Influence of buddhism on asia - Essay Example

Influence of Buddhism on Asia Introduction: Buddhism is one of the older religions of the world and is considered a noble religion. It originated in India. Buddhism is a religion of tolerance and breeds’ compassion in its followers. This is reflected in the character of the people that have adopted it and has spread this philosophy to the religions that it has influenced. Buddhism spread to many parts of Asia and is still the religion of many countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia. There are close to four hundred million followers of Buddhism in the world today. Advent of Buddhism in India: The religious philosophy of Buddhism is founded in the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who is believed to have lived from 566 to 486 BCE. The word Buddha does not mean just the founder of the religion, but is a description of the person, who is the true follower of Gautama Buddha and has attained enlightenment and thereby freed himself from the cycle of birth and death. The principles of Buddhism are founded on the belief that by becoming enlightened through following the path of dharma taught by Gautama Buddha, one can avoid the sufferings that one has to bear from the karma of this life. There is no escape from karma as one’s karma is a result of words and deeds of the previous life. Buddhism preaches that worldly life contains suffering, which is caused by the desire that springs from ignorance and the only end to this suffering is Nirvana or enlightenment and there is a path that leads to Nirvana. This path to Nirvana consists of a way of life that has the right understanding, the right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. There are five precepts that are to be used as aids to find the path to Nirvana. These five precepts are refraining from harming any living creature, refraining from acquiring anything that is not freely given, refraining from sexual misconduct, refraining from the mindless use of words, refraining from the use of intoxicants that lead to mindless acts and words. The essential difference between Buddhism and other religions lies in that in other religions the rules of living are enshrined in Divine commands or wishes, while in Buddhism the rationale is based on common sense. The precept of not killing or harming another living being is based on the rationale that any individual would not like to be killed as the individual cherishes the life that has been received. In a similar manner the rest of the precepts can be explained. Buddhism thus is a simple religious philosophy that enshrines the basic values of many religions yet encases it in a common sense shell. Buddhism however was to develop schisms with the development of two major branches emphasizing two different aspects of the teachings of Buddha. Hinayana or the modest vehicle is focused on the personal liberation, while Mahayana is focused on the seeking of enlightenment to be of benefit to others. (Buddhism). Spread of Buddhism in India: Buddhism took its time to spread in India and it was not until the King Ashoka (270-232 BCE) of the Mauryan Dynasty took to Buddhism in remorse of the many deaths that took place during his conquest of Kalinga. As a result King Ashoka converted to Buddhism and was responsible for the spread of Buddhism not just in India, but to other parts of Asia. Buddhism did not hold sway for very long in India as there was a resurgence of Hinduism. The followers of Buddhism are not many in the land of its origins and in India today Buddhism is looked upon as an offshoot of Hinduism. (A View on Buddhism). Spread of Buddhism to Asia: The significance of Buddhism lies no longer in India and is seen in its spread in Asia and its influence on the religions in Asia. There was no missionary movement linked to the spread of Buddhism and even so it spread to many parts of Asia based on its malleable philosophy. Into every new culture that it came in contact with, the Buddhist methods and styles were adapted to meld with the local culture without giving up its basic strengths of wisdom and compassion. There is another reason for this. Buddhism did not truly have a religious heirarchy and a single religious authority to direct it. This made it simpler for Buddhism to develop into the local required form in whichever country it spread to. Buddhism then developed its own religious structure and its own spiritual head. An example of this can be seen in the Dalai Lama of Tibet, who was the religious head of the Buddhists in Tibet and is located in India, since the Chinese took over the land. (The Spread of Buddhism in Asia ). Spread of Buddhism