As a Persian, Mani founded his own sect in the third century AD, and the name of the sect was still named after him. The sect had very few members in the beginning, and it was Mani's daily hard work of preaching that made the sect improve.
Subsequently, the sect began a large-scale rise in Babylon, and later even became a famous religion in the world. In the Tang Dynasty, this sect called Manichaeism was introduced to China, and not only that, but the sect also began a large-scale spread, which was once flourishing in China.
People who have watched this TV series know that the sect in which Zhang Wuji served as the leader of the sect is called Mingjiao, and the Mingjiao here is the Manichaeanism that came in the Tang Dynasty.
Manichae was born in 216 AD, and at first he also believed in other religions, and later Manichaeism merged religions into one, which led to the emergence of Manichaeism. Since the introduction of Manichaeism during the Tang Dynasty, some people in China who have always believed in religion have worshipped Mani as the god of light, not only respecting the ancestors, but also having full sincerity.
The sect also has a lot of exquisiteness, first of all, to eat vegetarian, not to stick to the meat, and secondly not to drink alcohol, so as not to lose attitude, but also to have good morals, have a spirit of unity, yearn for the light.
Manichaeism did not have such a high achievement at the beginning, when it first entered China, Manichaeism was ostracized, and even did not receive it by the people of the Tang Dynasty, and there were provisions stipulating that it was not allowed to participate in any activities of the sect, otherwise there would be very serious consequences.
This phenomenon led to a very difficult situation for Manichaeism, let alone spreading. It was not until the Anshi Rebellion that occurred later, and Manichaeism was the biggest factor in quelling the war, that manichaeism rose in status until it was accepted by the people.
In 768 AD, the construction of Manichaeism began in Chang'an, and later in other places, manichaeism was at its peak in China. After the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, Manichaeism began to decline.
During the Five Dynasties period, Manichaeism gradually evolved into an organization used for civil uprisings. It was not until the Ming Dynasty began to crack down on Manichaeism that members of Manichaeism fled in search of hidden shelter. This has led to a worse view of Manichaeism, and even to the belief that Manichaeism is wrong and should not have appeared.
But in fact, the original meaning of Manichaeism has always been to spread the light, and they want peace and justice to return to this world, so that we can live in a clean and orderly environment.
Manichaeism did not give up after suffering these repressions, but after successive crackdowns by the Ming dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, it eventually failed, and this once glorious sect disappeared.
Today, Manichaeism has long since become history, a thing of the past. There is a temple on a hill in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, and this temple is by far the only temple associated with Manichaeism. Built during the Song Dynasty, the temple was built not only as an important basis for the study of Manichaeism, but also as one of the proofs that Manichaeism once existed. Although this temple is only a grass temple, it is also a testimony to that precious history.
In fact, not only in our country, Manichaeism has also spread on a large scale around the world, and even once became a world religion. However, with the development of time, its situation around the world is basically similar to that of China, and it has gradually declined. Today, it is also the only world religion to be destroyed.
The same world religions, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have developed greatly and have grown to this day, while Manichaeism is already a thing and a person, which is really lamentable.