Buddhism: A Major Part In Shaping The Civilization Of Ancient China

China was affected tremendously by the spread of Buddhism from 300 to 900 C.E. Buddhism itself was spread to China around 100 C.E by Indian missionaries, and after taking hold during the Era of Division (300s-500s), it became a household religion (particularly the Mahayana and Chan variations . Buddhism’s popularity rose consistently from the late Han dynasty through it’s peak during Empress Wu’s rule in the late 600s and early 700s. But, the religion’s popularity fell sharply during Emperor Wuzong’s reign as the persecution of Buddhism grew common (CONTEXT). The spread of Buddhism affected all classes and people of China in different ways; Chinese peasants were able to worship this religion regardless of education or social position (though

Classical China was a breeding ground for new ideas, inventions, and most importantly, religions. Although Classical China was littered with different religions and beliefs, Confucianism was the most prominent. Confucianism is based on the teachings of a philosophical

When Buddhism first spread into China, it was met with mixed responses. Many people either accepted it and converted to Buddhism or respected the new religion while maintaining their own beliefs. However, many people openly proclaimed their hate towards Buddhism.

As one of the four great ancient civilizations, China has a very long history and a gorgeous culture. We can not ignore the fact that not only religions and cultures are inseparable, but also can influence each other profoundly, Just like Buddhism and Chinese culture. “The Chinese traditional culture includes three systems of thought: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. The first two are Chinese culture, and Buddhism is a foreign religion from India. For over 2,000 years, Buddhism has interacted with all levels of Chinese culture such as literature, philosophy, morality, arts, architecture and religions. As a result, Buddhism has successfully integrated into the traditional Chinese culture and has become one of the three pillars.” (Xing, 308) 2010 Religious report survey data show that there are

In the sixth century B.C.E., the religion of Buddhism was founded in India. Seven centuries later, the religion would find itself arriving in China in the midst of the Han Dynasty. In China, there were many different views of the religion as it arrived and spread throughout the country. There were two main responses to the religion. One response was that Buddhism could stand alongside other Chinese religions and philosophies such as Confucianism, as it could do a lot of good for China; while another view was that Buddhism had no place in China, as it came from foreign people and was barbaric, stealing from the Chinese.

The founder of Buddhism is Buddha Siddhartha, born 624 in present-day Nepal. His name means “Awakened One.” A Buddha is somebody who has awoken from sleep and suddenly sees things truthfully. As Buddha grew up, he could speak sixty-four different languages and was a good mathematician. He often visited poor and old people, and realized that every person would one day experience sufferings, for example, sickness and death. Because Buddha believed in reincarnation, he became aware of the fact that everyone would experience these sufferings in a never-ending cycle. This caused him to feel sympathy for them and himself, and so he wished that they could all escape suffering. Thus, this created the religion of Buddhism.

Buddhism for centuries, has long been influencing the population all over the world, specifically in China . Buddhism first came to China as a result of merchant traders from India. From there it spread within the merchant community. It mainly expanded because it gave people a sense of hope and faith with the chaos they were experiencing from the collapse of the Han Dynasty. It also spread because it covered what Confucianism lacked; a more spiritual and emotional approach that appealed to many people of different classes. It is because of this that Buddhism spread and was able to influence and greatly affect China during the period of 300-900 CE. Buddhism influenced philosophy and moral teachings, kept the Chinese society peaceful and orderly, as well as affecting the overall economy. Buddhism had strong religious teachings that appealed to the lower class with the idea of afterlife and nirvana as well as an emphasis on following your own path that transformed Chinese beliefs causing a large portion of the population to convert (doc’s 1,4). Buddhism kept the Chinese society orderly by reminding all of Buddha’s life and teachings with statues and the influence it had on monks to spread charity and missionary work (doc’s 2,3,6). Buddhism also had an effect on the economy of China. As it spread from other regions, it caused more farmers and silk producers to convert and spread the religion as monks and nuns. (doc 7,5).

