Zeng Shiqiang on Religion: Faith, Morality, and the Chinese Spiritual Tradition

1. Why this article compiles Zeng Shiqiang's views on religion

Zeng Shiqiang (1935–2018) was a Taiwanese management scholar and cultural scholar, long known to the public through 《易经》, Chinese-style management, and traditional culture lectures. Public information shows that he was an adjunct professor at Taiwan Normal University and worked for many years in the fields of culture, management, and promoting Confucian studies.

The content in this article mainly comes from a transcript of a speech by Zeng Shiqiang on religion, belief, morality, and Chinese culture. Because the original material has clear spoken-language features and may contain transcription errors, this article is limited to text cleaning, formatting, and necessary corrections. It is not turned into an academic paper, and it does not make absolute judgments about any religion, denomination, or mystical experience.

Overall, Zeng Shiqiang's core position is not a simple rejection of religion, but a distinction among three things:

• Religion as an institution and doctrine can easily become exclusivist.
• Faith as personal spiritual support does not necessarily equate to religion.
• Chinese tradition places greater emphasis on Heaven, nature, morality, and personal cultivation.

For these reasons, this article is best read as a thought case within "Comparative East-West Religion / Occult Studies / Spiritual Culture Observation": it does not debate whether a miracle is real, but observes how a Chinese-speaking cultural speaker understands religion, faith, and personal self-cultivation.

2. Religion and faith: don't treat the two as identical

Zeng Shiqiang repeatedly emphasized that many people, as soon as they hear "faith," immediately think of religion. In his understanding, faith does not necessarily mean religion.

A person can have faith in a religion, or in a doctrine, values, exemplary figures, or even a set of principles about life responsibility and moral cultivation. For him, religion is only one form of faith, not the whole of faith.

He especially warned that human dignity lies in "making one's own decisions." If a person is entirely led by external doctrine and cannot take responsibility for their own choices, they are likely to lose their subjectivity. A person must take responsibility for what they do—that is the character of someone who stands upright and independent.

So his attitude toward religion is not simple opposition but careful distance: one may respect religion, study religion, and enter churches, temples, or different religious spaces as a sign of respect; but one need not bind oneself completely to a single religious organizational label.

3. What he opposed was the exclusivity of religion

What Zeng Shiqiang warned about most is that once religion becomes rigid dogma, it can easily become exclusive.

He gave examples. A person can say, "I am Christian" and, in principle, still read Buddhist sutras, understand 《易经》, and engage with other cultural traditions. But if they narrow themselves to a restrictive "Christian" identity and thereby assume other classics are off-limits, doctrinal rigidity can restrict them.

Similarly, a person can say, "I am a Buddhist practitioner," perform Buddhist worship, study Buddhism, and cultivate oneself without needing to exclude 《圣经》 or other religious texts. But if they become a narrowly defined "Buddhist" and believe no other tradition is acceptable, they risk losing inclusiveness.

This is a distinction he often repeated:

• One can be a Buddhist practitioner, but should not let the label "Buddhist" bind oneself.
• One can be a Christian, but should not let the identity label "Christian" bind oneself.
• One may respect religion, but should not let religion become a reason to exclude others.

In his teaching, the most troubling thing about the character "teaching" (teaching) is that once fixed doctrines, strict boundaries, and exclusivist tendencies appear, people can easily lose the middle way and slide into fanaticism.

4. Family and religion: differing faiths should not become the source of conflict

Zeng Shiqiang also discussed religious differences within families.

In real life, it is difficult to require everyone in one family to believe the same religion. Even if the family is nominally within the same religion, each person's degree of belief, way of understanding, and level of participation can differ.

If religious identity becomes a basis for mutual demands, threats, intimidation, or coercion inside a family, then what is supposed to comfort the mind can become a source of conflict.

He believed that people do not come into this world to "practice religion"; what is more important is that people build themselves, correct themselves, and take responsibility for the duties in their lives. If religion helps a person cultivate the self, do good, and settle the heart, it has value. But if religion becomes control, exclusion, intimidation, or exploitation, it betrays the original meaning of faith.

5. Chinese tradition: a tradition with faith but not a state religion

Zeng Shiqiang strongly emphasized one point in Chinese tradition: "there is faith, but there is no state religion."

In his understanding, Chinese culture has long been shaped by traditions influenced by Fuxi, King Wen of Zhou, Confucius, and Mencius, and puts greater emphasis on Heaven, nature, morality, and personal cultivation than on unifying everyone's spiritual life through a single religious institution.

He believed Chinese people worship Heaven (Tian) not by treating Heaven as a simple personalized deity, but by understanding Heaven as nature, order, the Way, and ultimate cosmic order. Heaven is omnipresent; people live between Heaven and earth and should align with nature and cultivate virtue.

This is also the cultural foundation he called Chinese ways of resolving religious conflict:

• Chinese tradition has not had a long-standing fixed national-religion system.
• Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, Islam, and folk beliefs can coexist in society.
• Many Chinese families may also contain different faith orientations internally, while daily life can still remain harmonious.

Of course, this claim is a cultural observation; it does not mean there have never been religious conflicts in history, nor that religious issues in modern society are always simple. What Zeng Shiqiang wished to emphasize is that Chinese tradition is generally less inclined to define everyone’s spiritual belonging through one single religious identity.

6. Believing to a suitable extent is enough: excessive attachment becomes superstition

Zeng Shiqiang once said something representative: believing is fine when it reaches a certain point; if one goes too far, it easily turns into superstition.

