LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a sight to see. It stands at 71 meters tall and is over 1,000 years old. The Leshan Giant Buddha is made after the Buddhist god, Buddha, formally known as Siddhartha Gautama. The main goal of the Buddhism people is to reach Nirvana, a stage of peace and enlightenment. To reach that stage, you must reject greed and desire. And once you die, you reincarnate as another human being, or even an animal. |
NADI TEMPLE
While on your travels through Asia, you can stop by a temple called the Nadi Temple. It was made for worship by Hindus, which are apart of the third largest religion in the world. The Hinduism religion has about 900 million followers. Where the religion derived from is difficult to tell but we do know some beliefs. 95% of all Hindus live in India and they all believe in the God Brahman, but they also recognize other gods, which is known as polytheism. And just like Buddhism, they also believe in reincarnation. |
ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE
If you want to be one with nature, The Itsukushima Shrine is where you want to be. This shrine is for the Shinto people to get in touch with the spirits that are in nature, also known as Kami. Shintoism is almost all about nature, and it was formed to differentiate Japanese beliefs from Buddhism. And over 100 million in the world, mostly in Japan, are Shinto. They believe that each mountain or river has Kami in it. They pray to the Kami in shrines like the Itsukushima Shrine. The Shinto people also believe that cleanliness is more important than moral cleanliness. |
CONFUCIUS STATUE
While visiting over in the west, you can stop by Shanghai, China and see the Confucius Statue. Confucius was the starting point for Confucianism which started back in China at around 121 BCE. He believed that people must accept their place in society and also have good character and values. He also believed in the Golden Rule, which is usually said as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It basically means treat others the way you want to be treated. Confucianism is not the most common belief system in the east with about 6 million followers, most of them living in Asia, Vietnam, and Korea. This religion has also been found to be going on for over 2 millennia. |