Buddhism in China and Japan - Research Paper Example

Buddhism in China and Japan Introduction: Religion is said to be an organized set of beliefs and systems that are followed by a set of people called its followers. Every religion has a certain code of teachings that it requires its followers to abide by. The followers devote themselves to one such religion on the basis of their understanding of its teachings and desire to be associated with the principles it stands for(Smith). With hundreds of different religions worldwide, few are the most followed, for example Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and atheism. So as to what governs an individual choice for a particular religion is not one unique aspect as there are several influences that make one follow the belief of their ancestors by default. It is only when one is mature enough to think and ponder upon the teachings that he either becomes more devout in his beliefs or seeks new religions to satisfy his thirst for a solid system of principles that he deems supportive and moral. Buddhism is one of the five most followed religions of the world. The concept revolves around the attainment of a state of satisfaction or nirvana, through spiritual development, meditation and acting upon principles of morality and wisdom. The word Buddhism is composed of the word called ‘budhi’ that means enlightenment or awakening. This signifies the origin of Buddhism as the awakening of Siddhartha Gotama’s mind at the age of 35, some 2500 years back. This man is now known as Buddha and his idols are paid respects by the followers of Buddhism worldwide. The concept of a creator or a God is not included as the teachings of this religion, thus is does not revolve around strengthening the bond between the creator and the humans. On the contrary, it believes that change is inevitable and in order for a person to attain a state of spiritual satisfaction he has to act morally and follow the teachings that are designed to help him live through his lifelonguncertainties without being wavered. The concept of Buddhism basically starts off with the journey of Buddha and his path of enlightenment. Buddha was born in a royal family in today’s Nepal 2500 years ago. Not having seen any suffering or discomfort in his life, he lived peacefully within his family’s royal enclosure. However, once he stepped out into the real word he saw scenes that were unknown to him, that of poverty, suffering and the harsh realities of life. This incident made him set out to find a balanced way of life that was fair and neither of the two extremes of poverty and luxury. He was resting during his journey once and peacefully reflecting upon his own life and the realities he had encountered, he was able to see a clear path of leading a balanced life. His teachings state that change and suffering are inevitable but they are temporary as well. So if the change or uncertainties in our life are dealt with morality, wisdom, peace and spirituality and the belief that bad times will pass soon, the sufferings will become tolerable. At present there are about 376 million followers of Buddhism worldwide and even 2500 years later, the teachings of Buddha are able to guide them towards leading a better and balanced life(BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Buddhism at a glance). There are two major sects prevalent all over the world, Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, but there are other smaller sects as well. Nearly all sects believe in the three characteristics of existence as defined by Buddha himself; suffering, temporariness and the concept of no unique self. These characteristics hold that suffering is temporary and can be countered through morality and belief in the power of spiritual strength. The concept of no unique self means that a person is and will always be evolving with the passage of time. Even in the next life, he will keep evolving and will be different from how he was in the previous life as a person’s thinking, mental and physical state etc. keeps changing over time. Buddhism in East Asia Asoka the Great, an emperor that ruled over south East Asia of today, embraced Buddhism after the war he raged in Kalinga resulted in a depressing state. Feeling remorse for the wide spread destruction and loss of lives, he was desperate to reciprocate for his actions and become an able ruler of the people. Upon coming across the teachings of Buddhism, he embraced this religion with an open heart and followed its teachings of morality, justice and spirituality. This religion made him a peaceful emperor who had empathy for his people and thus he was able to lead his kingdom more efficiently after that. In the third century, EmperorAsoka made a conscious effort to spread the word of Buddhism and sent missionaries to the North West region of India, which is Pakistan and Afghanistan of today. Soon the religious message spread and more followers joined the teachings of Buddhism. Since trade was an important feature of that century, merchants and traders who came from central Asia also got acquainted with the teaching. When they brought back the teaching to their homeland, it aroused curiosity and soon demands for Buddhist scriptures from India increased. The task of the translation of these scriptures took decades but with consistency and spiritual drive of the people, the message was translated and studied with vigor. Out of the