Song Dynasty Women's Religious Beliefs And Gender Roles

The Song Dynasty is thought of as the Transitional Period, through which the Chinese Traditional Society was going from the Medieval Times to the Near Ancient Times .In this Period all-around Changes took place in various social Fields, and also was a fresh Oriented-role of Female needed in the new social Surroundings. Religious Syncretism and Adaptation in this Period showed a Feature of Secularization and Plebification. This Paper takes the Women of Song Dynasty as main Object of Study, and makes an investigation into the expected Oriented-role through religious Activities.In the first Part, the Paper outlines the Contents and Forms of religious Activities of Women in Song Dynasty ,which included Worshipping at Home, Chanting Sutra & Fast, Offering Incense & Fulfilling Vows, Preaching & Forming Congregation, Doing good & Offering Alms, Participating religious Services & Observing religious Festivals. As to female Clerics, hey engaged in religious Practices by Taking the Tonsure or Becoming a Nun at her death bed or Doing Penance at Home, and most of them were devout Believers in Religion or those who felt dead to the World. This Changing in their Roles exerted an Influence on themselves, other female Believers and Society, although to different extents.In the second Part, the major Issue involved is Feminity in Religion of Song Dynasty; From the Aspect of Goddess Worship in Religion, the Paper summarizes several principal Goddesses in Religion of this Period and tries to find out peoples Expectations on the Role of Female in Song Dynasty, And from the Aspect of Feminine Taboo in Religion, the Paper studies Restraints and behavioral Conventions established for the Role of Female in the Society of Song Dynasty.In the third Part, the Paper analyses the Gender Role of Women reflected in the Activities of Religion in Song Dynasty. On one hand, They continued to play the traditional Role in Society as Mothers by nurturing their Offspring, which embodied their Worship of Fertility, and bringing their Children up in accordance with their Reflections on Religion; On the other hand, As Women of Song Dynasty, they pursued Wealth by worshipping Mammon, aspired after Acknowledge by reading the Classics, and theyre also willing to Communicate with People by participating in religious Services. The Paper especially analyses the Endeavors of Women of Song Dynasty in compromising the Contradiction between their behavioral Conventions and their religious Activities, by which they showed great Wisdom.In the last Part, the Paper analyses the Valuation on Womens Beliefs in Song Dynasty. On the whole, the Society of Song Dynasty was tolerant of and Womens religious Activities, Because most of the religious Doctrines played an active Role in establishing behavioral Convention of Female, Widow Chastity and Helping women to fulfill their Responsibilities. But once their religious Activities conflicted with what theyre expected to do or when they went too far on that Issue, the Women would be harshly criticized. As to female Clerics, only few of them who were very talented and achieved great Success could gain Peoples Respect, but most of them were looked down upon with Contempt by People.