The people of China believed in different religions but did admire the Buddhist ideas. At first Buddhism was not popular in China but after many years of war people turned towards the calming ideas that Buddhism taught. The spread of Buddhism increased when the Han Dynasty fell and by 400 AD China’s major religion was

Buddhism, in contrast to Christianity, is a non theistic religion, which originated in India during the 5th century BCE follows Siddhartha Gautama teachings and spiritual practices. Through The Silk Road, merchants and missionaries from South Asia alike spread the religion to China around 1st century CE. The first account of Buddhism in China was recovered by Chinese Emperor Ming saying, “It may be assumed that travelers or pilgrims brought Buddhism along the Silk Roads…” This account is just one of many, and as time passed many more were recorded and documented, and the account marked the spread of Buddhism throughout China. Buddhism offered an great appeal to the people of China, who at the time were in an era of discourse and distress. Its message of peace and harmony seemed like an great escape from their dire circumstances at that point. Zhi Dun, a Chinese scholar talks about the charm that Buddhism has and how if one were to follow Buddha's steps and rules he would, “...behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his sport, and then he will enter Nirvana.” Nirvana for these people was a great comfort, and one they chose to take apart in by converting to Buddhism. The beliefs of Buddhism, like

Buddhism traveled from India through the Silk Road and Central Asia to northern China in the first century C.E. At that time the Chinese believed in Confucian values also known as the Chinese values. The conflict between these values continued through many ruling Chinese dynasties. There were inherent differences between the Buddhist beliefs and practices and traditional Confucius beliefs practiced by the Chinese. These differences are captured in the three sources which are collection of many biographies.


Taoism is China’s oldest religion. At one time, the land called China was the home of numerous peoples with different racial origins. All these ethnic groups probably had their own special gods and religious beliefs. Over time, kingdoms and empires grew in various areas and started incorporating more and more people into them. One common theme in these kingdoms and empires was a belief in life after death as can be seen in ancient tombs all over China. So people had to pay homage to and care for the dead. Some Chinese have fear of the dead, and they try to obey the dead or appease them. Another idea that is very strong in Chinese philosophy is as Chinese

Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha, is considered the founder of Buddhism. He is credited with starting Buddhism because he realized a life of balance and meditation is better than an extreme lifestyle.

Buddhism is a widespread religion, not just restricted to the Chinese civilisation, but is prevalent in most Asian countries. It originated in India approximately two and a half millennia ago and henceforth, remains to dominate the East. Consequently, there are currently over 360 million followers of Buddhism and over one million American Buddhists.

China has approximately 56 ethnic religions, with each with its own particular society and religion, however among every one of the religions in China, the biggest is Buddhism. Over hundreds of years, Buddhism in China has formed into three phonetic structures: Chinese-dialect Buddhism, Pali-dialect Buddhism, and Tibetan-dialect Buddhism, additionally called Lamaism. It is hard to appraise what number of individuals take after Chinese-dialect Buddhism, as it is broadly dispersed and does not have welcome customs, but rather the Chinese-dialect Buddhism has no less than 40,000 ministers and nuns and more than 5,000 sanctuaries and religious communities. Tibetan-dialect Buddhism is discovered primarily among the 7 million individuals of the Tibetan,

Approximately 350 million people in the world today are practicing Buddhist, making Buddhism the world’s fourth largest religion. However Buddhism has an influence even greater than the number of its adherents would indicate. From the time that its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, preached his first sermon 2500 years ago, Buddhism has spread from its homeland in India to China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Tibet, and abroad. Although China is the largest country in the world to be officially atheist, a large majority of its populace adheres to Buddhist traditions and is even practicing Buddhists. They are noticeably influenced by the culture. In fact, all of the countries that came under the influence of Buddhism were enriched culturally and artistically. The image of the Buddha, which means “Enlightened One,” appears