This is not a call to have no faith, but a reminder to keep reason, proportion, and personal agency.

Religion, scripture, ritual, and religious leaders can all be understood as "the finger pointing at the moon." The finger is only a tool to help someone see the moon; what truly matters is the moon itself, not the finger.

If a person clings to form, organization, clothing, identity, and ritual while forgetting that religion is meant to point toward Heaven, compassion, virtue, and practice, then one sees only the "finger," not the "moon."

That is also why he emphasized "follow the Dharma, not the person." Here, "Dharma" can be read as the Way of Heaven, the right way, principle, and direction of cultivation rather than blind dependence on a person, an organization, or an external form.

7. Buddhism, Daoism, and folk beliefs: reverence is fine, attachment is not required

In his lecture, Zeng Shiqiang also spoke about Buddhism, Daoism, and folk beliefs.

He reminded that many people call themselves believers in Buddhism without truly understanding the Buddhist tradition, and others lump together various folk customs, reincarnation ideas, and ritual practices under a general label of "Buddhism." From a religious studies perspective, Buddhism itself already contains multiple traditions, branches, and interpretations, while folk practice is often not fully identical to canonical teachings.

He also pointed out that in many cases, Chinese people are not strictly "worshipping Buddha" but more like "paying Buddhist respect": when entering a religious space, they express reverence and remain humble, which does not necessarily mean fully joining a religious organization.

This attitude fits his overall position: respect religion, but do not be constrained by religious labels; understand ritual, but do not absolutize ritual; acknowledge the need for spiritual support, but do not turn that support into blind obedience.

8. Divinity, the Way of Heaven, and energy: an interpretation with occult coloration

In the latter part of this lecture, Zeng Shiqiang also used terms such as "energy," "frequency," and "magnetic field." These expressions have a clear spiritual-cultural and occult flavor and should not be treated as directly equivalent to strict scientific proof.

His idea, roughly, is that religious founders, saints, or spiritual symbols may be expressions of one higher energy appearing in different cultures. In Indian contexts, it may appear as Shakyamuni; in Middle Eastern and Western contexts, it may appear as Jesus Christ; in other cultures, it may appear in symbolic forms that are understandable to local people.

This is a comparative and spiritualized explanation, suitable as his personal understanding rather than a directly verifiable factual claim.

From a cultural-observational perspective, however, this statement reflects his attempt to resolve religious antagonism: although religions differ outwardly, beneath the surface they all attempt to guide people toward understanding Heaven, correcting themselves, and elevating virtue.

9. The focus of practice: changing oneself rather than controlling others

In the end, Zeng Shiqiang brings the religious question back to individual cultivation.

He believed that it is very hard to truly change others unless they themselves are willing to change. Parents cannot force children to change; religion cannot force believers to change. If a person does not want to change, external power has little effect.

So true cultivation is not about using religion to demand things from others, but turning that demand back on oneself:

• Whether one is more compassionate.
• Whether one reduces exclusion and control.
• Whether one can take responsibility for one's choices.
• Whether one can still keep moral judgment in difficult situations.
• Whether one can maintain respect among different faiths.

In this sense, when he talks about religion he ultimately returns to life cultivation. He neither encourages blind rebellion nor blind obedience; he hopes people can retain judgment under real pressure, family dynamics, organizational rules, and religious traditions.

10. Significance as an observation of religious culture

Zeng Shiqiang's religious view has a very clear Chinese traditional cultural stance.

He does not regard religion as the only form of faith, nor does he argue that people must gain spiritual settlement only through one religious organization. He gives greater weight to the Way of Heaven, nature, morality, conscience, and personal cultivation.

This framework may not represent all religious studies, nor is it accepted by every believer. But as a typical voice in Chinese public culture, it is valuable as an observation:

• It reflects the mixed mindset in Chinese tradition of "reverence for Heaven," "cultivating virtue," "paying respect to Buddhas," and "respect spirits but keep distance."
• It helps explain why many Chinese can engage with multiple religions and folk beliefs at the same time.
• It also reminds people that when faith loses inclusiveness and proper limits, it can shift from settling the heart to generating conflict.

From this angle, the core sentence of Zeng Shiqiang's discourse on religion might be summarized as: faith can exist, religion can be respected, but ultimately people must decide for themselves and shape themselves through morality and cultivation.

Related themes can be found in Yu Bin's Spiritual Series and The Limits of Universalism.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which religious tradition is discussed in this article?

See the specific explanation in the main text. The Religion section on this site covers Christianity (including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Pentecostalism), Eastern religions, and occult traditions, with differing positions and perspectives across articles.

Is this a religious promotional article or an academic discussion?

Articles on this site focus mainly on cultural observation and academic introduction. They do not represent a specific religious position and do not constitute religious solicitation. Readers should approach them with their own faith background and critical thinking.

How can I deepen my understanding of the religious topics covered in the article?

It is suggested to consult the original works, academic papers, or course resources listed in the "References" at the end. Readers interested in the crossover of Eastern religions and divination culture can also refer to this site's I Ching divination tool as an entry point for cultural exploration.

Where are the related series mentioned in this article?

In the Religion section of this site, there are multiple series, including the "Yu Bin Spiritual Series" (nine pieces), which can be browsed on the blog category page.

References

• Zeng Shiqiang: What Is True Faith?
• The Secret of Interpreting the I Ching, Volume Twelve: Morality Is the Best Faith
• Zeng Shiqiang - Wikipedia