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Weixinism
Weixinism (唯心教 Wéixīnjiào), institutionally also known by the extended title of Holy Church of the Heart-Only (唯心聖教 Wéixīn Shèngjiào) is one of the Chinese salvationist religions born in Taiwan in the late 20th century. It was founded in 1984 in Taichung by Grand Master Hun Yuan. Its global core membership is about 300,000, with a larger audience estimated by Taiwan's Ministry of Internal Affairs at 1,000,000. The church has quickly spread to mainland China since the early 2000s, where it functions as a platform for joint initiatives of the Chinese mainland and Taiwanese governments for the renewal of Chinese culture. It has also developed as a worldwide religious movement, attracting followers not only from the Chinese diaspora, but also communities of other races, including East Asians and even Westerners.
Weixinism operates a synthesis and reproposition for the modern times of ancient Chinese religion and philosophy, primarily focused on the "orthodox lineages of Yijing and fengshui", and worship of the "Three Great Ancestors" (Huangdi, Yandi and Chiyou). It has been defined as a form of institutionalization of Chinese folk religion.
Weixinism was founded in the 1980s, in a context where the end of martial law in Taiwan, with the consequent affirmation of freedom of religion, allowed several new religious movements to operate openly and eventually to gain legal recognition. At the same time, in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution in the mainland, several local new religious movements presented themselves as the guardians of Chinese "orthodoxy" in religious beliefs, intended as the genuine religious and cultural tradition that had developed throughout centuries of Chinese history.
Among the most successful of such movements was Weixinism, which was founded as the result of the mystical experiences of Chang Yi-Jui, born in Zhongliao, Nantou, Taiwan, in 1944, and later known as Grand Master Hun Yuan. Before falling seriously ill in 1982, Chang, who operated a land survey company in Taiwan, was not particularly religious, although he had been interested for years in Yijing and fengshui. He attributed his recovery to a miraculous intervention and vowed to dedicate his remaining life to spirituality.
He claimed to have received messages both from the Jade Deity, one of the representations of the supreme God, and from Guiguzi, a name that indicates both a group of writings compiled between the late Warring States period and the end of the Han dynasty and their author, later deified in Chinese folk religion. Feeling he was now mystically united with Guiguzi, Chang opened a small worship hall in Taichung and started gathering followers. In 1984, he renamed the hall Shennong Temple and claimed to have received by divine revelation the name and title of Grand Master Hun Yuan. In 1987, he registered his movement as Weixinism, a name meaning "Heart(or Mind)-Only" teaching.
In 1989, the headquarters were moved to larger facilities in Nantou County, in a complex known as the Hsien Fo Temple. The movement's growth led to the establishment of some forty branch temples in Taiwan, and overseas branches in China, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Spain. A variety of temples, including a large headquarters complex known as the "City (or Temple) of the Eight Symbols" on Yumen Mountain in Henan, have been built in mainland China since 2001. Another headquarters complex has been built in 2008 in Nantou City, Taiwan.
Taiwanese scholar Liu Hsiu-Yi has argued that members join Weixinism because of four different motivations: problem-solving, learning doctrines, social networking, and personal religious experiences. Some believe the religion may help them solve practical problems in the fields of health and careers; others are interested in Weixinist theology; some join because they have relatives and friends in the movement; and some claim they had a deep spiritual experience when they first met Grand Master Hun Yuan.
Weixinism success is largely due to it having emerged as a leading provider of courses on Yijing and fengshui, two systems that are immensely popular both in Taiwan and in China and among the international Chinese diaspora, and increasingly interest Westerners as well. Academic courses are offered through the Weixinist College, which has been accredited in 2013 by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, while the I Ching University proposes "lifelong learning" seminars and coordinates courses offering Yijing teaching to children. Two million children have attended such courses between their launching in 1996 and 2016. Weixinism has also organized a number of academic conferences, featuring scholars from Taiwan, mainland China, Korea, and the West.
