The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Culture - Coursework Example

The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Culture Buddhism is one of the most influential and one of the oldest in the history of human civilization. It is observed by a particular portion of the population in almost every country in the world. From its establishment in India 2500 years ago, it had continued to flourish and affect the lives not only of the people practicing the said religion but also the society as a whole (Schmidt-Leukel 1). Buddhism started as a group that separated from the traditional Brahmanical India included in the Sramana group. The said religion presented the ways that can be undertaken by the people to be able to have a good life. The main leader of the Buddhism religion is Siddhartha Gautama also referred to as the Buddha. The main principles inclusive of the culture and traditions of the group are ethical conduct, altruism, duties and practices towards the religion and invocation of bodhisattvas (Schmidt-Leukel 1, 11). The members of the said religion can be found in different parts of the works. Based on the geographical orientation, there are two major branches of Buddhism. Included in the said branches are the Theravada and Mahayana. The Theravada Buddhism can be found in the Southeast Asia while the Mahayana Buddhism. From these significant areas, Buddhism continuously influenced other part of the world (Schmidt-Leukel 1, 11). The study conducted is aimed to present the spread and influence of Buddhism on one of the countries wherein the said religion had been adopted. One of the earliest nations to be influenced by Buddhism is China. Buddhism in China From the original established religion, the continuous travel of the Sramana movement led Buddhism to a process of continuous modifications. Upon entering a new country, the religion is molded in the culture and the principles and rules are modified in certain cases. In addition, the culture of the country or locality is then affected. Upon the establishment of Buddhism, the entrance of the said religion towards China is inevitable due to the country’s relationship and interaction to neighboring lands. Upon seeing the gold Buddha the generals of Wu Ti brought the image to China. Succeeding generations had interests in incorporating the said religion in the Chinese society (Schmidt-Leukel 139). From then on, the synergy and hybrid of the religion and the Chinese culture has been observed. The incorporation of Buddhism in the Chinese culture resulted to the application of Confucianism and Taoism beliefs along with the said religion. There are certain observations regarding the uniqueness of the Buddhism in China as compared to other countries. One is the lack of belief related to reincarnation. Another challenge that was faced by China is the translation of religious writings (Schmidt-Leukel 139). Upon the successful incorporation of Buddhism in the Chinese culture, the religion continued to influence the lives of the people to the point that it has become the predominant religion in the country. The said occurrence can be attributed to the innate beliefs of the Chinese people that might have been reinforced by the Buddhist religion. For that matter, although the people had very distinct view of their culture, beliefs and surroundings, the principles incorporated in the Buddhist religion found applications in their daily existence (Hodous 7). Impacts of Buddhism in the Chinese Society There are different effects that resulted in the incorporation of Buddhism in the Chinese society. The said effects can be viewed on the basis of the different aspects of the society. In terms of the status in the society, there are different effects related to the Buddhist religion. In the lives of peasants, there are hindrances with regards to the practice of religion since the socio-cultural factors can affect the religion in different ways. Although this is the case, people of similar status have places to practice the said religion. Shrines then can be considered to represent the people who believe in the religion (Hodous 19). In relation to family life, there are perceived negative effects in relation to Buddhism. This can be related to the fact that the religion is promoting what Chinese believe as actions that are not filial specifically having not children or progeny. This can be attributed to the fact that children are one of the most important measures of fulfillment in the Chinese native culture. It can then be considered that Buddhism affected certain beliefs in the family but improved ethics such as the respect for the elders, the dedication to the family, the filial piety and other moral values in relation to family life. Such practice can be attributed to the belief that there are punishments for the actions undertaken through the course of the life of a person. The said view can be related to the principles of retributions viewed by Confucius (Hodous 19). Based on the data gathered it can be considered that Buddhists are expressing their faith and religion through the material things dedicated for the gods. On the other hand the Chinese monks prior to the arrival of Buddhist beliefs are the object of simple living and frugal ways. When Buddhism became the main religion in China, the Chinese Buddhists then can be described with traditions and beliefs median of the two original influences, being both frugal and having to express faith in material things but not as extravagant and luxurious as the original Buddhists. Prior to Buddhist influence in China, the country can be considered as one guided by the beliefs, teachings and principles inculcated by Confucius. For that matter, different authors and researchers referred to pre-Buddhist China as the Confucian social order. The said society can be viewed with the male in service of the state and the other members of the society have less or even no roles (Weidner 3-5). Through the history of Buddhism in China, there are different traditions that had been developed locally. One of the said traditions is Shuilu fahui which is the Buddhist ritual in the end of Tang Dynasty developed through the conceptualization of Chinese monastic centers and different groups throughout the country (Weidner 30-70). Aside from the creation and conceptualization of different rituals and rites, the Buddhist monks became accepted for their literary and artistic feats. The writings that the Buddhist monks had produced are focused on the religion. In addition, the introduction and reception of the Zhang Jizhis Calligraphy occurred around the same period which is after the rise of Buddhism in China (Weidner 73-86). In relation to arts, Buddhist people specifically the other members of the society not accepted to participate prior to the period of Buddhism, started to