With the Shaolin monastery in China and the Enryakuji in Japan playing important roles amongst the Buddhist monasteries and becoming deeply involved in the secular world, we see a lot of similarities and differences about the relationship between the religious and secular worlds in China and Japan. We also see that Daoism and Shinto religions shaped the monasteries evolvement over the centuries.
Focusing first on the Shaolin monastery and how it became the famous Buddhist temple in the world and it’s not because of religion or its art treasures. We find out that neither the contribution to Chinese Buddhist evolution nor the art treasures that have been gathered together in the 15 thousand year history . Even the legends connecting the monastery with the mythic founder of Chan Buddhism/Zen, Bodhidharma, isn’t even the reason for the legend of the Shaolin monastery . A closer look shows us that the Shaolin monastery is famous around the world because of the connection and bond it has with Chinese martial arts .
The Shaolin martial arts evolved over 15 thousand years . Their martial arts brought other aspects of the Buddhist religion . By the time the Ming era came around, Shaolin monks finally had chosen their weapon of choice for a Buddhist emblem, which was the staff . The decision to choose the staff was more than likely related to the staffs’ role in monastic life . Shahar states that those who trained with a monastic environment came to regard their martial practice as a religious discipline .
As far as how Daoism shaped the monastery, we see that in the late Ming and early Qing eras, there was a synthesis of fighting, healing, and religious self-cultivation . Shahar says how it all starts with daoyin. Daoyin calisthenics...
... middle of paper ...
...tion of Buddhism, which is shown by statues of the Four Deva Kings and Fudō Myōō, who are both shown with spears and swords in Japanese temples . Since Buddhism was made as a protector of the state in Japan, violence could be justified in defending not only the faith itself but also the court and the ruling family . You see the similarities with weapons, yet the choice of weapon was different. The choice of swords over the staff is an example of this.
In conclusion, you see the differences and similarities, but at the end of the day, the Shaolin monastery in China and the Enryakuji in Japan, were both unique and played a vital part in their own history, along with that of their country’s government and overall history. The one way I look at things is the Shaolin monastery has always kept its roots close, while the Enryakuji has veered off in different directions.
...ore than communities occupied for monks and a stop for merchants, “monasteries [are now] engaged in banking or money-lending activities, and many others maintained schools that provided a basic education for local populations” (T.E. 295). With the favor of the people and in combination with Wu and her state’s endorsement, Buddhism and monasteries flourished and becomes an integral part of the Chinese culture by providing education and economic service to return the favor, thus strengthening the symbiotic role between government and religion. Monasteries’ “engage[ment] in banking [and] money-lending activities” is a sign that monasteries no longer just serve a monotonous purpose, but that it now plays an integrated role with the Chinese culture and economy as it is a pivotal point in gradual building the robust Chinese economy in the mutually benefitting relationship.
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.
customs and traditions hidden in the roots of the Japanese empire. The Tang Dynasty displayed a
Stories about war and implements of such can be observed throughout the course of Japanese history. This shows the prevalence of martial training and the profession of arms as a tradition that has not faded since ancient times (Friday and Humitake 13).
During the Warring States period China was going through chaos. The teachings of Confucianism and Daoism were welcomed by society to bring order, stability and liberate people from the misery and oppression. The rulers were greedy and desirous of political power and their own agendas; however they were looking for a new way to unite their people. It is often said that Confucianism and Daoism are the yang and yin, respectively, of Chinese religion. That is, they are not rivals so much as complementary traditions, working together to produce an overall balance in the lives of the Chinese. This is not true because the two religious philosophies were different from one another. Confucius believed that the traditions and virtues that were studied and taught in the old days by the Ancients was the best way to organize society (trickle-down approach). Also followers of Confucius believed in education, a moral force and human goodness to advance and progress within society. Daoism on the other hand relies on human nature and a balance of good and evil (Yin-Yang) to bring about social order. It neglects education, virtue and cultural norms because it is said that people are born faultless.
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...
Regarding religion, Chinese culture saw the emergence of Confucianism and Buddhism as the major influence. Confucianism stressed filial piety which meant respecting elders and superiors, ruling righteously, and obeying commands and orders. Confucianism was introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius. Buddhism was brought to China, but originated in India and was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. Followers of Buddhism worshipped Buddh...
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. The arrival of Buddhism in China greatly influenced the art of China for many dynasties.
Buddhist art spread across Asian countries, as believers brought the existing art and principles with them. The religion evolved in each new place to fit the new societies, which influenced the way the Buddha and Buddhist principles were represented in art. Starting from Theravada Buddhism in India, the religion evolved into another main branch called Mahayana Buddhism, which is popular in China, Korea, and Japan. Throughout its history, Buddhism has been ever changing to include local beliefs and customs, and the combination of these local usages with imported beliefs and symbols is characteristic of Buddhist art throughout Asia. Each new offshoot of Buddhism has its own unique take on the symbolism and rituals used to represent the religion.
As we have looked into the causes of monasticism, the development of monasticism and the history behind some of its practices. We can start to understand whom these hooded little men really are and what they stood for. We can see that this movement was truly needed. Monasticism aided in the rapid development of a hierarchical, centralized organization in the church because the monks were bound to obedience to superiors who in turn owed their allegiance to the pope. We do admire the fine contributions the monks made to medieval life. This was not only a movement in the history of Christianity, but it is still practiced today. One author defined monasticism as such: "Monasticism did not begin by being passed one to another but arose like spontaneous eruptions, or like a spring gushing forth in different places from a source underground."
Fourteenth century Japan was a time of peace for many people. Buddhism had just become a major part of Japanese culture due to the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He became ruler in 1367 at the sapling age of ten (Waley 21). Yoshimitsu needed to distinguish himself from his ancestors and he did this by being devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Zen Sect (21). “Zen Buddhism and the life and teaching of Shinran are popularly identified as typical Japanese Buddhism.” (Takeda 27) However Buddhism, in Japan, is different and unique from Buddhism in other countries because it is considered the “funeral religion” (27). This is mainly influenced by ancient Japanese beliefs of the onryo.
“The whole character of Chinese popular religion flows in the direction of plethora of rituals and obligations without much discernable doctrinal underpinning” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). The Chinese popular religion has gravitated away the gods of Buddha and Daoism and captured the philosophy of luck and materialism (Corduan, 2012), while it “is less concerned with philosophical issues and
Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements
...ina. However, the influence of Confucianism is still deep in Chinese soil even though it is not a dominant one. With the foundation of Neo-Confucianism, which “was the emergence of a new Confucian metaphysics that was influenced by Buddhism and that borrowed freely from Taoist terminology while rejecting both religions” (China), Confucius is still revered as China’s greatest teacher.
Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113). Therefore, since the two religions grew up together, there are similarities, such as their views on humans, attempting to find harmony in life and in nature, and serve as guides for their followers through self-cultivation and improvement techniques. Confucianism believes that their congregation should have human conduct over the idea of God in their lives, whereas Taoism is formed on the belief that its congregation should create a relationship with nature. This is pointed out by Smith in Experiencing the World’s Religions, “Confucius represents the classical, Lao Tzu the romantic; Confucius stresses social responsibility, Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness; Confucius focus is on the human, Lao Tzu’s on what transcends the human” (Smith 218).