The Influence of Buddhism on Trade Activities along the Silk Road - Essay Example

The influence of Buddhism on trade activities along The Silk Road by Student’s Name Code + course name Instructor’s Name Institution of Learning City, State Date Introduction Buddhism practices and beliefs became popular among the Chinese people during the 2nd century BCE. Buddhism spread from India to china through missionary activities that were conducted along the Silk Road. During its evolution along the Silk Road, several Buddhist schools, temples, sanctuaries, art and literature works developed. Merchant caravans were used by Buddhist monks in spreading the new religion from India to the inhabitants of Asia and China. Moreover, Chinese Buddhist pilgrims were founded, and they began to travel from China to India the origin of Buddhism (Chen 1973). Thus the birth place of Buddhism was northern India where it had already become well established by the 2nd millennium. From northern India Buddhism spread towards central Asia penetrating towards the east through oasis communities whereby most converts were found. Merchants travelling the Silk Road played a significant role in the growth of Buddhism as they carried their faith with them wherever they went. Chen 1973 affirms that by the fifth century Buddhism had already planted its roots in East Asia mainly in China. Buddhism spread from North India, into central Asia and finally to China. Discussion In its preaching, Buddhism promoted equality among its believers which solidified the cultural identity of people. Buddhist believers respected each other despite their background and treated them with dignity. These values cemented long lasting relationships between long distance traders that had just met along the Silk Road (Xinru 1996). Buddhism not only created a link for the spread of religion but also encouraged the spread of compassion among people. Through this, there was an established network connecting people from the west and east hemisphere with diverse traditions and cultures. Since Buddhism encouraged the right way of living by telling its followers to care for each, followers embraced people from diverse backgrounds without discriminating. According to Xinru 1996, the practice of compassion by Buddhists supported intermarriages, cultural exchange and diverse trade activities among different Asian countries that used the Silk Road. The Silk Road therefore acted as a splendid highway for both merchants and missionaries who used this opportunity as a way to encourage cross cultural exchange among the people who used the Silk Road. Buddhist merchants carried their beliefs and practices wherever they visited thus attracting new converts. Exchange of goods and services was conducted through the language of these Buddhist merchants who integrated parts of the holy texts in their communication. Thus religion and trade inevitably intertwined allowing foreigners to adopt some of the Buddhist terms as part of their communication skills (Whitfield 1999). On the other hand Buddhism promoted trade and communication within India and China as well as empires within the eastern hemisphere. This is because it brought together classical societies and regions that were well known for being independent into a much bigger economy and society (Gernet 1995). Additionally the practice of Buddhism in these two nations influenced neighboring Asian countries to want to be like them and share the wealth Buddhist merchants gathered along the Silk Road. Buddhism attracted wealth and maintained an active access to foreign goods and services. According to Foltz 1999, this was possible since Buddhism was able to equip people with the ability to pay more attention on economic and social factors that were most suitable for their region. Through the spread of religious practices and traditions, Buddhism around the eastern hemisphere was able to establish a compact and effective territory. People from different regions could comfortably marry each other since they shared a common religion which was Buddhism. Nomadic tribes that adopted the practice of Buddhism abandoned their way of life and emulated Buddhism. For instance most nomadic tribes were well known for being barbaric and violent people. However they were able to lose their identity and adopt the quality lifestyle of their neighbors who practiced Buddhism. Buddhism was therefore viewed as a quality and civilized religion that presented humane governance to people. Thus various nomadic tribes traded their values and lifestyle and followed the doctrines presented in Buddhism and also assimilated the cultural morals and values of their neighbors who practiced Buddhism (Whitefield 2004). Consequently, Buddhist merchants were largely responsible for sharing and exchange of history among people from different cultural backgrounds. As they travelled along the Silk Road, Buddhists planted their cultures by creating monuments and also carved their gods. This allowed people from different diverse backgrounds to worship together as they communicated in their own language inserting holy texts from Buddhism. This religion enabled citizens from the east and west to find a common language in which they used for trading and at the same time an artery for cultural exchange (Wood 2002). According to Wright 1959, the cultural exchange facilitated by Buddhism between China and the west gave rise to technological advancements in the two regions. The practice of Buddhism in the west and east presented an opportunity for mutual benefits while allowing communities in this area to achieve common progress. Buddhist pilgrims travelling from China to the west taught foreigners the skills of silkworm farming and silk spinning. This highly contributed to the development of surrounding nations by promoting the spread of some of the famous and greatest Chinese inventions that included; silk spinning, gunpowder, paper making and printing. Notably, people from the west conducted barter trade with those from the east. This is because several goods and products were shipped into china through the Silk Road. This type of trade nurtured and supported the growth of material culture exchange as well as the relationship between the people. Since Buddhism was wide spread in most societies in the east and west it