Dissemination of Buddhism in East Asia

********
During the third century
B.C., Emperor Ashoka
sent missionaries to the
northwest of India that is,
present-day Pakistan and
Afghanistan. The mission
achieved great success,
as the region soon
became a centre of
Buddhist learning with
many distinguished
monks and scholars.
When the merchants of
Central Asia came into
this region for trade, they
learnt about Buddhism and accepted it as their religion. With the support of these merchants, many
cave monasteries were established along the trade routes across Central Asia. By the second century
B.C., some Central Asian cities like Khotan, had already become important centers for Buddhism. The
Chinese people had their first contact with Buddhism through the Central Asians who were already
Buddhists.

Buddhism in China

Who brought Buddhism
here?
Merchants and travelers using the Silk Road: When the Han Dynasty of
China extended its power to Central Asia (specifically, Afghanistan and
Pakistan) in the first century B.C., trade and cultural ties between China
and Central Asia also increased. In this way, the Chinese people learnt
about Buddhism so that by the middle of the first century C.E., a
community of Chinese Buddhists was already in existence.

How?
Chinese scholars are in conflict whether Buddhism reach China through
land or water. However, plausible theory is that Buddhism started from
the Greater Yuezhi of northwest India (present-day Afghanistan and
Pakistan) and took the land roads to reach Han China. After entering
into China, Buddhism blended with early Daoism and Chinese traditional
esoteric arts and its iconography received blind worship.
A legend! One account of Buddhism's entry into China describes Han
Emperor Ming's dream during the first century CE. It is said that Buddha
appeared to the emperor in a dream and that the very next day he
ordered some his officials to travel west in an attempt to find what had
caused his vision.
The officials west traveled along the Silk Road and eventually came upon
two Buddhist monks with two white horses. The monks carried with
them a picture of Buddha and their horses were loaded with holy
Buddhist scriptures. The Chinese officials invited the monks to return
with them to China's capital, Chang'an, to introduce Buddhism to the
emperor.


What are the stories?

















Translations of Buddhist texts
As interest in Buddhism grew, there was a great demand for Buddhist
texts to be translated from Indian languages into Chinese. This led to the
arrival of translators from Central Asia and India.

The first notable one was Anshigao from Central Asia who came to
China in the middle of the second century. With a growing collection of
Chinese translations of Buddhist texts, Buddhism became more widely
known and a Chinese monastic order was also formed. The first known
Chinese monk was said to be Anshigao's disciple.

Taoist ideas were used to explain Buddhism to make the new philosophy
easier for lay people to understand. During the 3
rd
century, the Han
dynasty fell. However, Buddhist texts were still translated.

Chinese Monk Dao-an (4
th
century)
He continued translating and collecting Buddhists scriptures. Though he
had to move from place to place because of political strife, he not only
wrote and lectured extensively, but also collected copies of the
translated scriptures and prepared the first catalogue of them. He
invited the famous translator, Kumarajiva, from Kucha.

5
th
century saw Southern and Northern China with different rulers.

Southern China
The Buddhists in southern China continued to translate Buddhist texts
and to lecture and write commentaries on the major texts. Their rulers
were devoted Buddhists who saw to the construction of numerous
temples, participated in Buddhist ceremonies and organised public talks
on Buddhism. One of the rulers expanded on the earlier catalogue of
Buddhist texts.

Northern China
In northern China, except for two short periods of persecution,
Buddhism flourished under the royal patronage of rulers who favored it.
By the latter half of the sixth century, monks were employed in
government posts. Buddhist arts also flourished, especially in the caves
at Dun-huang, Yun-gang and Long-men.
In the thousand caves at Dun-huang, Buddhist paintings covered the
walls and there were thousands of Buddha statues in these caves. At
Yungang and Long-men, many Buddha images of varying sizes were
carved out of the rocks. All these activities were a sign of the firm
establishment of Buddhism in China by the end of this period.

