A Study Of Sima Guang's Religious Thought From A Historical Perspectiv

The development of Chinese history and culture was second to none in the world.These voluminous history books are the records of ancient historians about generals,kings and princes,relics and codes of the past generations.They were not only an important representation of the material and cultural life of the society of the time,but also a fundamental source for our understanding of history today.Chinese society was more secular and religion had less influence.Rarely did anyone threaten the kingship.More often than not,religion was used by secular forces.But because of the importance of religion in the social and cultural life of ancient China,its presence was also bound to be reflected in historical documents to some extent.At the same time,historical writing was highly subjective due to the dictates of the historian.Therefore,the historical writing of the historian on religion could also reflect his religions thought to a certain extent.In this thesis,the religions thought of the Northern Song historian Sima Guang was examined through his historical writing on religion.Sima Guang’s "History As A Mirror" was his brainchild and an important vehicle for his political thought.In "History As A Mirror",Sima Guang continued the tradition of historiography by documenting religion.This made it possible for us to study Sima Guang’s religions thought from a historiographical perspective.Sima Guang’s selection and cutting of religious content in his histories and related historical discussions were the main materials for exploring Sima Guang’s religions thought in a historiographical context.Through the analysis of these materials,Sima Guang’s attitudes towards Buddhism and Taoism,as well as the destiny of god,which had traditional religious overtones,could be derived.Sima Guang acknowledged the legitimacy of the idea of the Mandate of Heaven as a tool to deify the kingship,but at the same time placed sufficient emphasis on personnel;Sima Guang did not care for superstitions such as ghosts and monsters.Sima Guang’s life was marked by his encounters with Buddhism and Taoism.He was an expert in the doctrine of Buddhism and Taoism,and he also affirmed and accepted some of the ideas of Buddhism and Taoism.But in the text of "History As A Mirror",Sima Guang showed a unilateral rejection of Taoism.This was mainly related to Sima Guang’s high level of identification with Confucianism and his political philosophy.Sima Guang’s historical writing on religion was a reflection of his religions thought,but it did not necessarily reflect his religions thought in a comprehensive manner,but with a certain parochialism.This was a reflection of Sima Guang’s historical thought and the concept of "inspect the past and then regular a state" in "History As A Mirror",as well as the internal logic of the development of Northern Song historiography in the context of the times.Sima Guang was a member of Confucianism,and his historical activities were confined to the confines of Confucianism.Therefore,he inherited the Confucian idea of the Mandate of Heaven to a certain extent,while rejecting the influence of Buddhism and Taoism to a certain extent.At the same time,in the social environment of the time,the Song dynasty was faced with internal and external troubles,poverty and weakness.Song historiography also reflected a strong sense of worry and the pursuit of a history-based ideology.Sima Guang’s "History As A Mirror" was a representative example of this.It was in this practice of historiography of anxiety that Sima Guang expresses his concern for the development of Buddhist Taoism through his historical writing on religion.