to the Central Asia and the Far East: The Silk Road, which was the trade route in Central Asia was instrumental in the spread of of Buddhism to Central Asia and through Central Asia to the Far East. The spread of Buddhism into Central Asia was initiated through modern Pakistan, Afghanistan and on to Central Asia. From there it spread to Xinjiang, China, Korea and Japan. Buddhism was soon to have a significant effect on the lives, culture and religons of all these countries. (Buddhism and Its Spread Along the Silk Road). King Ashoka was instrumental in the spread of Buddhism into North-west India in the third century BC. Traders coming from the Silk Road from Central Asia into North-west India came in contact with Buddhism and accepted the religion and took it back with them to Central Asia and thus were responsible for the spread of Buddhism to Central Asia. The Han Dynasty of China spread its power into Central Asia and came in contact with Buddhism there in the first century BC. Through this contact Buddhism spread into China by the first century C.E. Translation of Buddhist texts became extremely popular in China and by the fifth century C.E. Buddhism was well entrenched in China. Numerous Chinese translations of Buddhist religious texts gave rise to several schools of thought of Buddhism in China, with each school following the translation they considered relevant. By the seventh century in China, under the Tang Dynasty Buddhism was an important part of the life of the Chinese. Two prominent Buddhists schools of thought arose in the name of Chan and Pure Land. This prominence of Buddhism ended by the ninth century BC, under the influence of the Taoist Emperor. Buddhism was soon to get intermixed with Taoism initially and then Confucianism and practised alongside these philosophies. Buddhism has since then seen periods of suppression, but the relaxed religious atmosphere in China may bring about a revival of Buddhism. Buddhism spread to Korea, when in the sixth and seventh century many monks from Korea went to China to study and returned with Buddhist teachings. By the end of the seventh century Buddhism started flourishing under the Silla rulers of Korea. The relevance of Buddhism in the lives of the Korean people peaked by the tenth century under the influence of the Koryo Dynasty. In the fourteenth century Buddhism started to decline because of repression by the Yi dynasty and remained in that state till the twentieth century, when there was a revival of Buddhism. Buddhism reached the shores of Japan in the sixth century, when Buddhist texts were received at the Japanese Imperial court as a part of gifts sent. Buddhism received royal patronage especially that of Prince Shotoku and the Japanese found it possible to accommodate Buddhism along with their Shinto beliefs. Buddhism helped to bring about harmony in Japan. The rise of militarism in Japan from the sixteenth to the twentieth century saw the fall in the popularity of the pacifist Buddhist religion. In modern Japan, Buddhism of the old days is starting to be practised again. (Buddhism in East Asia. China, Korea, Japan) . King Ashoka was again responsible for the spread of Buddhism to South-East Asia and Sri Lanka. His missionaries to Sri Lanka, Burma and the neighbouring countries spread the Buddhist teachings. He sent his son Mahinda to Sri Lanka to spread the Buddhist teachings. The mission was so successful in that the King of Sri Lanka became a Buddhist and Buddhism flourished in Sri Lanka from that day till the present times. The spread of Buddhism to the other countries in South-East Asia was again through the spreading of Buddhist teachings, which could easily be absorbed into the religions and cultures of those countries because of the malleable nature of Buddhism. (Powers, C. John. Buddhism, an Introduction). Conclusion: Buddhism has stood the test of time with its practical rationale and is a respected religion. Buddhism maintains its relevance in these modern times. This is made clear in the words of Albert Einstein, "if there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism". (Buddhism in the West and Modern Buddhism). Literary Works “A View on Buddhism”. 8 Dec. 2005. . “Buddhism”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 8 Dec. 2005. . “Buddhism and Its Spread Along the Silk Road”. 8 Dec. 2005. . “Buddhism in East Asia. China, Korea, Japan”. buddhist studies: the buddhist world. 8 Dec. 2005. . “Buddhism in the West and Modern Buddhism”. 8 Dec. 2005. . Powers, C. John. “Buddhism, an Introduction”. Australian National University. 8 Dec. 2005. . “The Spread of Buddhism in Asia”. 1996. The Berzin Archives. 8 Dec. 2005. . Read More