Following the introduction of Manichaeism to China, Manichaeans in China adopted a syncretic, sinified vocabulary borrowed primarily from Chinese Buddhism. Between 9th and 14th-centuries, following centuries of pressure to assimilate and persecution by successive Chinese dynasties, Chinese Manichaeans increasing involved themselves with the
Pure Land school of
Mahayana Buddhism in
southern China, practicing together so closely alongside the Mahayana Buddhists that over the years Manichaeism came to be absorbed into the Pure Land school making the two traditions indistinguishable. Through this close interaction, Manichaeism had profound influence on Chinese
Maitreyan Buddhist sects such as the
White Lotus Sect. Manichaeism survived among the population and had a profound influence on the tradition of the
Chinese folk religious sects integrating with the
Maitreyan beliefs such as the
White Lotus Sect. Due to the rise of the
Ming dynasty the name for
Manichaeism Mingjiao was seen as offensive to the Emperor, so it received particular persecution An account in
Fozu Tongji, an important historiography of Buddhism in China compiled by Buddhist scholars during 1258–1269, says that the Manichaeans worshipped the "white Buddha" and their leader wore a violet headgear, while the followers wore white costumes. Many Manichaeans took part in rebellions against the Song government and were eventually quelled. After that, all governments were suppressive against Manichaeism and its followers and the religion was banned by the
Ming Dynasty in 1370. During and after the 14th century, some Chinese Manichaeans involved themselves with the
Pure Land school of
Mahayana Buddhism in
southern China. Those Manichaeans practiced their rituals so closely alongside the Mahayana Buddhists that over the years the two sects became indistinguishable. Manichaeism in China assumes certain Chinese characteristics, assimilating to both
Buddhism and
Taoism. Chinese translations of Manichaean treatises are couched in Buddhist phraseology, and the religion's founder (
Mar)
Mani (known in China as ()摩尼,
(Mo)-Mani) received the title of the "Buddha of Light" ( or ), and a life story resembling that of
Gautama Buddha. At the same time, the supposedly Taoist treatise, the
Huahujing "Scripture of the Conversion of the Barbarians", popular with Chinese Manichaeans, declared Mani to be a reincarnation of
Laozi. As to the
Confucian civil authorities of the Song state, when the clandestine cells of Mani's followers came to their attention, they were usually lumped together with assorted other suspicious and potentially troublesome sects as "vegetarian demon worshipers" (). Not surprisingly, such Manichaean temples that were erected in Song China usually had an official Buddhist or Taoist affiliation. There are records, for example, of a Manichaean temple in Taoist disguise at
Siming. This temple - one of the northernmost known Manichaean sites of the Song era - was established in the 960s, and was still active - in a more standard Taoist way, but with a memory of Manichaeism retained - in the 1260s. In
Qianku there is also a strong veneration of the Sun and the Moon, which are often called the Sunlight Buddha and Moonlight Buddha by locals
Cao'an temple The
Cao'an temple in
Fujian stands as a vivid example the subsumption of Manichaeism into Buddhism, as a statue of the "Buddha of Light" is thought to be a representation of the prophet
Mani. The most remarkable Manichaean relic in the temple is the statue of Manichaeism's founder
Mani, commonly referred to in the Chinese Manichaean tradition as the "Buddha of Light". According to an
inscription, the statue was donated to the temple by a local adherent in 1339. While the statue may look like any other Buddha to a casual observer, experts note a number of peculiarities which distinguish it from a
typical portrayal of the Buddha. Instead of being curly-haired and clean-shaven, as most other Buddha statues, this Buddha of Light is depicted having straight hair draped over his shoulders, and sporting a beard. The facial features of the prophet (arched eyebrows, fleshy jowls) are somewhat different from a traditional Chinese stone Buddha as well. an inscription on a stone in the courtyard dated 1445 urges the faithful to remember "Purity (清净), Light (光明), Power (大力), and Wisdom (智慧)", which are the four attributes of the Father of Light, These four words (eight Chinese characters) were apparently an important motto of Chinese Manichaeism; it is described as such in an anti-Manichean work by the Fujianese Taoist
Bo Yuchan (real name Ge Changgeng;
fl. 1215). The original inscription was destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution, but later "restored" (apparently, on another rock). == See also ==