Buddhism and Chinese Culture - Literature review Example

Buddhism and Chinese culture The Chinese society possesses unique cultural characteristics because it evolved independently by excluding itself from other societies. But the mainstream society in China accepted the influence of Buddhism because the same shared some similar characteristics with the main religious beliefs in China. To be specific, these similarities helped Buddhism to amalgamate itself to the core of Chinese culture. The translated versions of Buddhist literary texts helped Buddhism to gain access to both urban and rural areas of the Chinese society. Besides, the philosophical aspects of Buddhism attracted the Chinese rulers and scholars and this helped Buddhism to gain popularity among other religious beliefs in China. Thesis statement: Within Chinese cultural scenario, Buddhism amalgamated into Chinese culture by exerting positive influence on other religious beliefs, Chinese philosophy, Chinese literature, and social life in China as a whole. Analysis This section is broadly organized into: cultural influence, religious influence, philosophical influence, literary influence, social life, and amalgamation. Cultural influence One can see that Chinese and Indian cultures are not so different because both these nations share some cultural characteristics related to the ancient civilizations. To be specific, the Indian culture developed through ages, owing to the great Vedic civilizations originated in the Northern parts of the nation. On the other side, ancient Chinese civilizations developed on its own by formulating its own cultural characteristics. Still, the Chinese society was ready to accept similar religious ideologies because the relationship with Indian culture was that much influential. Hershock (2005) states that, “So thoroughly did Buddhism became infused into Chinese culture that it came to be seen by many Chinese as a native tradition alongside Confucianism and Daoism-China’s great indigenous religious and philosophical systems” (p. 29). To be specific, those who practice Buddhism never consider that there is a creator behind every living thing and they never pray to a god. They consider that sharing the message of love and peacefulness can radiate kindness to other living things. This cultural characteristic or the denial of the creator is one among the foundation stones of Buddhism. On the other side, Daoism proclaims that burden is unavoidable in life and human beings must learn to accept life in real sense. One can see that Daoism acted the role of the technical aspect of Chinese culture. But Confucianism provided importance to activism and the individual responsibility to be the catalyst of social reform in the mainstream society. So, Confucianism can be considered as the practical aspect of Chinese culture. Within this context, Buddhism accepted the main cultural aspects of the fore pointed religious beliefs and emerged as an innovative religion in the Chinese cultural context. One can see that the emergence of Buddhism revolutionized the cultural context of India. When Buddhism is superimposed into the context of Chinese culture, it is evident that the same revolutionized the Chinese cultural context, disregarding the cultural differences. Religious influence Before the influence of Buddhism, there were other indigenous religious beliefs in China. Still, Buddhism did not threaten the existence of Chinese indigenous religious beliefs. To be specific, Buddhism dealt with the intellectual quests of the people of China. On the other side, Daoism provided ample importance to the physical existence of human beings, beyond their intellectual quests. But Confucianism taught the people to realize the importance of preparedness in human life. So, one can see that the indigenous religious beliefs provided less importance to the feelings and emotionality of human beings. At the same time, Buddhism filled this wide gap by stimulating the general urge to ask questions related to the spiritual aspects of religious belief. Morrison (2010) states that, “The co-existence of the Buddhist tradition with traditional Chinese religions involved both rivalry and complementarily” (p.1). But one must not misunderstand that Buddhism gained easy access to China as a religious belief. For instance, the Chinese rulers helped Buddhism to gain popularity within the religious context of China. Besides, Buddhism did not try to destroy the traditional mode of religious belief in China. For instance, ancestral worship is an important aspect of Chinese culture. Buddhism did not try to hinder the people from worshiping their ancestors. This respectful attitude helped Buddhism to grow as a prominent religion in Chinese context. Besides, the indigenous religious beliefs like Daoism did not hesitate to borrow some cultural elements from Buddhism. For instance, the concept of Chengfu in Daoism is interconnected with the concept of Karma, the core aspect of Buddhist belief. So, one can easily identify that the religious influence of Buddhism in Chinese context is interconnected with its intellectual aspects or the unique ideas related to the essence of life. Philosophical influence Basically, the transformation of Siddhartha from nobility to sainthood is the essence of Buddhist philosophy. To be specific, human beings consider that material benefits can help an individual to be successful and enjoy peace in life. But they never realize that one’s desire to have easy access to material benefits is the reason behind the basic problems in life. Besides, even material benefits cannot satisfy human desire because death is an unexpected factor that separates human beings from life. One can see that the philosophical aspects of Buddhism helped the people of China to realize the reason behind human grief. On the other side, other religious beliefs in China provided importance to the physical and material aspects of human life. This difference in perceiving life, from a philosophical point of view, helped Buddhism to exert influence within the religious context of China. Keown (2003) opines that, “Increased affluence and patronage enabled many original thinkers and practitioners to establish schools of Buddhism more in keeping with Chinese culture and intellectual patterns and less dependent upon pre-existing Indian schools of thought” (p.58). Besides, Buddhist philosophy extends its roots to moral values and logical reasoning. But the essence of these offshoots of Buddhist philosophy is interconnected with the core aspect, i.e., the methods to eliminate the reason behind grief in human life. Besides, the philosophical aspects of Buddhism attracted the attention of the educated elite class in China. To be specific, the proponents of Neo-Daoism were in search of innovation and the philosophical aspects of Buddhism attracted them to an extent. So, the Neo-Daoists helped the Buddhist monks to spread the philosophical aspects of Buddhism among the mass. This unexpected event helped Buddhism to establish itself as an