The Spread Of Buddhism And Islam, By Xinru Liu

The Silk Road had a large impact on the spread of religion. It was a meeting place for a lot of different types of people, from traders to merchants, and carpenters and sellers of food or produce. Religious beliefs of the peoples of the Silk Road changed radically over time and was largely due to the effects of travel and trade on the Silk Road itself. The trade route allowed religion to travel far and fast through the stories and communication of the people who travelled the Silk Road, which is how so many different religions occurred during this time and why they were so widespread. Islam was one of the religions to flourish and thrive in the environment of the Silk Road, it was one of the fastest spreading religions and became a dominant religion, because of the Silk Road it is still one of the largest religions today.

The Europeans who dreamt of conquering Asia were under the impression that Asia was a blank slate, isolated with no history and traditions. However, that is their misconception for Asia from 500-1500 CE “was a vast world of contrast… [and] bewildering variety” thriving with many empires, capital cities, religions, and cultures (Gordon, 177). Because of this, Asia then can be classified as a compilation of many key eras such as the Medieval Age in China and the Golden Age. Such prosperous times for Asian states and empires are to be accredited to the notable networking in Asia at this time period. People who utilized the establishment of fundamental institutions such as the religions of Islam and Buddhism and various modes of trading and traveling were able to facilitate the diffusion of ideas and cultures therefore indirectly contributing to the overall connection of Asian states and empires during 500-1500 CE.

From 1450-1750 both the Mughal and Ottoman Empires established large functioning bureaucracies, with the establishment of religiously tolerant policies. Political and religious climates of the Muslim Empires in 1450-1750 were tense, however religious tolerance can be seen in the Mughal and Ottoman Empires. According to the document, the military needed the support from the government and to back up political decisions. Document 5 is taken from the perspective of a missionary who lived for years in Egypt, the Ottoman Empire and a foreign employee of the Mughal emperor. In this document he talks about his experiences through both empires and describe each empire in terms of political and religious. This document give us information about how

The policies of classical/post-classical China Confucianism and post-classical Middle East Islam seem as though they compare similarly when it comes to how both civilizations tolerated outside religions and philosophies, however, that is not the case. The details need to be carefully examined, as the tolerance was quite different between classical/post-classical Chinese Confucianism and post-classical Middle East Islam. There are clear examples of how classical/post-classical Confucianism shunned away outside thought, as well distinct examples of how post-classical Middle East Islam transcended the issues that arise when different religions, politics, and society inhabit close quarters.

Brought to China by the first century CE, Buddhism was first founded in the 6th century BCE. The collapse of the Han Dynasty in 220 CE encouraged the conversion to Buddhism. Following the collapse of the Han Dynasty between 220 CE and 570 CE, China faced a period of political instability and disunity. In around 570 CE, the structure and well-being of China was restored under the Tang Dynasty. When the spread of Buddhism in China occurred, many people had both positive outlooks and negative outlooks on the spread of the religion. There were several different responses regarding the spread, one was a negative response due to the foreign idea of Buddhism, they believed it would hurt Chinese society and it differed from their original religion

The responses to the spread of Buddhism in China were positive, negative, and acknowledged the differences between Buddhism and other religions. Buddhism reached China around the first century C.E., but Buddhist influence did not largely spread until the fall of the Han Dynasty. China was deeply Confucian in the first century, and resisted the presence of Buddhism due to the many differences between the basic beliefs of each religion. The Chinese population reacted differently to Buddhism depending on personal beliefs, which led to disagreement and conflict.

