotecting mankind from evil spiritsandepidemics.

Rituals surrounding this celestiallegion of guardian spirits differ withlocaleandtimeofyear.Oneofthebest-knownritesfordrivingawaypestilence,usually held in spring and autumn,is called Burning Wang Ye’s Boat 燒

王船. As an offering to the lords ofpestilence, a life-size wood-and-paper

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boat is burned along with a cargo ofspiritmoney.

Zhu Sheng Niang-niang When souls are ready for reincarna-

tion,itisuptoZhuShengNiang-niang註生娘娘 (Birth Registry Matron) to decidewho their parents will be and registerthe event. She is commonly depicted asa woman holding an open book in onehandandacalligraphybrushintheother.Couplespraytoherinthehopethattheywillhavegiftedandhealthychildren.

Guan YinGuan Yin is worshiped as the Bo-

dhisattva of Compassion. A bodhisattvaisanenlightenedbeingthatrefrainsfromentering nirvana and ending the painfulcycleofrebirth,choosinginsteadtocon-tinuereincarnatinginordertohelpotherson the path to enlightenment. Indeed,GuanYin’s full name (Guan Shiyin 觀世

音)means“onewhohearsthecriesoftheworld,” and this deity is often portrayedas having multiple eyes and a thousandarmswithwhich to reachout tohelpallsentient beings. Guan Yin is often per-ceived of as being a spiritual conscious-ness that can manifest in the form of ahuman being, animal or object, ratherthanbeingboundtoonebody.

Temple PracticesTemplesserveasbothhousesofwor-

shipaswellascommunitycenters,espe-cially in rural areas.At most Taiwanesetemples, an assemblage of deities fromtheBuddhist,Taoist,Confucianand folktraditionsishonored.

Special ceremonies are held on dei-ties’ birthdays and apotheosis days, aswell as when prayers for a blessing aremade on behalf of the community. Suchcarnival-likeeventsaregenerallyreferredto as temple festivals, and often consist

of welcoming the deities, an inspectiontour by the divinities being honored, thechanting of sutras, street parades andoutdoorstageperformancesofTaiwaneseopera or glovepuppetshowstoentertainthe deities. A parade usually comprisesartistically decorated vehicles carryingpeople dressed as legendary characters,music troupes, lion and dragon dances,stilt walking and displays by the EightGenerals 八家將 (men playing the roleof deities dressed in fierce-looking facepaint; they patrol in front of higher-rankingdeityfigures toclear the roadofwanderingghosts).Feastsarepreparedinthanksgiving to deities for their blessingand protection and, during Ghost Month鬼月(theseventhlunarmonth),toappeasewandering ghosts (see also Chapter 18,“Tourism”).

Many religious events organized bytempleshavebecomeculturalandtouristattractionsfortheirhostcities.Suchfesti-valsincludetheDajiaMaZuPilgrimagein central and southern Taiwan, the Re-leaseofWaterLanterns放水燈 in Keelung during Ghost Month and the Burning ofWang Ye’s Boat in Donggang 東港 and Xigang 西港.

Ratherthanattendingregularreligiousservicesataset location,mostpeople inTaiwanvisitatemplewhenevertheyfeelthe need to seek divine assistance.Theymaychooseatemplethathonorsafavor-itedeity,orstopbyashrinethatisclosetohomeoronthewaytowork.Commonritualsincludethefollowing:

Castingdivinationblocks• 擲筊 is a ritual followedwhenseekingdivineanswersto questions. Kneeling in front of analtar, the supplicant drops a pair ofcrescent-shapedwoodenblockson thetemplefloor.Onesideofeachblockisrounded, the other flat.An affirmativeanswer is indicated when the blockslandwithoneroundedandoneflatsidefacingupward,whileanegativeanswer

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Taipei City’s Lungshan Temple 龍山寺 houses icons of Guan Yin—the Bodhisattva of Compassion—and several other Buddhist, Taoist and folk deities. Built in 1740, it is a popular tourist destination.

is indicated when both rounded sideslandfaceup.An“undecided”or“noan-swer”responseisreceivedwhenbothflatsideslandfaceup.Accordingtocommonpractice, an answer can only be consid-ered definite when the same answer isindicatedthreetimesinarow.Drawingdivinationsticks• 求籤isanotherway to petition for divine guidance.Agroup (normally of 60 or 100) of num-bered sticks are placed in a cylindricalcontainer and shaken. The stick thatjumps out first or protrudes the most isselected.Thesupplicantthenconsultsanoracular verse and commentary printedonaslipofpaperbearingthesamenum-berasthestick.Insometraditions,divi-nationblocksarecasttoconfirmthatthecorrectstickwasselected.Burning spirit money• 燒金紙 is a rite commonly performed when praying toor for thespiritsofancestorsorothersonspecialoccasions,includingfunerals,festivaldaysanddaysrecommendedinlunar calendar almanacs. The square-shapedpapermoney,usuallywithslipsof thin gold- or silver-colored foil

glued to the center, is folded in halfbeforebeingburned.Itisbelievedthatmoney thus offered to the intendedspirits will enhance spirits’ comfort inthe afterlife and secure their help asguardians or, at least, enable them torestinpeacesothattheywillnothaunttheliving.Burning incense and making food of-• ferings to deities or ancestral spirits isanotherwayofseekingtheirassistance.Devotees usually light joss sticks andplaceofferingsof fresh fruit andotherfoodsonanaltar.Lamp-lighting• 點光明燈 is an annual ritualperformedbytemplesaroundtheLunar New Year on behalf of follow-ers praying for wisdom, a harmoniouslifeandabrightfuture.Inplaceofthecandlesandoil lampsusedinthepast,electriclampsseatedalongsidethealtararelitattherequestofabeliever.

Religious StudySeveralprivateinstitutionsofhigher

learning affiliated with Christian or

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Buddhist organizations offer religiousstudies programs. These includeAletheiaUniversity 真理大學, Tunghai University東海大學, Chung Yuan Christian Univer-sity 中原大學 and Chang Jung ChristianUniversity 長榮大學, all of which areProtestant-linked institutions; Fu JenCatholic University 輔仁大學; as well asFoGuangUniversity,HuafanUniversity華梵大學, Hsuan Chuang University 玄奘大學,NanhuaUniversityandTzuChiUniversity,

which are Buddhist. National ChengchiUniversity國立政治大學,apublicinstitution,offersagraduateprograminreligiousstud-iesandhasacenterforIslamicstudies.

Officiallyrecognizedacademicdegreesare also granted by Dharma Drum Bud-dhist College and Taiwan Baptist Theo-logical Seminary 基督教台灣浸會神學院,which were established as single-faitheducational institutions focusing on thestudyoftheirrespectivefaithtraditions.

• Ministry of the Interior: http://www.moi.gov.tw

• Ministry of Education: http://www.moe.gov.tw

• Museum of World Religions: http://www.mwr.org.tw

• Buddhist Association of the ROC: http://www.baroc.com.tw

• Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation: http://www.tzuchi.org

• Fo Guang Shan Monastery: http://www.fgs.org.tw

• Dharma Drum Mountain: http://www.ddm.org.tw

• Chung Tai Chan Monastery: http://www.ctworld.org.tw

• Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society: http://www.093.org.tw

• Taoism Society of the ROC: http://www.chinesetaoism.org

• Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: http://www.tibet.org.tw

• Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference: http://www.catholic.org.tw

• The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan: http://www.pct.org.tw

• Taipei Grand Mosque: http://www.taipeimosque.org.tw

Related

Websites

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