Buddhism in China and its impact on the culture of the country

The influence of Buddhism on the culture of China is great, besides this teaching has deep roots in various countries. But what is this influence and what does it bring to people? Do people in the country understand the true values of this belief and live according to the advice of the great Buddha? Later in the article, we will look at what Buddhism looks like in China. And since this topic is very extensive and multifaceted, we will only have to briefly outline the main points.

A little bit about Buddhism

Before moving on to the main topic of the article, one should understand what Buddhism is. Undoubtedly, each of us has heard this word many times and has an approximate idea of what it is. But this knowledge can be disjointed or even erroneous if they are drawn from unverified sources. It is for this to be at least briefly to learn the history and essence of Buddhism.

Where did Buddhism originate as a teaching? He appeared in the north of India, exactly where the ancient states such as Magadha and Kosala were located. The origin of this religion occurred in the I millennium BC. E.

Unfortunately, the information of scientists is very scarce about this period, but even from the available data it is possible to draw certain conclusions. So, for the specified time, the crisis of the Vedic religion is necessary, and as we know, such situations always contribute to the emergence of something new, the emergence of alternative teachings. The creators of the new direction were ordinary travelers, wandering old men, shamans and monks. Among them was the leader of Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama, who was recognized as its founder.

In addition, at this time there was a political crisis. The authorities needed strength, in addition to the army, which would help keep the people in obedience. This force became Buddhism. He is rightly considered the royal religion. It is noted that it developed only in those states whose rulers shared Buddhist views.

Philosophy of Ancient China: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism

The three named currents are fundamental in the philosophy of China. The religious system of the country is completely built on these three exercises, which are very similar to each other. Why three? The fact is that the territory of China is very large, and it was quite difficult to find a common language for different religious communities. That is why different currents were formed in different neighborhoods, but in time all of them were transformed into one of the three named religions.

What do these currents have in common? An important feature is the absence of a deity who needs to be worshiped. This is a very important point that distinguishes Buddhism from other religions of the world, in which there is always a supreme God. Also, these teachings are characterized by a philosophical assessment of the world. In other words, here you will not find clear instructions, commandments or orders, because every person has freedom of choice. And the third important feature is that these three directions are equally directed to the development of human potential and self-improvement.

Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism in China were not born simultaneously. The first mass religion was Buddhism, which had an increasing number of followers every year. It should be noted that Chinese Buddhism (Ch'an Buddhism) was somewhat different from the one that was popular in India. He was replaced gradually by Taoism, which is popular to this day. This teaching tells about the spiritual path and helps to find it correctly.

And concluding was Confucianism, which was based on the assertion that the goal of the life of any person is to create a blessing for others, humanism and justice. Confucianism, Buddhism in China are the most common. Even today, these two religions have the largest number of faithful followers in China.

The Penetration of Buddhism in China

Buddhism in China was born gradually. The time of its formation was at the turn of our era. True, there is evidence that Buddhist preachers appeared on Chinese territory before, but there is no evidence of this.

It should be noted that the information of scientists is so diverse that some sources claim that Buddhism originated in China at a time when Taoism and Confucianism already existed there. This version also has no absolute proof, but most scientists are inclined to it.

The fact is that Confucianism, Buddhism in China were intertwined very closely. If the followers of the two currents did not differentiate the postulates of religions, then perhaps they would merge into one direction. A clear distinction was due to the fact that Buddhism in ancient China was in some ways contrary to the norms of behavior in Confucianism.

The merchants who followed the Great Silk Road from other countries brought religion to China. Approximately in the second century AD Buddhism begins to be interested in the courtyard of the emperor.

But could the Chinese people simply abandon old, if similar, beliefs and accept a new teaching? The fact is that Buddhism was perceived by the Chinese as a kind of modification of Taoism, and not an absolutely new trend. Over time, Taoism and Buddhism are also very closely intertwined, and to date, these two currents have many points of contact. The history of the penetration of Buddha's teaching into China ends at the beginning of the second century, when the "Sutra 42 articles" was created - a written statement of the fundamentals of the teaching.

Mon An Shigao

We know the founder of Buddhism, but who is considered the ancestor of this religion in China? Such a person really was and called him An Shigao. He was a simple Parthian monk who came to the city of Luoyang. He was an educated man, and thanks to this he did a great job. Of course, he did not work himself, but with a group of assistants. Together they translated about 30 Buddhist works.

Why is this a huge job? The fact is that it is not difficult to translate a religious text, but to do it correctly, to understand the author's intention and to convey his point of view is not every translator can. An Shigao succeeded, and he created beautiful translations that fully reflected the essence of Buddhist teaching. In addition to this, other monks also practiced this, which translated the sutras. After the appearance of the first reliable translations, an increasing number of people began to be interested in the new trend.