Examining the Mughal and Ottoman Empires, we see similarities in how they governed and treated different religions. Both had efficient bureaucracies and tolerated various faiths, which enriched their societies. Contrasting the Mughal and Ming Empires

Instability between religious groups was also a common issue and yet another effect of the spread of Buddhism in China, and led to the consistent repression or defense of one’s religion (Doc’s 2, 3). Though Buddhism left a large effect and influence on multiple characteristics of society, it’s most noticeable in social and political classes

There are multiple reasons why and how Buddhism spread in China. I feel that factors like, religion, politics, and social, played a major part in spreading Buddhism throughout China. The factors mentioned are usually a contributor in global changes and has definitely played its part in China’s adapting a new belief. Of course there were other reasons, like economic, that caused the people of China to gravitate to the Buddhist ways. People reconsidering their faith, due to many of life downfalls or the weight of participants in something that’s new, gained recognition and spread due to popular demand. During the political chaos from 221 to 589 that came with the collapse of the Han Dynasty, Buddhism started to become a strong existence in

Hinduism is a very popular religion in India, being that it could possibly be the oldest religion of all time and originated in India, the Hindu population in India is 80%. With Hinduism being such a popular religion, it competes with Christianity and Islam at 900 million followers of Hinduism worldwide (Miksic, 10). As for the popularity of Buddhism, it is not nearly as prevalent as Hinduism is, even in India. A very important attribute to Hinduism is the caste system. The caste system is comprised of five levels that each Hindu is born into and cannot switch out of or marry into another. These levels include the Brahmans, who are the highest caste and include priests, scholars and other professionals, Kshatriyas, who are typically known

During the 1300’s each empire during this time had a religion that was significant to their state and impacted them, this includes the Ottomans and the Ming. During the time period of the Ming dynasty, they based their states’ religion of Neo-Confucianism or “new-Confucianism”. Neo-Confucianism incorporates aspects of Buddhism and Taoism into tradition Confucian beliefs. Their religion had a significant impact on their State. After the Mongols conquered and ruled China, as a result China disunited. One of the main reasons the Ming Dynasty lasted long as an empire, was for the reason the restored and recenter China after the destruction of the Mongols. And their religion benefited them, for it helped unite china. Having one common religion upon an empire, would eventually cause the areas within the empire to unite. In addition the religion of the Ottoman Empire had a similar impact on its society. The ottomans were a Muslim based empire, but unlike other empires they didn’t force people within their empire to convert

Chapter 14 in the book Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective of the Past by Herrry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler is mainly about Muhammad, the prophet, and his world, the expansion of Islam, economy and society of the early Islamic world, and its values and cultural exchanges.

Compare and Contrast: The Spread of Christianity and Buddhism in the End of the Classical Period.

The effect of Buddhism in China was one of the most profound changes China ever had, as it affected their economy. This time, economy brought about religion; Buddhism came into China through international trade. As South Asian countries came into China, they spread their religion which at that time was majorly Buddhism. To gain favor from the foreign traders, the emperors showed frivolities towards them. “Tang emperors spent huge sums of money on Buddhism” (Dubois, 2011, p. 34). They constructed Buddhist monasteries, excluded monks from taxes and lavished them with other benefits. In one sentence, the emperors at that time, sought to seek the face of Buddhist he monks at the expense of the economy. On a lighter note however, the spread of Buddhism increased the economy of China as it created revenue in trade. “Up till the twentieth century, Tang dynasty was the most cosmopolitan period of China’s history. Politically, emperors had conflicts of interest and so alternatively chose Buddhism or Daoism in succession” (Dubois, p. 34).

On top of being advantageous for the justification of Wu’s throne, the adoption of Buddhism also benefitted the Chinese government. Wu’s openhanded policies towards Buddhism and her proclamation of an era of peace brought the empire economic stability and prosperity (Smarr Feb. 17 2012). The reciprocated correlation between religion and state is clearly identified by Wu’s unambiguous relationship with Buddhism: Wu accepts the previously rejected religion and becomes its primary fiscal source, which ultimately leads to the wide-spread of Buddhism throughout the country, while Buddhism, in return, legitimizes her reign and facilitates the trade routes on the silk roads to the western world, bringing countless advantages to China and significantly boosting the Chinese economy during a peaceful period.