When I first came here, I had a tour of the city. One of the places we visited was a Confucian temple (klenteng Konghucu) Bright red with gold, the temple stands out among the many shops and food stalls along the street.
Honestly, I had no idea there were people who practiced Confucianism in Indonesia. I heard of Confucianism in China, but always thought it was more of a "thing of the past." But I've learned otherwise ... I am now curious about Confucianism in other parts of the world.
Although you can take pictures inside of the temple, there is one room you may not take photos of. I'm glad I learned this beforehand!
I enjoyed observing the temple. I've seen several temples and I find that depending on the country, there is something always unique and interesting about each. I'm glad to say that I've had a chance to visit a Confucian temple during my lifetime ...
That's quite interesting. There are quite some Confucians temples in China and Taiwan. But generally, it is not considered as a separted religion. People worshiped it just like other buddism gods. Parents will go to Confucians temple to pray for their children before their kids take big exams or apply for college, etc.
ReplyDeleteHello, Mary, how are you?
ReplyDeleteI accidentally found your blog when I was searching for Confucianism. I am a Indonesian and a Confucian myself, though not a knowledgeable one.
I would like to thank you that you wrote about Confucianism in my country. Even though that Confucianism is legally practiced in Indonesia, there remains questions whether it is a religion or just a philosophy.
The word "Klenteng" is actually a building which covers 3 religions : Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Confucian's praying house (or one could say Confucian's church/temple) is called Lithang (equals to Church in Christianity) or Boen Bio (equals to Cathedral in Christianity; in Indonesia, there are less then 5, one of which is located in Surabaya, which is near if you're in Denpasar/Bali).
What Ice John said in the first comment is probably what most people knows about Confucianism religious activities. But here, the Confucian has regular praying time, like Christian who goes to Church every Sunday. And the Chinese New Year, which most Chinese celebrate like 1st January, is one of our religious day, as if Christmas to Christian or Ied Fitr to Moslem.
If you are interested to know more about Confucianism, there's an english book about Confucianism which is available in US, written by an American Corean and he himself is a Confucian. I'll put a link to his web, just in case if you'd like to explore more (and discuss. He lives in DC, gained his Ph.D from American Universty.)
http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~tkang/welcome_files/resume.htm
Well, it's been a long comment. I only intended to express my gratitude to you. Well, you can edit it anyway. Thank you.
Have a nice journey in life.
Regards,
Dipa
Thank you for the information Wardhana Dipa! I appreciate the info. It will enhance my knowledge as well as others who see the post. I would like to know more and will have to take a look at the book you mentioned. Have a great day!
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