organized religion in China. Literary influence During the initial stages of the influence of Buddhism in China, the Buddhist monks and their supporters depended upon translated versions of Buddhist literature. To be specific, the process of translation of Buddhist literature in Sanskrit to Chinese language was a tiresome effort. When Buddhism gained popularity in South China as an organized religion, the Buddhist monks from India traveled to this region and supplied translated versions of Buddhist texts. Within this scenario, the positive attitude of the Chinese rulers is noteworthy. For instance, the rulers of Tang Dynasty helped the Buddhist monks because they were aware of the fact that foreign ideas can result in cultural amalgamation. So, they welcomed Buddhist monks and this helped the Buddhist monks to spread Buddhist literature in China. Knight (2012) states that, “By the Tang Dynasty (617-907), when a reunited China expanded militarily and welcomed broader dealings with foreign ideas and people, Buddhist themes and forms had influenced many major developments in Chinese literature” (p.8). Besides, this sort of effort from the side of the Chinese rulers Buddhist monks helped Buddhism to influence the spiritual scenario of China. For instance, An Shigao’s contributions to this field are noteworthy because he was the first Buddhist monk who translated several works related to Buddhism. Besides, he is the mastermind behind the construction of a number of Buddhist temples and shrines in Luoyang, China. His translated works include different topics related to the basic principles of Buddhist literature. One need not misunderstand that the Buddhist priests monopolized the context of translation. Instead, even commoners were allowed to undertake the responsibility of translation. For instance, the mastermind behind the translation of texts related to Mahayana Buddhism was a commoner named as An Xuan. So, one can see that these translated versions of Buddhist texts deeply influenced the future development and spread of Buddhism in Chinese context. Social life The humanistic aspect of Buddhism attracted the attention of the mass in the Chinese society, disregarding the differences in social order, gender, and faith. To be specific, Buddhism introduced an innovative way of life in which proper socialization determines an individual’s success in the mainstream society. During the initial stages of development, Buddhism influenced the people of China as an innovative religious belief. After gaining an important status among other religions, Buddhism began to infiltrate into the social life of the mass because the development of different school of Buddhism was that much influential in the society. During different stages of development, Buddhism was forced to face setbacks in the Chinese society. Seiwert (2003) states that, “Although its success was not unopposed and several times suffered severe setbacks, culminating in the persecutions of 445 and 574, the long-term development secured Buddhism a leading role in the religious and social life” (p.98). Still, these hindrances did not affect the gradual development of Buddhism because the Chinese society was ready to accept Buddhism to its core. Besides, the proponents of Buddhism in Chinese context provided ample importance to charity and educational missions. When China moved towards modernity, Buddhism adopted the elements of modernity because it is essential for a foreign religion to survive in a society. As the ultimate aim of Buddhism is to help individuals to purify their self and to prepare them for better lives, modification was an easy process. So, one can see that Buddhism entered the social realm of China, modified itself, and acted as a catalyst which accelerated the process of social development in China. Amalgamation One can see that Buddhism possess rich cultural background because it accepted the basic elements of Hinduism. This feature, i.e., the acceptance of the basic elements of a religion with rich spiritual aspects, helped Buddhism to gain popularity in China. Besides, the social circumstance of China was ready to accept Buddhism to its core. To be specific, Buddhist religion entered China, changed its Indian features, and amalgamated into the Chinese society. Biernatzki (1991) makes clear that, “The Buddhist religion arose in the highly developed civilization of India about the end of the sixth century, B.C., and arrived in China, also a highly developed civilization, during the first century, A.D.” (p. 47). One can see that the development of different schools within Buddhism helped the people of China to verify the usability of this religion in their daily life. For instance, Buddhism helped the people to go beyond the borders of organized religious beliefs. Buddhism denied the existence of a supernatural being (say, the God) which controls the human beings. This helped the mass to realize the fact that human beings are responsible for their own deeds. In addition, Buddhism did not force the natives of China to discard their rituals. Instead, Buddhism allowed the believers to follow their own customs and rituals. The translated versions on Buddhist literature pin pointed the cordial relationship between the rulers and the Buddhist monks in Indian context. So, this deeply influenced the mass in China and helped Buddhism to gain acceptance in the Chinese society. So, all these factors helped Buddhism to amalgamate into the Chinese society as a whole. Summing, some religions originate is harsh conditions, but never grow beyond national boundaries. On the other side, some other religions originate as a revolt against major religious beliefs and spread beyond national boundaries. The origin of Buddhism was an effort to go beyond the limits of Hinduism and to answer the questions related to human life. Within the context of China, Buddhism exerted positive influence on other religious beliefs. Besides, Buddhist philosophy renovated Chinese philosophy and literature by presenting innovative ideas related to the essence of human life and spirituality. On the other side, the social aspects of Buddhism helped it to exert positive influence in the Chinese society and to amalgamate itself to the core of the mainstream society. In short, the success of Buddhism within the Chinese context proves that the ability to transform determines a foreign religion’s success in a native context. References Biernatzki, W.E. (1991). Roots of Acceptance: The Intercultural Communication of Religious Meanings. London, UK: Gregorian Biblical BookShop. Hershock, P.D. (2005). Chan Buddhism. (n.p.): University of Hawaii Press. Keown, D. (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. Knight, S. (2012). Chinese Literature: A Very Short Introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Morrison, E.A. (2010). The Power of Patriarchs: Qisong and Lineage in Chinese Buddhism. Danvers, MA: BRILL. Seiwert, H.M. (2003). Popular Religious Movements and Heterodox Sects in Chinese History. Danvers, MA: BRILL. Read More