Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china. In fact, Buddhism would become a central aspect to culture of the Chinese. Buddhism had a great impact on the Chinese, philosophers, and Chinese emperors. Additionally, Buddhism had a great influence on Chinese art, and Buddhism was the greatest foreign influence on the artwork of the Chinese. Chinese artist would mix their traditions, with other popular Buddhist art forms from places, such as India.
Buddhism spread in Southeast Asia where else Christianity spread in the Western Europe. They both however shared a place in which many of their ideas came from, India, which was the key to syncretism as India incorporated its tradition and values in these religions. Both religions functioned as a result of political rulers using the religion to strengthen their power, but also as a result these religions came to spread. King Ashoka used Buddhism for power, which brought Buddhism to spread and likewise, the church used Christianity to strengthen themselves as well a promote the religion. As the first millennium came to an end, Buddhism and Christianity established themselves as universal religions due to the fact of syncretism and the activities of political rulers and representatives of the religion.
Some include; the Ganesha statue, a first century Hindu relic, the 3 rough plinths found in the early 400 AD, a gift to the Brahmin priest (Hindu priest) in the early 400 AD, Candi Badut found in 760 AD (a Hindu goddess of time and death), Borobudur and Prambanan found in 8th – 9th century at a large Hindu temple complex near Jogjakarta. That’s not all. India also taught Indonesia about their religion which made Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Kingdom the centre of Buddhism teaching. That attracted a lot of pilgrim and scholars throughout Asia. Another influence is to our culture which had a lot of root from Hinduism and Buddhism culture.
This may have been intended to counter the dominance of stupa veneration in other Buddhist schools. During the past 2000 year history, the Mahayana Buddhism has been greatly modified and evolved pushed by the constant changes of the modern world. The religion has been able to expand throughout Asia, Europe and North America by integrating new political and social issues into its traditional practices.
Islam and Buddhism Rooted in thousands years of tradition, rituals and practices Islam and Buddhism are at the forefront of the major World Religions. Their influences on culture, politics and society have reached far and wide; from quaint villages in the Middle East to roaring metropolitan areas of China and Japan. Islam is born out of the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, while Buddhism focuses on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Although many people claim to know these two religions, the reality is that many continue to not realize the great differences between them. While both religions seem very similar in nature, their main differences come from their sacred texts and ritual practices.
According to Anuman Rajadhon the works of literature, arts, performance, and architectures are basically lies its base on the religious works from the Hindus and Buddhist traditions (Anuman, Rajadhon, 2009, p.15). In the course of the nation, the folklore of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions played an important role in the creation of the national identity of Thailand; establishing the identity of a Buddhist nation. Buddhism has also shaped much of Thailand's culture. The early Thai architecture, literature, sculpture all reveal Buddhist influence. It had been a Thai tradition that Buddhist males above 20 years of age must practice at least 3 months of monk hood after which they could retreat to their normal lives.
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>.
The strict caste system of Hinduism caused many people from the bottom of the caste to turn towards Buddhism. Buddhism with its emphasis on compassion and karma appealed to the emotions of the underclass. Both religions are still predominantly practiced on the continent of Asia. Hinduism is mainly practiced in India, while Buddhism is predominantly practiced in Southeast Asia. Judaism and Christianity are also both closely related.
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).
The lessons and values taught by this religion have affected peoples lives all over the world. The history of Buddhism, the traditions, and the religion today is what makes this religion so intriguing and unique. The rise of Buddhism occurred around 25 centuries ago. Buddhism was founded approximately 600 B.C by Siddhartha Guatama (also known as the Buddha) in India (“What is Buddhism and What”). Buddhism is mostly practiced in the Eastern region of Asia such as China, South Korea, and Japan.