Introduction of Buddhism to Ancient China - Research Paper Example

The Introduction of Buddhism to Ancient China Introduction Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) found Buddhism religion in the northern India in 563-483 BCE. At a young age of 29, he left his children, wife and political activities to seek truth as he lived an ascetic life, which was accepted to him. Although he studied Brahmanism, he rejected it and reached enlighten as he assumed the title of Buddha which means one who is awakened. He commanded large following until the time of his death after which the council of Buddhist Onk collected and recorded his teachings as well as his oral traditions in the written form. That was how the religion began, and it has since moved and spread to all parts of the world although it is more concentrated in Asia. Buddhist believes in fundamental principles in which they operate. They include understanding universality of suffering, abandoning the desire in controlling things and causing suffering, making visible supreme truth and liberation of nirvana achieved through eliminating suffering as well as bringing the truth of eightfold ariya path that leads to the ending of suffering (IDCNJ Para. 2-4). It is the fundamental principles that this religion stood for that made it gunner more followers world wide. It was found in India, and latter found it way out to China and other parts of Asia. Therefore, this paper will discuss how Buddhism spread from India where it originated all the way to China and examine its impacts in the life of Chinese. History of Buddhism Movement to China Buddhism is mostly concentrated in the central Asia where its founder came from. Buddhism spread to central Asia under Ashoka. Different kinds of Buddhism got different influences from other religions, for instance Mahayana Buddhism was influenced by Iranian religions. On the hand, it had much appeal to the Chinese across the social spectrum. This made it gain more adherents to Chinese leading to the growth of Buddhist monastic movement. It attracted both men and women and had a tremendous impact on the Chinese arts. Despite its widespread in China, not everyone was a receptive to Buddhist teachings (Holt Para. 4). Most traditional account attributes that Buddhism was introduced in China in the reign of Han Dynasty (206 BCE -220 CE). This came after an emperor dreamed of flying golden man was thought to be Buddha. Although there are many evidences that Buddhism reached China during Han Dynasty, it did not have much influence or flourish until 220-589 CE during the time of six dynasties. After the fall of Han Dynasties, Buddhism emphasized on personal salvation and rejection of worldly ties which leading to its popularity. Most of the Chinese Buddhism has their beliefs pegged on Indian Buddhists beliefs which missionaries, traders, and diplomats who had traveled through the silk roads got (Saylor Para. 9). The golden age of Chinese Buddhism happened at the time of Tang Dynasty of 618-907. Buddhism was very popular among many societies at all levels. Despite many Tang emperors being Daoist, most of them favored Buddhism, and they were patrons to the temples and monasteries which Tang government controlled (Welter 63). Because of this, temples and Buddhist monasteries grew by acquiring more land. At Tehtiem of Tang Dynasty, many scholars also made several pilgrimages to India, and they returned with Buddhist texts making several Buddhist schools systemize large corpus of Buddhist texts as well as teachings. Due to social and economic factors in 845, Emperor Wuzong (840-846) resorted to persecuting Buddhists as many of their temples and shrines were destroyed and nuns and monks forced to start living a normal life (McKay Chapter 6). It is evidenced that Buddhism came to spread to China at the time of Tang Dynasty (618-649) due to the culture which they embraced. For instance, Tang culture led to the unification of south and north Asia hence creating conditions for revitalizing Chinese culture. There was consistent flow of people from outside China as they came with new ideas, technologies as well as religions. Similarly, Chinese poetry reached higher heights during Tang reign. It is at this period that Buddhism became part of everyday life. Additionally, Buddhist monasteries ran schools, acted as banks and warehouse, provided lodgings to travelers and also provided sites for social gatherings (Daozi 720). This was very important in influencing people towards accepting Buddhism as a religion since it aligned with what people wanted specifically to Chinese. The Buddhism development to Chinese direction led to the creation of two important schools in Pure Land and Chan. Although there was renewed opposition to Buddhism at the time Tang period was coming to an end, this did not deter or extinguish the presence of Buddhism in china (Foy Para. 7). From the above presentation on the movement of Buddhism in China, it is evidenced that Daoism was fundamental towards the success of Buddhism in China. This is because Buddhist borrowed ideas from Daoism through the Chinese language in order to help Chinese comprehend the concepts of Buddhists. Both Buddhists and Daoism benefited from this exchange as Daoists expanded their ideas on cosmos and ways of structuring their monastic orders. On the other hand, Buddhist gained a lexicon making it easier in teaching their tradition (Bagchi 