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Weixinism
Weixinism (唯心教 Wéixīnjiào), institutionally also known by the extended title of Holy Church of the Heart-Only (唯心聖教 Wéixīn Shèngjiào) is one of the Chinese salvationist religions born in Taiwan in the late 20th century. It was founded in 1984 in Taichung by Grand Master Hun Yuan. Its global core membership is about 300,000, with a larger audience estimated by Taiwan's Ministry of Internal Affairs at 1,000,000. The church has quickly spread to mainland China since the early 2000s, where it functions as a platform for joint initiatives of the Chinese mainland and Taiwanese governments for the renewal of Chinese culture. It has also developed as a worldwide religious movement, attracting followers not only from the Chinese diaspora, but also communities of other races, including East Asians and even Westerners.
Weixinism operates a synthesis and reproposition for the modern times of ancient Chinese religion and philosophy, primarily focused on the "orthodox lineages of Yijing and fengshui", and worship of the "Three Great Ancestors" (Huangdi, Yandi and Chiyou). It has been defined as a form of institutionalization of Chinese folk religion.
Weixinism was founded in the 1980s, in a context where the end of martial law in Taiwan, with the consequent affirmation of freedom of religion, allowed several new religious movements to operate openly and eventually to gain legal recognition. At the same time, in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution in the mainland, several local new religious movements presented themselves as the guardians of Chinese "orthodoxy" in religious beliefs, intended as the genuine religious and cultural tradition that had developed throughout centuries of Chinese history.
Among the most successful of such movements was Weixinism, which was founded as the result of the mystical experiences of Chang Yi-Jui, born in Zhongliao, Nantou, Taiwan, in 1944, and later known as Grand Master Hun Yuan. Before falling seriously ill in 1982, Chang, who operated a land survey company in Taiwan, was not particularly religious, although he had been interested for years in Yijing and fengshui. He attributed his recovery to a miraculous intervention and vowed to dedicate his remaining life to spirituality.
He claimed to have received messages both from the Jade Deity, one of the representations of the supreme God, and from Guiguzi, a name that indicates both a group of writings compiled between the late Warring States period and the end of the Han dynasty and their author, later deified in Chinese folk religion. Feeling he was now mystically united with Guiguzi, Chang opened a small worship hall in Taichung and started gathering followers. In 1984, he renamed the hall Shennong Temple and claimed to have received by divine revelation the name and title of Grand Master Hun Yuan. In 1987, he registered his movement as Weixinism, a name meaning "Heart(or Mind)-Only" teaching.
In 1989, the headquarters were moved to larger facilities in Nantou County, in a complex known as the Hsien Fo Temple. The movement's growth led to the establishment of some forty branch temples in Taiwan, and overseas branches in China, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Spain. A variety of temples, including a large headquarters complex known as the "City (or Temple) of the Eight Symbols" on Yumen Mountain in Henan, have been built in mainland China since 2001. Another headquarters complex has been built in 2008 in Nantou City, Taiwan.
Taiwanese scholar Liu Hsiu-Yi has argued that members join Weixinism because of four different motivations: problem-solving, learning doctrines, social networking, and personal religious experiences. Some believe the religion may help them solve practical problems in the fields of health and careers; others are interested in Weixinist theology; some join because they have relatives and friends in the movement; and some claim they had a deep spiritual experience when they first met Grand Master Hun Yuan.
Weixinism success is largely due to it having emerged as a leading provider of courses on Yijing and fengshui, two systems that are immensely popular both in Taiwan and in China and among the international Chinese diaspora, and increasingly interest Westerners as well. Academic courses are offered through the Weixinist College, which has been accredited in 2013 by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, while the I Ching University proposes "lifelong learning" seminars and coordinates courses offering Yijing teaching to children. Two million children have attended such courses between their launching in 1996 and 2016. Weixinism has also organized a number of academic conferences, featuring scholars from Taiwan, mainland China, Korea, and the West.