Basics - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 39

of correct behaviour , namely selflessness, respectful-
ness and non-violence, and loyal service, reinforced
by ceremonial rites and frequent offerings to heaven
and to the ancestors.
After the death of Confucius in 478 BC, the
doctrine was developed by his disciples, and by
the first century AD, Confucianism had absorbed
elements of Taoism and evolved into a state
ideology whereby kings ruled under the Mandate
of Heaven. Social stability was maintained through a
fixed hierarchy of relationships encapsulated in the
notion of filial piety. Thus children must obey their
parents without question, wives their husbands,
students their teacher, and subjects their ruler.

Southeast Asia, not least because its revolutionary
concepts of equality in subordination to Allah freed
people from the feudal Hindu caste system that had
previously dominated parts of the region.
The Islamic religion is founded on the Five Pillars ,
the essential tenets revealed by Allah to Mohammed
and collected in the Koran , the holy book that
Mohammed dictated before he died. The first is that
all Muslims should profess their faith in Allah with the
phrase “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is
his prophet”. The act of praying is the second pillar.
Five daily prayers can be done anywhere, though
Muslims should always face Mecca when praying,
cover the head, and ritually wash feet and hands. The
third pillar demands that the faithful should always
give a percentage of their income to charity, while
the fourth states that all Muslims must observe the
fasting month of Ramadan . This is the ninth month
of the Muslim lunar calendar, when the majority of
Muslims fast from the break of dawn to dusk, and
also abstain from drinking and smoking. The reason
for the fast is to intensify awareness of the plight of
the poor. The fifth pillar demands that every Muslim
should make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in
their lifetime.

Taoism
Taoism is based on the Tao-te-ching , the “Book of
the Way”, traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu (“Old
Master”), who is thought to have lived in China in
the sixth century BC. A philosophical movement,
it advocates that people follow a central path or
truth, known as Tao or “The Way”, and cultivate an
understanding of the nature of things. The Tao
emphasizes effortless action, intuition and sponta-
neity; it cannot be taught, nor can it be expressed
in words, but can be embraced by virtuous
behaviour. Central to the Tao is the duality inherent
in nature, a tension of complementary opposites
defined as yin and yang , the female and male
principles. Harmony is the balance between the
two, and experiencing that harmony is the Tao.
In its pure form Taoism has no gods, but in the
first century AD it corrupted into an organized
religion venerating a deified Lao Tzu, and
developed highly complex rituals. The vast, eclectic
pantheon of Taoist gods is presided over by the
Jade Emperor, who is assisted by the southern star,
the north star, and the God of the Hearth. Then
there is a collection of immortals, genies and
guardian deities, including legendary and historic
warriors, statesmen and scholars. Confucius is also
honoured as a Taoist saint.

Hinduism

Hinduism was introduced to Southeast Asia by
Indian traders more than a thousand years ago,
and spread across the region by the Khmers of
Cambodia who left a string of magnificent castle-
temples throughout northeast Thailand, Laos, and
most strikingly at Angkor in Cambodia. The most
active contemporary Hindu communities live in
Singapore and Malaysia , and the Indonesian
island of Bali is also a very vibrant, if idiosyncratic,
Hindu enclave.
Central to Hinduism is the belief that life is a
series of reincarnations that eventually leads to
spiritual release. The aim of every Hindu is to attain
enlightenment ( moksa ), which brings with it the
union of the individual and the divine, and libera-
tion from the painful cycle of death and rebirth.
Moksa is only attainable by pure souls, and can take
hundreds of lifetimes to achieve. Hindus believe
that everybody is reincarnated according to their
karma , this being a kind of account book that
registers all the good and bad deeds performed in
the past lives of a soul. Karma is closely bound up
with caste and the notion that an individual should
accept rather than challenge their destiny.
A whole variety of deities are worshipped, the
most ubiquitous being Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Islam
Islam is the youngest of all the major religions, and
in Southeast Asia is practised mainly in Indonesia ,
Malaysia , Singapore and Brunei . It was founded by
Mohammed (570-630 AD), a merchant from Mecca
in Arabia, who began, at the age of forty, to receive
messages from Allah (God). On these revelations
Mohammed began to build a new religion: Islam or
“Submission”, as the faith required people to submit
to God's will. Islam quickly gained in popularity in