Since that moment, chronicles of that time increasingly referred to the great festivals held by Buddhist monasteries. Religious current became more popular every year, and in the state there were more and more foreign missionaries. But even despite the intensification of all these processes, another whole century has not been recognized in China at the official level.

Time of Troubles

Buddhism in Ancient China was well received, but time went forward, people and power changed. Noticeable change occurred in the IV century, when this current began to conquer the supreme rulers. Why did the new religion become so popular?

The peculiarities of Buddhism in China lie in the fact that it comes in times of crisis, when people are dissatisfied and confused. So it happened this time. The time has begun in the state of turmoil. Buddhist sermons were visited by many people, because these words calmed people and brought pacification, and not anger and aggression. In addition, such detached moods were very popular among aristocratic society.

The aristocrats of South China liked to shut themselves off from the events, and the ordinary people adopted this ability, only in a slightly different form. It was during the crisis that people wanted to plunge into their inner world, find themselves real and understand others. This is the peculiarity of Buddhism in China - he gave his followers answers to all the exciting questions. The answers were unobtrusive, everyone freely chose their own way.

Judging by reliable sources, it can be said that at that time buddhism of transitional type flourished in the country, in which considerable attention was paid to meditation. It is because of this for some time that the people perceived the new current as a modification of already well-known Taoism.

This situation led to the creation of a myth in the people that said that Lao Tzu left his native land and went to India, where he became a Buddha teacher. This legend has no proof, but the Taoists often used it in their polemic speeches with the Buddhists. For this reason, in the first translations, a lot of words are borrowed from the Taoist religion. At this stage, Buddhism in China is characterized by the fact that there is a certain Chinese Buddhist canon, which includes Chinese translations, texts from Sanskrit and works from India.

It should be noted monk Taoan, who made the greatest contribution to the development of Buddhism in China. He was engaged in missionary and commentary activities, created a monastic charter, and also introduced the cult of the Buddha Maitreya. It was Daoan who began to add to the names of all Buddhist monks the prefix "Shi" (because Gautam Buddha came from the Shakya tribe). The disciple of this monk actively argued and defended the thesis about not subjecting the religion to the ruler, and also he created the cult of Amitabha, who became the most famous and popular deity in the Far East.

Kumarajiva

At certain times it was believed that China is the center of Buddhism. Such an opinion existed in those times when the state became the object of attack for a number of nomadic tribes. Religion has only benefited from the fact that so many ethnicities have mixed up in China. The coming tribes favored the new belief favorably, as it reminded them of magic and shamanism.

Kumarajiva is a well-known monk preacher in the north of China. It is worth noting that it was in this part of the state that religion developed under very strict control from the emperor. It was Kumarajiva who laid the foundation of the Buddhist school in China. He also dealt with the translation of original texts and preaching. In the V-VI centuries, a clear delineation of religion along branches began (this process began Kumaradjiva). Actively there was a process of "indianization" and acceptance of authentic Buddhist concepts. The followers were divided, which gave rise to 6 different schools. Thus, the Ch'an-Buddhism in China was finally formed.

Each school was grouped around its follower, as well as around certain texts (Chinese or original Buddhist). It was the disciple of the monk Kumarajivi who created the doctrine that the spirit of the Buddha is present in all living things, and also that one can be saved by "sudden enlightenment".

The Liang Dynasty

The influence of Taoism and Buddhism on the culture of China has done its work. Already in the 6th century Buddhism became the official religion and the mainstream. However, as we already know, this could happen without support of the supreme authority. Who contributed to this? Raised Buddhism to a new level, Emperor Wu-di from the Liang dynasty. He made quite visible reforms. Buddhist monasteries became large owners of lands, they began to bring income to the imperial court.

If you ask what kind of Buddhism is in China, then no one will give you a definite answer. It was during the time of the emperor of the Liang Dynasty that the so-called complex of three religions, or san jiao, was formed. Each doctrine of the three harmoniously complemented the other. It was believed that Buddhist teaching reflects the inner and secret wisdom of the Chinese sages. Also at this time, Buddhism received its niche, which took a worthy place in the ritual of the Chinese people, - it is about funeral rites.

This stage was characterized by the fact that the Chinese began to celebrate the day of remembrance of the departed on molebns and celebrate the birthday of the Buddha. The cult was gaining more and more widespread, which amounted to the liberation of living creatures. This cult originated from the doctrine that all living things have a part of Buddha in themselves.