Results

Buddhist influence on Chinese Art, Literature, Sculpture, Architecture
and Philosophy of that time.
Buddhists schools were established not only to teach Buddhism but also
as way of studying the numerous translated Buddhists text from India.
The two most prominent schools were the Chan and the Pure Land
schools. And though Buddhism was repressed in many occasions, China
was still able to preserve its teachings for hundreds of years more.
Introduction of Chan Buddhism by Bodhidharma and Pure Land
Buddhism by Amitabha Buddha.
Buddhists Scholars travelling to India to study. Famous Chinese monk to
travel was Xuan-Zang who, after his study in India, brought back many
Buddhists text that he himself translated.




Buddhism in Korea

Who brought Buddhism
here?

Buddhism was originally introduced to Korea from former Qin in 372, or
about 800 years after the death of the historical Buddha
We must understand that ancient korea was divided into 3 kingdoms:
Goguryeo(North),Baekje(South), Silla (Southeast)

Goguryeo In 372, the monk Sundo (Shundao in Chinese) was sent by
Fu Jin of former Qin to the court of the King Sosurim of Goguryeo. He
brought texts and statues (possibly of Maitreya Bodhisattva who was
popular in Central Asian Buddhism), and the Goguryeo royalty and their
subjects quickly accepted his teachings.

Baekje In 384, the Indian monk Marananta arrived in Baekje and the
royal family received the similar strain of Buddhism he brought. King
Asin proclaimed, "people should believe in Buddhism and seek
happiness."
Silla A King named Chinhung encouraged for the growth of Buddhism.
A monk, Jajang, is credited with having been a major force in the
adoption of Buddhism as a national religion. Jajang is also known for his
participation in the founding of the Korean sangha, a type of monastic
community. Another great scholar to emerge from the Silla Period was
Won-hyo. He renounced his religious life to better serve the people and
even married a princess for a short time and had a son.

How?
During the sixth and seventh centuries, many Korean monks went to
China to study and brought back with them the teachings of the various
Chinese schools of Buddhism.

Royal patronage of Buddhism helped in grow and spread in the three
kingdoms of ancient Korea.


What are the stories?

















We should note that before Buddhism was introduced, Koreans were
practicing Animismor the worship anything in nature. However, as
Buddhism can be very adaptable, the ancient Koreans did not have a
hard time accepting it as their new faith.
As similar to China, Buddhism also experienced set-backs during the
times of the Joseon dynasty where in neo-Confucianism penetrated the
kingdom.

Under the new rule of the Yi Seonggye of Joseon Dynasty (14
th
-20
th

century) Buddhism lost the support of the court when Confucianism
became the sole official religion of the state. Buddhism was suppressed.
Buddhist monks were forbidden to enter the capital, their lands were
confiscated, monasteries closed and Buddhist ceremonies abolished.
Despite all the troubles of this difficult period, there were occasionally
some great monks who continued to inspire their followers and kept
Buddhism alive.

With the collapse of the Yi Dynasty, Korea came under Japanese control.
The Japanese who came to Korea introduced their own forms of
Buddhism, which included the tradition of the married clergy. As a
result, some monks in Korea broke away from their tradition of celibacy.
The Japanese Jdo Shinsh and Nichiren schools began sending
missionaries to Korea. The formation of new Buddhist sects, such as
Won Buddhism happened.

Results

Buddhism flourished under their royal patronage. Great works of art
were created and magnificent monasteries built. Buddhism exerted
great influence on the life of the Korean people.

The whole of the Tripitaka in Chinese translation was also carved on to
wooden printing blocks. Thousands of these blocks were made in the
thirteenth century and have been carefully preserved to the present day
as part of Korea's national treasures.

Similar to other countries, Buddhism help legitimize or maintain the rule
of the royal Buddhist patrons.





Buddhism in Japan

Who brought Buddhism
here?
Korean delegates brought Buddhists relics to Japan as Ordered by king
Seong of Baekje.
Five monks from Kipin, somewhere in Kabul region of Gandhara
(northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) travelled by ship to Fusang.
They propagated Buddhist doctrine.