many religions prevalent in China at that time, Taoism was one of them. Due to similarities in the Taoist teachings and Buddhism, in terms of spirituality and meditation, the concept was welcomed well by the Chinese and soon it became widely practiced by the people. In the sixth century, the King of today’s Korea made significant efforts to establish peaceful relations with Japan. Since the word of Buddha had already spread in the Korean region, gifts of Buddha idols were sent as a sign of prosperity, harmony and good luck. The gifts were not only appreciated but also raised curiosity regarding the concept of this religion. Religious scriptures were studied with zeal and monks were also sent to China, the then hub of Buddhism, to study the teachings of Buddha in detail. These monks were placed in courts, administrative jobs and nearly all aspects of business to ensure quick and equal spread of the teachings. When these monks brought back their leanings and spread the message of Buddha, the Japanese were in awe and readily accepted the religion(The Buddhist World: Buddhism in East Asia - China, Korean, Japan.). In the sixteenth century, political unrest was prevalent in japan. Under military rule, anti-Buddhist sentiments came to rise and many Buddhist centers were also destroyed. The dictatorship form of rule restricted the practice of Buddhism for many centuries to come. It was only after the Second World War that the religious teachings of Buddha came alive in the region again and newer schools of thoughts emerged to not only adapt the basic teachings but also incorporate them in the traditional art and culture of the country. Similarities and Differences between Buddhist teachings in China and Japan Buddhism does not involve concrete customs and rituals that are to be followed by the people. Rather, it offers a way of life and promotes a universal message of morality and spirituality. Even though the teachings remain the same throughout, the means to attain Buddhist aims can differ from country to country. Since China and Japan have distinct customs and traditions the Buddhist practice also differs slightly between them. Both the countries follow the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. The origin of this sect is from India and as mentioned earlier, central Asia or China adapted the teachings of the Indian Buddhist scriptures and Japan obtained its teachings from China in the later periods. Thus, the sects followed are identical. The Mahayana sect basically believes in compassion and selflessness by the delaying of achievement of nirvana in order to guide the people who are suffering. This sect is also highly flexible and molds itself around the culture of the people it is practiced by. Thus, the Buddhist practices in China differ from those in Japan. Apart from the identical origin, another major similarity between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism is the rigidness. Since the Chinese culture observes a stricter adherence to principles, the ones governing the religion were also practiced in a dictatorial form with teachers inducing spiritual behavior through means like shouting and hitting. In Japan, the military rule brought the rigid aspect to the teachings and many military leaders used Buddhism as the grounds for war. Even though one of the major teachings of the religion is peace, the distortion of this concept in these two countries has led to the halt in its spread in some places and the creation of new sects in others. Zen is a form of meditation proposed by Buddhism. However, the ways to attain the state of nirvana are different in both China and Japan. In China the act is more rigorous and time consuming. The teacher of Zen tries to encourage a state of non-thinking in his student and then bring him back to reality. The other school of thought involves the teacher asking the student a riddle and expecting non-word spiritual reflection from the student till he can come up with the answer. One of the monks sent to China to study Buddhism came across this practice and used his own thinking to create a new school of thought which believed that Zen could be attained at any time of the day in any situation and does not involve exertion, rather a means to calm one’s self down and induce spiritual reflection. Thus different school of thoughts regarding the practices of Buddhism in China and Japan attribute to the differences. Another difference between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism is that Japanese have merged this religion with that of the prevalent Shinto, which involves the inclusion of several gods. This is not the case in China, where the concept of God in Buddhism is absent. The above points signify how the Buddhist practices differ from region to region. However, the core beliefs remain the same. Only the means to achieve the prescribed teachings are different. Since the religion promotes tolerance and possibility of change, it is usually found prevalent in countries with another major religion being followed more. References: Unknown. "BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Buddhism at a glance." Bbc.co.uk, 2002. Web. 4 Feb 2014. . Smith, Wilfred Cantwell. The meaning and end of religion. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991. Print. Unknown. "The Buddhist World: Buddhism in East Asia - China, Korean, Japan." Buddhanet.net, 2008. Web. 4 Feb 2014. . Read More