Scholars use the term “diffuse religion” to describe the situation in East Asia in which multiple religious traditions coexist, often supplying complementary uses in society.
For example, Confucianism instructs how to maintain social relations, including with one’s ancestors, while Daoism teaches one to harmonize with the natural world, and Buddhism handles matters concerning the afterlife.
Thus it is common for the same individual to identify with multiple spiritual traditions in the East Asian context.