cemented the relationship between people in these regions. Those from the western hemisphere travelled the Silk Road to China to trade grapes, clover, carrots, pepper, walnuts and spinach (Foltz 1999). The settlement of Buddhist merchants in Oasis towns led to the development of these towns as cosmopolitan centers. These towns highly depended on trade activities so as to be successful and prosper thus they allowed Buddhist merchants to invite monks and build monasteries in their towns. These monasteries attracted foreign merchants into the oasis towns hence contributing to the economical growth of the towns. By attracting new converts, Buddhists compelled the new converts who spoke different languages and from diverse cultural backgrounds to settle in these oasis towns. The oasis towns therefore gained a lot in terms of monetary values and interests due to the large numbers of people stopping over at the towns for food, rest and lodging (Whitefield 1999). Residents in the Oasis towns also practiced Buddhism which was now a widespread religion for merchants along the Silk Road for almost a millennium. Oasis communities would comfortably interact with merchants from the east and west hence promoting intermarriages and trade activities between people from different societies. In addition to this, Oasis communities attracted nomadic people to trade with them as they were fascinated by Buddhism. Rice 1965 affirms that Buddhists missionaries and monasteries built in major cities within China also attracted new convert who developed the social, architectural and cultural growth of china. Indian culture also spread in most Asian countries through Buddhism. Asian countries built their city walls and buildings using the architecture style adopted from India. This was due to the influence of Buddhists from India. They carried with them carvings of their gods which foreigners adopted as part of their heritage. Foreigners sculptured the architect pieces of art while imitating the style used in these gods. Thus Buddhism encouraged people to embrace diversity in form of arts works (Rice 1965). Buddhist works of art had a significant impact on the development and growth of central part of Asia. Buddhism art work demonstrated the influence of both the west and east cultures had on each other. People from these regions adopted the styles and traditions of their counterparts to create monuments and gods as a way of worship. Hence showcasing the extent to which eastern and western cultures had fused together and come up with various monuments along the Silk Road. The demonstrated fusion of eastern and western cultures was also demonstrated through valuable pieces of Buddhist sculptures, paintings and murals (Barrett 2005). Buddhism acted as a source of collective resources, traditions, cultures and arts from diverse backgrounds. This collection of resources, managed to create and build trust between different communities that used the Silk Road. Lessons learned along the Silk Road during this process promoted tolerance among societies, exchange of ideas, art, and music. This type of impact fostered the dissemination of Asian cultural practices and traditions from the east and west (Gernet 1995). Buddhist monks created learning centers and centers for commerce that facilitated scholars to study the holy texts of Buddhism. This led to the growth of commercial activities in China since it had temples that were lavishly decorated by holy texts and artworks in Buddhism. The temples attracted foreigners who participated in trading activities at the Silk Road and wanted to be literate. Buddhist temples in China acted as learning institutions that brought together members of different societies and communities. This in turn fostered harmony and encouraged Buddhists to intermarry outside their own communities. Moreover intermarriages gave rise to strong business relationships among people trading at the Silk Road from both the east and west (Chen 1973). Conclusion The growth and establishment of Silk Road contributed towards both the geographical and historical backgrounds of many Asian nations (Wood 2002). Contributions made by religion towards the history and heritage of most Asians continue to prosper decades after. The Silk Road acted as an artery for the passage of new ways of living, exchange of ideas, assimilation of traditions and culture. Religion made it possible for most individuals around these regions to coexist without any form of hostility or fear. Thus religion cemented most of the relationships shared between people from the west and east hemispheres as mentioned above. Barrett 2005 attests that the domination of Buddhism as one of the major religions practiced along the Silk Road goes to show just how much it contributed to the growth of many Asian nations. Buddhism spread quite quickly and covered most parts of west, central and east of Asia, its domination fostered cultural exchange on many levels among people in these areas. The spiritual growth of people from the west and east was the backbone for the development of social and economic status within these two regions. Therefore Buddhism was regarded much more as a way of living than a religion. References Barrett, T. H., 2005. The religious meaning of Buddhist sculpture in its cultural setting: the Buddha images of Qingzhou in the light of recent scholarship. Buddhist Studies Review 22: 44-69. Chen, K., 1973. The Chinese Transformation of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Foltz, R., 1999. Religions of the Silk Road. New York: St Martins Press. Gernet, J., 1995. Buddhism in Chinese Society: An Economic History from the fifth to the Tenth Centuries. New York: Columbia. Rice, T. T., 1965. Ancient Arts of Central Asia. London: Thames & Hudson. Whitfield, S. 2004. The Silk Road. Trade, Travel, War and Faith. Hong Kong: Serindia. Whitfield, S. 1999. Life along the Silk Road. Berkeley: University of California Press. Wood, F. 2002. The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia. A brilliantly illustrated volume discussing the history of the silk roads from antiquity to the twentieth century. Berkeley. Wright, A., 1959. Buddhism in Chinese History. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Xinru, L., 1996. Silk and Religion, Delhi: Oxford University Press. Read More