Author(s)

Lei Zhang

Corresponding Author

Lei Zhang

Abstract

The religion named after Shigong has a long history, and it is very popular in the Zhuang folk. Through the way of fostering apprentice and the compilation of the rituals, Shigong religion has accomplished inheritance of culture. Shigong has the ability to hold a series of activities in order to pray for people's daily wedding, funeral, and expiate the sins of the dead. Gradually, a set of complex Shigong Ritual has been formed. The elements of necromancy, Taoism and Buddhism coexist in Shigong religion, in which the elements of Buddhism include the hell concept, the Kuan-yin mantra, and quotations of related Buddhist vocabularies, etc. There are many causes leading to Buddhist elements’existing in Shigong Ritual: Firstly, the primitive witchcraft in the ritual has a distinct practical function; Secondly, the strong temptation of the spiritual event will always influence the tendency of the people's thought and behavior for a long time; Thirdly, the ritual itself has the effect of maintaining the social order; Lastly, national integration provide external conditions for the compilation of the rituals based on various cultural confluence.

Keywords

Shigong religion, Buddhist elements, Culture convergence