Schools of Buddhism

The spread of Buddhism in China happened quite quickly. In a short time, certain schools of Ch'an Buddhism had formed, which had a significant impact on the traditions of the Far East. All schools can be conditionally divided into three groups: schools of treatises, sutras and dhyans.

The school of treatises was based on the Indian teachings. The followers of this trend deal more with philosophical questions than with the dissemination of their teachings. Ordinary people and monks who belonged to this school, wrote philosophical treatises, and also studied materials that were written in ancient times. Another line of their activity was the translation of scriptures from Indian into Chinese.

The school of sutras was based around one main text, which was chosen by the leader. It was to this scripture that all the disciples followed, and it was in it that they found the highest expression of the wisdom of the Buddha. As we have already understood, the schools of the sutras were based on a specific doctrinal and religious text. Despite this, the followers were also engaged in the consideration of many theoretical and philosophical questions. They also developed complex systems that are difficult to attribute to a particular Indian text.

The school of dhyana is a school of practitioners. Here, followers practiced yoga, meditation, prayers and practiced psychotechnics. They carried their knowledge to the people, taught him simple ways to control their energy and direct it to the right track. Also here include a school of monastic spells and a school of monastic discipline.

Buddhism and Culture

It is indisputable that Buddhism plays a significant role in the culture of China. The influence of this religion is most clearly seen in the literature, architecture and art of the country. During the time of the Buddhist monks a huge number of monasteries, temples, cave and rock complexes were built. They were distinguished by architectural splendor.

The structure of these times is characterized by elegance and delicacy, which shows the non-conservative nature of Buddhists. New religious buildings literally renewed the old and ugly buildings of China. They are distinguished by multi-tiered roofs, which symbolize the heavens. All the buildings and underground complexes constructed are the most valuable historical reminder. The frescoes, bas-reliefs and characteristic round sculpture fit very well into the architectural ensemble.

Rounded buildings were popular in China for a long time, but in the time of Buddhist monks, they spread in huge numbers. To date, literally in every Chinese temple you can find sculptural images that go back to the Indo-Chinese culture. Along with religion, a new animal has also come to the country, which is very often found on various sculptural works - the lion. Until Gautama's belief was penetrated, this animal was virtually unknown to the Chinese people.

It was Buddhism that instilled in the Chinese culture a kind of love for artistic prose, which had not been widely spread there before. Over time, novels became the most expensive kind of artistic prose for a Chinese person. At the same time, the emergence of artistic prose in China led to the creation of larger genres, such as the classic novel.

It is Ch'an-Buddhism that occupies an important place in the formation of Chinese painting. For artists of the Sung school, the Buddha's presence in all things played a special role, so that their pictures did not have linear perspectives. Monasteries have become a rich source of information, since it was here that great monks, artists, poets and philosophers gathered, meditated and wrote their works. These people came to the monastery in order to abandon the outside world and follow their inner creative path. It is worth noting that Chinese monks were the first to invent woodcuts, that is, printing with the help of reproduction of text through matrices (boards with mirror hieroglyphics).

Chinese oral culture is very replenished due to Buddhist legends and myths. Philosophy and mythology closely intertwined in the minds of people, which even gave rise to some connection to real historical events. Great influence on the philosophical thought of China was the Buddhist ideas of sudden enlightenment and intuition.

Surprisingly, even the famous tea tradition of China also originates from a Buddhist monastery. It is believed that the art of tea drinking was born just when the monks were looking for a way to meditate and not fall asleep. For this purpose, a useful and invigorating drink - tea was invented. According to legend, one monk fell asleep during meditation, and to prevent this from happening again, he cut off his eyelashes. Fallen eyelashes gave the sprouts of a tea bush.

Nowadays

Is there Buddhism in China today? It is difficult to answer this question briefly. The thing is that historical circumstances have developed in such a way that starting in 2011, Buddhist activities in China are under strict control. This is due to the fact that the modern Chinese government, since 1991, has been pursuing a strict policy. The government itself dictates the rules of how Buddhism should develop in China.

In particular, the monks had to renounce the Dalai Lama XIV in order to study the communist texts. The natural response of Buddhists to this is understandable. Buddhism in China has no opportunity to develop and find new followers. Such a policy of the state led to repeated cases of arrest and arbitrariness. Unfortunately, today the PRC does not accept Buddhism in its natural form. Perhaps in the future the situation will improve, because historically the Chinese people are very close to the Buddhist view of life.

Summing up some results, it should be said that Buddhism perceives the philosophy of Ancient China as something similar and native. To present the religious and philosophical ideas of this country without Buddhist thoughts is simply inconceivable. Such words as "China", "religion", "Buddhism" are historically linked and inseparable.