Buddhism

Although Siddhartha Gotama spread the religion of Buddhism in India, his teaching had a great impact on other countries. Buddhist first made their way to China via the silk route; this was a network of caravan tracts that linked China to the rest of central Asia to the Mediterranean region. Buddhist monks also made their way into China with Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist art in their possession. This is the first time that Buddhism made a substantial impact on the Chinese. Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china.

These very distinctive Buddhist characteristics have influenced Korean culture throughout the different time periods in many ways such as art, architecture, spiritual civilization, and Korean society as a whole. Buddhism was first introduced into Korean society by China during the Three Kingdoms period (Overview). Chinese Monk-emissaries had a large role in making Buddhism the main religion of Korea (Lee). The Three Kingdoms of Korea consisted of three different kingdoms, the Koguryo in the northern part of Korea (37 BC-668AD), the Paekche in the southwest peninsula (18BC-660AD), and the Silla (57BC-935AD). The first to adopt Buddhism was Koguryo in 372 AD, who then sent Buddhist Monks the Paekche the spread the religion.

To an outsider they can seem mystical or even odd, but these are the paths to enlightenment and spiritual salvation. Throughout the centuries, Buddhism has evolved into a major religion in Asia and other parts of the world. The mystical roots of Buddhism can be traced back to the first century BCE. Buddhism began with the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. When Siddhartha was born he was noticed as having “the 32 auspicious signs of an enlightened one” (Clark and Brown 3).

“It is often said that, aside from the impact of Marxism on twentieth-century China, the only other time when the Chinese looked beyond their own borders for intellectual sustenance was during the period when Buddhism was absorbed from India” (LaFleur 23). Why did this religion appeal to the Chinese when they disregarded so many other external influences? After all, being tied to the rest of the world by the Silk Road meant they were constantly inundated with novel concepts from far and wide. The answer must lie in how Buddhism interacted with the other faiths already established in the country, namely Confucianism and Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism). While at first glance it may appear that Confucian China would be the last place Buddhism would find a niche, it was in fact the combination of Confucianism and Daoism that laid a foundation at least slightly receptive toward this new faith from India.

It may be difficult to imagine how the Chinese revolution, the Buddha, and a princess shaped the path of Tibetan Buddhism into the Hawaiian islands, particularly in the island of Kauai. This essay will illustrate how my experience at a Buddhist burial ground in Kauai had its roots in Beijing, Lhasa, and Lumbini. I will argue that the presence of Tibetan Buddhism on the island of Kauai was primarily driven by the Communist revolution in China in 1949 and their reannexation of Tibet in 1959. This paper will show how the Buddhism came to Tibet from India on the Middle Ages and moved to the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The story of how Tibetan Buddhism got to Hawaii is followed by an analytical description of a Tibetan Buddhist burial mound in Kauai.

Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan.

Buddhist art was introduced to Japan along with the Buddhist religion in 552 AD. Almost all the art produced in this Suiko period in Japan was to do with the new religion. "The introduction of the Buddhist faith had from the very start gone hand in hand with the introduction of Buddhist images." (Munsterberg 1985: 19) These Buddhist images included Chinese scrolls depicting the life of Buddha, at first copied by Chinese priests in Japan, later painted by the Japanese themselves. With the introduction of Buddhism, temples were needed for the practicing of the religion.

Harvard: Harvard University Press According to Lewis (2009, Pg 154) when the rise of Chinese Tang Dynasty at the start of 7th century, Buddhism reached out more people and became an integral element of Chinese culture which greatly influenced Art, Literature, Sculpture, Architecture and Philosophy as well. Schools in China started teaching Buddhism which was translated into various texts and basically Buddhism continued to influence Chinese life from religion, politics to cultural life (Lewis 2009, Pg 154). Chinese cultural and political institutions were embedded into Buddhism. Buddhism spread to Japan and Korea which saw the entire East Asia have a common culture embedded in Buddhist faith. This common religion among China, Japan and Korea is what saw significant movement of individuals seeking education and sacred objects (Lewis 2009, Pg... ... middle of paper ... ...edir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=the%20spread%20of%20chines%20culture%20in%20japana%20and%20korea&f=false>.

Buddhism Buddhism is the great oriental religion founded by Guatama Buddha, who lived and taught in India in the sixth century BC All Buddhists trace their faith to Buddha and "revere" his person (Frederic 15). Nearly all types of Buddhism include monastic orders whose members serve as teachers and clergy to the lay community (Maraldo 19). However, beyond these common features the numerous sects of modern Buddhism exhibit great variety in their beliefs and practices. In its oldest surviving form, known as Theravada or Hinayana. Buddhism is primarily a spiritual philosophy and system of ethics (Frederic 16).

Shaeq Ahmed Religion of India and China The main religions of China were Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. The central religions in India were Hinduism and Buddhism. Both Ancient China and India had religious teachers that invented these prevalent religions. Confucius invented Confucianism, Lao Tzu invented Taoism, and a man named Hsun Tzu invented the ideas of Legalism in China. Hinduism in India took many of its religious beliefs from the Aryan people that invaded India.