The Spread of Buddhism and Islam

The Spread of Buddhism and Islam

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The Spread of Buddhism and Islam

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HIST 115 Annotated Bibliography:

Buddhist Influence on Ancient China

Kyami Clarke

HIST 115 6380 World History I (2218)

Professor Norman Rothman

September 4, 2021

HIST 115 Annotated Bibliography: Buddhist Influence on Ancient China

Guang, Xing. “Buddhist Impact on Chinese Culture.” Asian Philosophy 23, no. 4 (2013): 305–22. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552367.2013.831606

According to Xing Guang, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism are the three major philosophical systems in Chinese traditional culture. The first two are aspects of Chinese culture, while Buddhism is an Indian religion. Despite disagreements between the three systems of thought, integration has become the norm in the evolution of Chinese cultural thought. As a result, Chinese culture has changed and developed with Confucianism at its core and Daoism and Buddhism supporting it by merging the three religions into one. Buddhism introduced new concepts and thought to China, encouraging, among other things, the development of Chinese philosophy, ethics, dialect, poetry, arts, faiths, and common belief. However, Buddhism is not a culturally confined religion. It incorporates and adapts local culture and philosophy. Arthur Wright has already compiled a historical overview of Buddhism’s history in China and its four eras of cultural engagement with Chinese culture.

Buddhism, like other religions, has a liberal mindset and embraces whatever is good. Because of this mentality, The Buddha advised his lay followers to contribute to the local gods, an essential component of the culture. This method of thought has had a profound effect on Buddhists and has vast consequences for spreading Buddhism to other cultures. As a result, Whenever Buddhism has been transmitted, it has incorporated local cultures. Rather than causing conflict with them. As a result, when it arrived in China, it became Chinese Buddhism with Chinese cultural characteristics and color, as Buddhism assimilated numerous Chinese cultural aspects.

Hanguang, Zhou. “The Positive Influence of BUDDHISM upon the Development of Science and Technology in Ancient China.” Philosophy Study 9, no. 4 (April 28, 2019): 217–22. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://doi.org/10.17265/2159-5313/2019.04.005

Zhou Hanguang disagrees with Joseph Needham’s assessment that “overall, its influence was highly inhibiting” and believes Buddhism has made a constructive contribution and significantly impacted the development of science and technology in ancient China. Since the arrival of Buddhism in China, only Great Vehicle books and thoughts have spread widely and exerted a profound influence in large areas of the country (except minority nationalities in Southwest China). According to early Little Vehicle theory, Buddhism had a tradition that kept it separate from secular society. When such a tradition emerged and became actively involved in secular society’s everyday affairs, it was criticized by Great Vehicle Buddhism. To a large extent, the current Buddhist research community shares this viewpoint.

Buddhism adapted to Chinese civilization in a wide range of ways, including, of course, the advancement of science and technology. Science and technology play a significant role in promoting productive social forces and economic development. However, it is also a binding force that causes changes in people’s thinking and behavior patterns, necessitating Buddhism’s adaptation and integration. As a result, we could say that the spirit of Buddhism actively entering secular society provided a possibility for itself to participate in science and technology actions; if so, we could also admit that Chinese Buddhism’s adaptability had turned such a possibility into reality, as well as gained many significant scientific and technological accomplishments.

Since it attracted many academics, Chinese Buddhism constantly urged itself to constantly bring forth new ideas and growth in practice. Such an acceptable thinking level reflected a careful and detailed analysis of everything in the universe. It embodied outstanding dissection and detailed inspection actions of humankind psychology and a long-term exploration and profound grasp of formal logic and dialectical thought of the humankind thinking law.

Liu, Xinru. “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam.” Journal of World History 22, no. 1 (2011): 55–81. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1353/jwh.2011.0021

Xinru Liu illuminates that intellectuals investigating the Buddhist tradition in Central Asia are reluctant to interact with the area after the Muslim conquests in the late seventh and initial eighth centuries. In contrast, those investigating the state’s history after the Muslim conquest are puzzled by the region’s perseverance of several pre-Islamic culture and ethnic traits. Scholars familiar with Chinese historical writing on Central Asia are sometimes cautious about wading into the vast ocean of Persian and Arabic literature on the subject.

Buddhism was well-founded in two of Central Asia’s regions long before Islam arrived and spread there— Tukharistan and Sogdiana became one of the most significant transit channels on the caravans that delivered Chinese silks westward to India, as well as the home of Central Asian Buddhists, who were vital in the spread of Buddhism from South Asia to China.

By the first century C.E., the territory that included Tukharistan and Sogdiana (the southern section of Transoxiana) had become a critical crossroads where east-west routes joined north-south routes. It had also developed into an important trade hub for Chinese, Mediterranean, and Iranian commodities. Furthermore, Buddhist missionaries from India, including some who planned to continue to China, relocated to the area, putting them at the heart of the economic activities. The highly successful fusion of Indian, Iranian, and Greek aesthetic traditions.