138). Importance of Embracing Buddhism to Chinese People Although the Chinese had their traditional religions, they came to embrace Buddhism because of the importance and the potential they saw on it. This also enabled its spread as many Chinese became to accept Buddhism as the religion of choice. Before the introduction of Buddhism in China, Chinese cultural and religious beliefs were centered in the form of ancestral worship. This made them spend little or no time on actual divinity. As a result, adopting Buddhism was beneficial to them as they felt it was closer to their ancestral worship and, therefore, accepted it as alternative religion (Saylor Para. 8). This was important as Chinese came to accept religion which they felt was close to their ancient worshipping practices hence adopting a common religion in strengthening their faith. Similarly, Buddhism spread to all classes of Chinese and influenced arts, daily customs and thoughts. It made Tea became the China’s national drink because of its frequent use by the Buddhists as it also introduced Chinese to wearing of cotton. The great temples of the Buddhism influenced the Chinese architectural designs as they came to condemn the extravagance building by the Confucianism. They also gave the Chinese writing prestige from Confucianism writing of stories and novels (Rohr 90). Buddhism emphasized on the good work and charity hence contrasting Taoism egocentricity. It emphasized on working for individual own salvation and on helping others. This religion was unique in China as it linked the world ethics with the basis of the next world. It offered Chinese more than their ancestral worship of the aristocracy which was seen to have failed those who were going to die without sons who would look after their spirits. Buddhism was very important to Chinese who did not have families as it provided substitute families to them. It also offered egalitarianism and community to the Chinese. This religion also made some Chinese find comfort through its doctrine as they were told that they might be born again into a higher rank and happier life in their next life (Kieschnick 128). This was very important role, which Buddhism played to the Chinese. The monasteries of the Buddhism fitted with the ideals of ancient Chinese concerning the ideals of the retired scholars. It also attracted gentry who was unable to acquire government positions. The Buddhist monasteries offered refuge to Chinese writers the monasteries grew as centers of learning and culture (IDCNJ Para. 8-10). This was an important contribution of Buddhism towards integrating the Chinese cultures. As more people came to embrace the ideologies and doctrines of Buddhism, more learning centers were created and they translated the Buddhism teachings into locally languages hence reaching many people. Conclusion In conclusion, Buddhism is the most important religion in China. It is believed to be introduced from India in 67 AD at the time of Han Dynasty (206 BC -220). At the time of its introduction in China, it had immense influence on the cultures, and thoughts. The development of Buddhism in China happened in three different stages as the first period began with Han Dynasty. During this time, there was a translation of Buddhist scriptures, and they were explained and marked by the building of White Horse Temple. The second stage was in Jin (265-420) in the northern and southern dynasties (385-589) as more Buddhist scriptures and writings were introduced. The religion was introduced throughout China. The third stage was during the period of Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties as it welcomed its heyday and got unprecedented development. There were many denominations found during this time. Since then, it spread and influence many people. Buddhism in China came with many benefits as it enhanced Chinese cultures and promoted equality among the people. It also gave comfort to individuals who did not have families as well as giving hope to the poor. Chinese felt it was close to their ancestral worshipping hence gladly embraced it. Works Cited Bagchi, Chandra. India and China: Interactions Through Buddhism and Diplomacy : a Collection of Essays by Professor Prabodh Chandra Bagchi. London: Anthem Press, 2011. Print. Daozi, Wu. Chinese belief system: from past to present and present to past. Asian Society. (2013):685-758. Online Foy, Geoff. Buddhism in China Fojiao: the Teaching of Buddha, the Enlightened One. 2011. Web. 2013 Holt, Linda. From India to China: Transformation in Buddhist philosophy. The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness. 2013. Online IDCNJ. Buddhism. Peace islands Institute. 2013. Web. 2013. Kieschnick, John. The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. New York: Princeton University Press, 2003. Print. McKay, John. History of world societies. Mason: Cengage learning, 2001. Print. Rohr, Richard. Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life - A Companion Journal. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print. Saylor. Buddhism in China: a historical overview. 2013. Web. 2013. < http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/ARTH406-Historical- Overview-of-Chinese-Buddhism-FINAL.pdf> Welter, Alter. Monks, Rulers, and Literati : The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism: The Political Ascendancy of Chan Buddhism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Read More