Buddhism is the world’s most well-known and practiced philosophy, with hundreds of millions of practitioners throughout the world. According to the Theravāda tradition of Buddhism, the oldest school of Buddhism, the Buddha’s teachings were first organized and officially established as a philosophy at the First Buddhist Council in the Ganges valley during the year following the death, or parinirvana, of the first Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, either 542 or 543 BCE . Buddhism gradually spread out of the Ganges and throughout India until the Mauryan Emperor Asoka the Great converted to Buddhism in the wake of the Kalinga war in the 3rd century BCE. The conversion of Asoka lead to Buddhism rapidly spreading across his vast empire—encompassing the …show more content…
By the expansion’s end, in the early 14th century, Buddhism had spread across all of Asia west of the Iranian plateau3. Contact with Islam in the east and the discovery of the Pacific Ocean to the West lead to Buddhism’s spread slowing to a crawl. However the rise of European colonialism and Globalization lead to a sudden surge in Expansion. The introduction of new transportation and communications technology allowed Buddhists to travel abroad and spread their religion across the world. Leading up to the present, Buddhism spread to the furthest corners of the world and has become well known throughout the modern world. Buddhism’s spread from the early 6th century BCE to the modern day has been the result of a variety of factors and …show more content…
By the early 17th century, European empires had established a solid foothold in Asia; to protect their culture from Christian missionaries and inquisitors Buddhist monks began to modify and ‘modernize’ their practices to fit in with Christian norms16. Conversely, certain practices such as mediation began to work their way into the popular culture of various Western nations such as the United States17. Technological advancements that brought about globalization, such as jet engines and the internet, allowed Buddhist to spread across the western world. Today, Buddhist practices and beliefs such as meditation, karma and auras are commonplace in many western civilizations; and many westerners have converted to Buddhism in recent times. Lately, Buddhist art has experienced something of a renaissance with many western artists combining their styles with Buddhist imagery to create various new artistic hybrids, such as graffiti murals of Buddha Figure 4. There has also been a growing commercial interest in Buddhist trinkets and memorabilia with both specialty stores and gift shops selling ‘authentic’ artifacts, meditation aids, tattoos and even Buddhist T-shirts Figure 5. This modern expansion of Buddhist resulted from a combination of European colonialism and
Scott, Rachelle M. Nirvana for Sale?: Buddhism, Wealth, and the Dhammakaya Temple in Contemporary Thailand. New York: SUNY Press, 2009. Print.
As the people became involved in long-distance trade and settled down, they started to convert to Buddhism. Various forms of it spread to Southeast Asia due to their native beliefs (Haywood 27). Rulers liked the idea of themselves being gods and elites liked the idea of karma where they were rewarded based on their morality from a past life. Religion could not spread in Central Asia because of its dependence on a written language (Strayer
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
In China, the citizens' inclination of Buddhism varied from that of other states. There was a plethora of mental outlooks on how Buddhism was changing the Chinese society as it expanded from India, where it was founded in the sixth century BCE. The responses are organized depending on their acceptance, rejection, or encouragement of a combination of Buddhism with other religions. These categories are illustrated by the following documents; the acceptance by documents two and five, the rejection by documents four, six, and three, and last, the encouragement by documents two, five, and three. Additional documentations that would be helpful in classifying the reactions of the Chinese people would be a testimony or statement of a Chinese woman, or group of women, and of peasants. These would be helpful as we'd be able to examine exactly how the Chinese were affected by Buddhism's grasp. We would be able to see how Buddhism affected their daily lives and what they thought about the sudden religion.
Buddhist popularity towards the Chinese grew following the collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E. It’s influence continued to expand for several centuries. Between 220 C.E. and 570 C.E., China experienced a period of political instability and disunity. During this time, many of the Chinese, specifically scholars, sought for peace in Buddhism and approved of Buddhism. On the other hand, the strict confucianists and the government fought to end Buddhism and make people go against it.
Buddhism is a religion from the East that has spread to many different countries all over the world. It has spread to the West, and has had a great influence and impact, especially in America. However, the Buddhism that is practiced in the United States is not exactly the same as the one that is practiced in Asian countries. If Buddhism differs between the different traditions of the Asian countries themselves, it is obvious that it will differ greatly in America as well. However, even though there are obvious differences, it is important to maintain the core values and fundamental principles the same. This research explores how the three different types of Buddhist practitioners have adopted Buddhism in America, and it describes some differences
...m were started from nothing but grew into two of the largest religions in the world. The reasons why Buddhism succeeded in spreading to other countries and people are different from the reasons Christianity spread. Buddhism spread because it adapted to what the people wanted and needed. When the numbers began to dwindle, a new form of Buddhism was there, adapted into what would attract new people, and succeeding at it.
History started with God’s creation, redemption, humanity rebellion against God, ultimate plan for divine intervention and restoration. God is the only source of meaning in history and in life. Most historians agree that Siddhartha Gautama started Buddhism in 5th century BCE who was born in Lumbini. He watched suffering in the world and decided for solution. Through meditation and analysis he achieved enlightenment. Buddhism has spread from India to every corner of the world. Many people embraced philosophical and practical aspects of Buddhism and integrated them into their religious and social
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. 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. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
India and China’s geography helped them spread their religion to other areas. India’s religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, spread to other regions. The trade that was created due to each civilizations’ geography not only traded regions’ goods with one another, but their religion as well. According to World History: A Pattern of Interaction, Hinduism spread to Nepal and south to Sri Lanka and Borneo. A majority of the spread of Indian religion was due to Buddhist merchants and monks that converted people along the route of the Silk Road. China is similar to India’s religions, as the Chinese region believed in Buddhism because of the conversions of religion that had occurred
Buddhism was first introduced into Nara Japan through trade with Han China and reportedly, a few ambassadors from the Chinese imperial court appeared at the emperor’s palace one day bearing the finger bone of Buddha, among other gifts, to present as a gesture of goodwill in order to be allowed to spread their religio...
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.
Asoka did not force anyone to adopt Buddhism as his or her faith. Rather, he spread the principles in the hope that people would choose to follow them on their own and lead an ethical life. After Asoka’s death the Mauryan Empire gradually declined (Molloy 138). His Empire may not have survived, but Asoka is known today as one of the greatest rulers of ancient India and the most important figure in Buddhism after the Buddha himself. Buddhism may not be the dominant religion in India today, but there are millions of Buddhism followers worldwide today because of Asoka’s influence. If not for Asoka, Buddhism may have remained an entirely Indian religion. It is due to his influence that Buddhism is practiced worldwide today. His memory will always live on in the Buddhist community.
Buddhism prevailed as a religion indigenous to west India and comprises of varieties of traditions, beliefs and practices based on the teachings of Buddha. There are many reasons why Buddhism became so popular and entered into many civilizations. Buddhism began to be popular throughout Asia alongside India. Buddhism has blossomed in the contemporary world, especially in the West. It is an issue to wonder what Buddhism offers that other religions cannot and has become so significant worldwide. Buddhism has become an idea that is widespread and the teachings of Buddha have made a real difference in many civilizations like India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and surprisingly Buddhism has come to make a significant difference in American culture.
Buddhism originated from India, and was founded by Prince Siddharta Gautama, who later came to be known as Buddha, or the enlightened one. Born of a princely caste, he later renounced his comfortable life in search for nirvana. In order to do that, he joined a band of ascetic, who was a group of Hindu priests. In his teaching, the Buddha taught his followers to follow "the middle way", that is, not the way of extreme asceticism. He attained full understanding of the nature of being by meditation and after his success, decided to impart his knowledge to those who follow him .