explore other fields. The said fields are the arts and architecture which specifically prospered during the Ming dynasty in 1368-1644. During the said period, the acceptance of the said activities by the Buddhist people of the participation in other fields such as arts and architectures is in the peak compared to other times in their history (Weidner 117). This led to the improvement of the country which can be considered to be hindered by different factors such as the limitations in actions and behaviors set by the forms of religion the people have. One of the improvements includes restoration of different buildings and historical sites. The Beijings Zhihua Monastery is one of the examples of such infrastructures that can symbolize the perceived adaptation of the religion in China through time (Weidner 189-208). In addition, based on such actions, it can be considered that in the said period, Buddhism which used to hinder the actions of people due to the struggle in accepting the religion soon led to the synergy of the principles that made the Chinese culture richer and stronger. It can be considered that the Buddhist religion had brought about one of the colorful flavors in the Chinese culture. In terms of the economy, the influence had been positive due to the observed success of the activity if the said religion in China specifically during the pre-Tang and Tang periods (Gernet 2). From the time the Buddhist religion was adapted in China, it can be observed that the Buddhist Chinese develop a unique identity from other Buddhist groups in other countries. When Chinese Buddhism is the topic of discussion, a culture of unique relics, monastic robes, ritual implements, books, foods and other components of society and culture always come into mind. This can be attributed to the fast the said factors are components of material culture are identifiable as a unique identity that can be traced toward the Buddhist culture in China (Walsh 103-106). The Contributions of Buddhism to the Chinese Culture Based on a number of studies, the significant influence of Buddhism is the cultural development and prowess of China can be related to Buddhism. Basically, the contributions of the religion in China can be perceived through two different perspectives. One of the perspectives is related to the appreciated influence of Buddhism leading to the improvement of the different components of culture and aesthetics such as the arts, literature, language and the elements of thought. Another is the perception of the need to enrich the unique identity of the country and the Buddhist culture and traditions are used and utilized to enrich the said native culture influenced by the thinkers such as Confucius (Wright 108). Another reason for the influence of Buddhism is due to the fact that it was able to tap the two unique levels of the status quo which are the elite and the masses. By achieving the said support and acceptance from the Chinese people became possible. It can be considered an interesting event when two highly different cultures became significant contributors of the enriched culture that is the Chinese Buddhism. There are different indications of the influence of Buddhism in the Chinese culture. One of the most significant legacies of the Buddhism in China is with regards to the enrichment of the language. This can be attributed to the fact that in the adaptation of the Buddhist culture in China, the religious writings and the proverbs are written in the language of origin, specifically the language in India. For that matter, the skills in translation had been achieved. In addition, the vocabularies had been adapted to the language and there are works which became the origin of some of the words (Wright 108-109). The knowledge of the foreign language, for example the Indian language, led to the advantages in terms of having new technologies to be applied during the time of the influence of the Western culture and civilizations. In addition to new technologies, political ideologies had also been learned an applied (Wright 109). Another contribution of Buddhism is in relation to the beliefs such as the gods, karma and after-life. This can be observed in the motifs of the architectural creations and arts. In addition, the literature, visual arts and even the different genres of music had also been influenced by Buddhism. It had even led the Chinese to realize that they need to be free from the grasp of Indian domination. This had been a challenge since Buddhism originated in China which became the most dominant religion in China. It had been a hard task but the Chinese was able to revive a unique culture influenced by the synergy of action from the Buddhist religion, Confucian principles and western technological knowledge (Wright 109). The data presented are some of the contributions of Buddhism in the Chinese culture. Some impacts may be considered negative while some are advantageous. The most important point in the study is that the Chinese people were able to achieve a level of uniqueness in terms of culture that can be segregated from that of the influences. Conclusion Based on the study undertaken, the Buddhism is one of the most important factors that enriched and improved the culture of China. It can then be perceived that China is one of the countries in the world with a very unique and distinct culture. The Chinese culture can then be described as a balance between the distinct knowledge, traditions and practices in the country and the influences from other culture such as the East Asia and the western countries due to interactions with such counties. Chinese Buddhism then is a product of the combination of the pre-Buddhist culture of China which is mainly based on Confucian philosophies and the religious principles and beliefs of the Buddhist religion that originated in India and the East Asia. It can then be concluded that the impact of Buddhism in Chinese culture is generally positive since the religion made the culture flourish during the time of introduction and richer during the time of complete adaptation and incorporation. Works Cited: Gernet, J. Buddhism in Chinese Society: An Economic History from the Fifth to the Tenth Centuries. Columbia University Press, 1998. Hodous, L. Buddhism and Buddhists in China. New York: Macmillan, 1924. Kieschnick, John. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. Princeton University Press, 2003. Schmidt-Leukel, P. Understanding Buddhism. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic Press, 2006. Walsh, Michael J. Review of the Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. Journal of Buddhist Ethics 2003: 103-106. Weidner, Marsha Smith. Cultural Intersections in Later Chinese Buddhism. University of Hawaii Press, 2001. Wright, Arthur F. Buddhism in Chinese History. Stanford University Press, 1959. Read More