How?

In the 6
th
century, the king Seong of Baeje, anxious to establish peaceful
relations with Japan, sent gifts of images of the Buddha and copies of
Buddhist texts to the Japanese imperial court.

According to the Chinese historical treatise Liang Shu, which was written
in 635, five monks from Gandhara traveled to Japan in 467. At the time,
they referred to Japan as the country of Fusang (Chinese: Fus: "The
country of the extreme East" beyond the sea), and they introduced
Buddhism to the residents of the island nation.

They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings,
and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result
the customs of Japan changed


What are the stories?

















From King Seong of Baekje (ancient south Korea)
The official story of the arrival of Buddhism to Japan states that a
political delegation arrived from Korea in 538 C.E. Among the gifts it
brought for the Emperor were a bronze Buddha image, some sutras, a
few religious objects and a letter warmly praising the most excellent
Dharma.

After initial opposition, the gifts were accepted, and a temple was built
to house the objects. However, an epidemic which ravaged the land was
interpreted as bringing the wrath of the indigenous kami (Japanese
Shinto deities) down on the nation. This led to the objects being thrown
into a canal and the temple being destroyed.

Prince Shitoku a devout Buddhist
From the very beginning, the establishment of Buddhism depended on
the protection and support of the Japanese rulers.

Among these, Prince Shotoku deserves special mention for his great
contribution to the early growth and expansion of Buddhism in Japan
during the early part of the seventh century.

Tradition says that Prince Shotoku wrote the first "constitution" of
Japan, which promoted moral and social values as taught in Buddhism.
His devotion and royal patronage of Buddhism helped to make it widely
known.



The Nara Period (8
th
Century)
Buddhism continued to spread as more new temples were built in all the
provinces (ex. Todaiji Temple at Nara). Buddhist scriptures were copied
and distributed throughout the country. Also Chinese monks started to
arrive and many Chinese schools of Buddhism were introduced to Japan.

The Japanese monks became involved in administrative roles. Some of
them served as scribes and clerks in the court, while others helped in
the carrying out of public works.

A few were assigned to explore and draw maps of distant parts of the
country. Though the monastic order grew in size, it remained firmly
under the control of the court as the ordination of monks was only
permitted at a few centers approved by the court.

The Heian Period (began at the end of 8
th
century)
During this period, two Japanese monks named Saicho and Kukai
brought two schools of Buddhism to Japan from China.

Saicho had a temple on Mount Hiei, which was near the new capital.
Soon the ruler began to patronize the temple and also sent Saicho to
study in China. On his return to Japan, Saicho introduced the Tian-tai
school of Buddhism from China.

At about the same time the other monk, Kukai returned from China and
introduced Vajrayana Buddhism to Japan. This school of Buddhism
became very popular with the Japanese court and its influence was even
greater than that of the Tian-tai school of Buddhism. Kukai himself was a
learned monk and wrote a great deal on the teachings of this school.

The Kamakura Period (at the end of 12
th
century)
Political power shifted to a group of warriors (Samurai) who had their
headquarters at Kamakura. During this period, a number of distinctly
Japanese Buddhist sects arose. They became popular because of their
simplicity and directness of approach. Among these sects were the
Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren and Zen.


Results


During the Kamakura (11851333) and Muromachi (13361573)
Buddhism had a great influence on Japanese society. Buddhist
institutions were used by the shogunate to control the country.

Buddhism influenced Japanese culture from arts and design, to ways of
dealing with nature and others, and even in their music and visual art.

Buddhist temples, schools, and shrines were built to further advance
the its growth.

Like other countries, Buddhists holidays. In Japan, the Buddhist Obon
festival is celebrated primarily in communities with large Japanese
diasporic communities.








Sources:
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/east-asia.htm
http://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/chinahistory.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism
http://www.monkeytree.org/silkroad/mindbody/buddhism.html
http://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/chinahistory.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Buddhism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Japan
http://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html




Prepared and edited by:
Dani Tindungan Jr.