According to Chinese sources, when Buddhists first arrived in China during the Han era, some of the initial visitors were from Sogdiana, not India, the Buddhist motherland. The Kushan Empire ruled both northern India and Central Asia during the period. In Chinese Buddhist literature, Kanishka, the most powerful Kushan king who reigned between the first and second centuries, is a well-known royal patron.

Sen, Tansen. “The Spread of Buddhism to China: A Re-Examination of the Buddhist Interactions between Ancient India and China.” China Report 48, no. 1 (February 2012): 11–27. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/000944551104800202

According to Tansen Sen, Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century BCE, and by the first century C.E., it had spread to China. Following the Han Dynasty’s collapse in 220 CE, Buddhist influence grew. Between the years 220-570 CE, China endured political unrest and turmoil. Even though the Chinese adopted Buddhism warmly between 200 and 1000 CE, and even the imperial family promoted it, Confucian experts finally rejected and criticized the religion.

The illustrious Chinese defended and supported Buddhism over the first several centuries after it was introduced to China. Mouzi praises Buddhism, claiming that “to compare the sages to Buddha would be like comparing a white deer to a unicorn.” implying that while Buddhism is superior to Confucianism, the two religions are still compatible. Early Chinese scholars endorsed Buddhism, according to Mouzi’s statements.

Mouzi, on the other hand, was a member of the upper class, implying that the opinions articulated about Confucianism’s compatibility or superiority to Buddhism may not have applied to the lower class. Zhi Dun, a Chinese scholar, author, and confidant of Chinese aristocracy praised Buddhism as a path to Nirvana, claiming that those who follow the Buddhist path and serve the Buddha will be “enlightened in spirit” (Doc. 2). Because Zhi Dun is an elite class member, he is unlikely to feel personally endangered by invading Central Asian nomads. As a result, his reasoning does not fully reflect the risks that the lower classes face. Mouzi and Zhi Dun depict the comments of higher-class scholars who backed Buddhism and its values. From roughly 500 to 700 CE, Buddhism grew in popularity, and the imperial family eventually came to support it. “The empress dowager sent Huisheng…to obtain Buddhist texts,” according to an account of Song Yun and Huisheng’s trip.

According to the narrative, the imperial family supported Buddhism, with the empress herself requesting Buddhist texts. The emperor wished to adopt and understand Buddhist teachings as Buddhism became more popular in China. Wu Zetian, another empress, had the Fengxian cave erected for her, which houses a magnificent 55-foot-tall Buddha statue flanked by two bodhisattvas. The cave’s depiction also demonstrates the imperial family’s appreciation for Buddhism. The statue’s sheer size underscores the Buddha’s significance to the Chinese people, particularly the empress. A diagram of Chang’an’s significant religious buildings, derived from Mark Edward Lewis’ China’s Cosmopolitan Empire, shows that most of the structures were Buddhist. According to the paradigm, Buddhism was supported by the common people as well as the imperial family. Religions such as Daoism and Zoroastrianism are seen coexisting with Buddhism, demonstrating peace amongst religions. With the restoration of China’s imperial structure in 570 CE, the dynasty experienced almost universal support for Buddhism among the imperial family. With the Tang Dynasty in power, Buddhism’s popularity began to dwindle.

Verma, Alok Kumar. “Spread of Buddhism and Peace in Southeast Asia.” Journal of Asia Pacific Studies 6, no. 2 (2021): 213–27. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=3df5dd9c-c462-431e-93ef-08ce546b9522%40sessionmgr102

Alok Kumar Verma explains that Buddhism arose from the Buddha’s teachings, which have originated in North India between the 6th and 4th centuries. Buddhism has played a significant part in Asia’s cultural and social life, spreading from India through Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Buddhism has now spread to every corner of the globe through its teachings. The message of world peace is the primary motivation for this. Human civilization is built on the foundation of peace. Human civilization cannot survive without the principles of peace, and without peace, human civilization will be meaningless. Throughout human history, however, numerous forms of war and violence have disrupted the peace.

Throughout the first century B.C., both Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced in Southeast Asia. In the 7th century, one of the Chinese visitors built a Buddhist school institution in Indonesia. Borobudur, Indonesia’s most significant Buddhist temple, was built in central Java in the 9th century and is still in use today. Buddhism collapsed in the region once Srivijaya’s reign ended in the 13th century and Borobudur was abandoned. Borobudur was buried in volcanic ash and forest growth until British explorers found it in the 19th century. It was located in a region of active volcanoes.

Southeast Asia is separated into major geographical and religious divisions. It is a large-scale form of Buddhism that Muslims practice. With approximately 40% of the population, Sunni Muslims are the majority religion in this region. In Southeast Asian countries, Buddhism (primarily Theravada Buddhism) comes in second, followed by Christianity, which has the majority of its followers in the Philippines. As a result, nearly every country in Southeast Asia is religiously pluralistic. Because religious identity and ethnic identity are frequently inextricably linked in Southeast Asia, ethnicity is a religious conflict.

The Spread of Buddhism and Islam

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