Moism

Mo or Moism is the religion of most Zhuang people, a Tai-speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. Mo developed from the prehistoric beliefs of the Zhuang people and is similar to Chinese folk religion. Buddhism and Taoism have influenced the religion and culture of the Zhuang. The Cultural Revolution of China weakened Mo, but it has experienced a revival since the 1980s. Moism exhibits many regional variations. Mo has a three-element theory (sky, earth and water). People are believed to have three souls after they have died; one that goes to Heaven, one that goes to the cemetery, and one that comes back to protect the deceased’s family. Souls of the dead can enter the netherworld, but can also continue to assist the living. The ancestral spirits are believed to protect the family but can also punish them. Most Zhuang families have an ancestral shrine at the center of their home where they can worship their ancestors along with other deities. Mo is animistic, beleiving that spirits are present in everything. These spirits are thought to be immortal and subject to changes in mood. Mo exhibits totemism and the cult of reproduction, a Confucian doctrine that holds that family perpetuation is the greatest act of filial piety. In consequence, the Chinese have tended to marry early, begin to bear children imediately, and strive to ultimately produce many offspring as possible. Moists consider Bu Luotuo (Buluotuo) to be the supreme god, creator of the world and founder of the Mo religion. The Zhuang epic Baeu Rodo is a poem about how Bu Luotuo created the world. The epic is split into four sections. The first is an introduction; the second is about the creation of the world; the third is about the creation of leaders; and the fourth is about the establishment of morals and ethics. The Zhuang people will often sing this religious text at worship ceremonies.The Flower Mother, Me Hoa (Huapo), is seen as the creator of humanity and is Bu Luotuo's wife. As goddess of reproduction, she is seen as governing a large garden of golden flowers (boys) and silver flowers (girls). Whoever behaves properly will receive good flowers (good children) and those who behave improperly will receive bad flowers. When a baby is born, a plaque in Me Hoa’s honour and a bunch of wildflowers will be placed near the baby’s bed. Families possess altars dedicated to Me Hoa. Other gods include Tudigong, protector the village, She Shen, the village tutelary spirit, the Shan Shen (god of the mountains), and the Dragon King who protects a village when disasters arise. The production and consumption of food is essential for life, so the Zhaung also worship the Land God (who controls drought, flood, pestilence and disease), the Kitchen God, the Water God, the Rice God, and the Sun God. There are two types of religious figure in Moism: female diviners and male shaman or necromancers. The untrained female diviners treat the sick and can communicate with the spirit world when they are in a trance. The trained male shaman or necromancers serve at an altar and are able to read and write Sawndip, the Zhuang’s script, which records Mo mythology, history, geography, and astronomy. They are sometimes referred to as great masters and can transmit their knowledge to students. Their primary function is to dispel ghosts, pray to spirits, help people choose an auspicious time or place to do something important, and tell people’s fortunes. They are often employed to oversee funerals, local festivals, and to intervene with the gods in times of crisis. Sometimes a Taoist priest will take the place of a shaman and will chant in Chinese instead of the Zhuang language. Buddhism in Zhuang communities has been heavily influenced both by Taoism and Moism, so Buddhist priests are allowed to marry and are only semi-vegetarian. Their main function is to write horoscopes, act as geomancers, and exorcise ghosts, although they can also lend a hand in times of crisis by chanting sutra.