In the study of comparative religion, the East Asian religions (also known as Far Eastern religions or Taoic religions) form a subset of the Eastern religions. This group includes Confucianism , Shinto , Taoism and elements of Mahayana Buddhism as well as new religious movements such as I-Kuan-Tao (Yiguandao) , Chen , Chen Tao , Cao Dai , Hoa Hao , Chondogyo and Jeung San Do
These traditions or religious philosophies focus on the East Asian concept of Tau ("The Way"; pinyin dào, Korean do, Japanese tō or dō, Vietnamese đạo).
The place of East Asian religions among major religious groups is comparable to the Abrahamic religions and Indian religions . East Asian religions are dominant in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries within the East Asian cultural sphere
Early Chinese philosophies defined Tao and advocated cultivating Te in that Tao . Some ancient schools have merged into traditions with different names or are no longer active, such as Mohism (and many others of the Hundred Schools of Thought), while some such as Taoism persist to the modern day. East Asian beliefs include polytheism , nontheism , henotheism , monotheism , pantheism , panentheism and agnosticism . East Asian religions have many Western adherents, though their interpretations may differ significantly from traditional East Asian thought and culture.
Despite a wide variety of terms, the traditions described as "Far Eastern religions", "East Asian religions" or "Chinese religions" are recognized by scholars as a distinct religious family
Syncretism is a common feature of East Asian religions, often making it difficult to recognize individual faiths . Further complications arise from the inconsistent use of many terms. "Tao religion" is often used for Taoism itself, especially Tao chiao as well as being used as an identifying term for Tao-based new religious movements . The term "Far Eastern religion" can be used to refer only to faiths incorporating "Tao", may include Ch'an and Japanese Buddhism, and can even inclusively refer to all Asian religions . These problems in distinguishing religious practices and with inconsistency in terminology can make discussion of East Asian religions difficult.
