The two major belief systems that define the cultures of the East from the rest of the globe are the Abrahamic and the Dharmic religions. Spiritual India created Hinduism from the ancient Vedic religion which is considered the oldest religion in the world. India also developed three other major world religions, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Buddhism provided an avenue to spread the word of Indian philosophies such as Dharma and Karma to the world. Even though it commenced in India, it is most practiced in East and South East Asia. Yoga also derived from one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, as a form of spiritual ritual.  

The Japanese believed people to have the characteristics of the animal year they were born in. People born under the year of the Horse for example, were considered highly spirited. The animal symbols on the zodiac wheel also represented respective two hour blocks during the twenty four hours of the day. This belief system is what we know as the Chinese or Eastern Zodiac. The Chinese culture established itself firmly around the lunar influence of the Moon. They do not worship either the Sun or the Moon, but they are still major influences to the Chinese culture, as the Moon represents Yin, and the Sun represents Yang.

The ancient Taoists believed that on the night of a koshin day, three worms that reside within our bodies would crawl out to report any sins to a celestial God, who would then appraise the person's behavior. If their actions had been inappropriate, the god would then shorten their life span. Many people chose to stay awake through these nights in order to avoid being judged, a practice which became known as the koshin machi.

Ancient Chinese philosophy dates back several thousands of years. It is understood to have developed from The Book of Changes, first practiced around 600 BC. The ancient compendium of divination (which the Book of Changes derived from) is considered to have originated from an oracular ritual from Neolithic times. The fact remains that both ancient Chinese and Indian philosophies date back for generations. To not wish to learn from such ancient cultures and consider the current and relatively new Western culture as the correct one to live a life by seems quite futile. The ancient wisdom of the East is far greater than that of the West after all!

eastern culture