Sumanapal
Bhikkhu
China
is one of the oldest Civilizations in the world. The Chinese history dates back
to two thousands B.C. At that time Shang dynasty was ruling China. The people
then used to worship Weather gods and Sky gods. They were found foretelling. At
that time they worship land, reveres, sea, stars, winds, moon, sun etc.
Shang-ti was the chief of gods. The king used to rule with the win date from heaven.
The ancient Chinese people believed that their four fathers were also Gods.
The Shang dynasty ended and the Chow
dynasty began in 1046 B.C. and it’s lasted up to 256 B.C. During this period Taoism and Confucianism showed up.
Around 6th century B.C. Laotse
appeared on the scene and his philosophy is known as Taoism. Taoism posits that
there is a universal force which flows through all living begins. One must
cultivate this force in himself one must respects this force. Only then one can
get at happiness. Taoism further pointed out that one must not get at anything
by the employment of physical force. One should always compromise with enemies.
One should try to win over the natural force in once favor. Taoism becomes very
popular with the people.
Presently after Confucianism popped up
Confucius or Master Kung was born on the 28th September 551 B.C. He
was the profounder of a philosophy that is known as Confucianism. The
philosophy of Confucius teaches us that we should behave with others with
respect politeness and kindness. Honor and morality are the two pillars on
which the philosophy of Confucius rests. Confucius is all for good government,
he is more interested in creating stable society where there should be
sustainable development. He introduced the philosophy of bureaucracy so that
the people are ruled properly. He was all for ancestor worship but he did not
bother much about Metaphysics. He wanted that the farmers should remains
farmers and the nobility should remain the nobility.
When conscious and Laotse showed up in
China in India Lord Buddha appeared on the scene. Lord Buddha is said to have
promulgated a philosophy known as Buddhism. But Lord Buddha never claimed that
he was the founder of any new religion or philosophy. There were Buddha’s
before him and he only repeated what other Buddha’s had exhorted. Buddhism soon
spread all over India and finally it crossed the mountains and reached China.
During the rule of Emperor Ming. Emperor Ming was the second emperor of the Han
dynasty. He rules China during the 1st Century A.D. Emperor Ming saw
a golden man radiating light in a dream. He told about his dream to his friends
and courtiers. One of them told the King that such a person had really leaved.
He was Lord Buddha excited the King Cent man in guest of or in such of Lord
Buddha and his teachings. They came to Central Asia and they meet to Buddhist
Saints. The saints came to China with lot of Buddhist Scriptures on the back of
a white horse. Thus Buddhism entered China. At that time Taoism and
Confucianism to major religious in China.
At the outset Buddhism had a handful of
followers in China. Buddhism pointed out that nothing is present in the world.
There is nothing called sole and sole less. In this ever changing existence
sorrows and sufferings are a must. One cannot get read of them ordinarily. One
must follow a part of moderation to rise above the sorrows.
The four Noble truth sources up Lord Buddha’s
doctrine. They are –
1.
Suffering is inevitably
and common.
2.
Suffering takes plays
because of our ignorance and greed.
3.
By destroying greed and
ignorance the causes of suffering can be destroyed.
4.
Path to ends suffering is
possible by following the Eight fold path.
The Eight fold paths of the Eight fold path are as follows –
1.
Samna Ditthi
2.
Samna Sankappa
3.
Samna Vaca
4.
Samna Kammanta
5.
Samna Ajivo
6.
Samna Vayamo
7.
Samna Sati
8.
Samna Samadhi
Buddhist belief in ‘Rebirth’ of
the self. They also belief in karma all actions have consequences that
resulting ‘Rebirth’. If any one pursues the right karma along the eight fold
path one can get read of rebirth psycho at this point the person attains
Nirvana.
By the by as we have already
pointed out, Buddhism came to China during the 1st Century A.D. from
Central Asia Lord Buddha’s demise took place in the year 480 B.C. in Five
hundred years time Buddhism evolved to a great extend. Different schools
cropped up in India itself. And the branch of Buddhism that flourished in the
Central Asia by the 1st Century A.D. was Mahayana Buddhism. And it
was this Mahayana Buddhism that reached China during the rule of Emperor Ming.
Emperor Ming as it has been already pointed out belongs to the Han dynasty.
With the full of the Han dynasty there were three separate kingdoms in China in
the main. In there can time Buddhism had spread transcending the borders of India.
To not only Central Asia but also to South-East Asia and South Asia. Each
country away from India received Buddhism its own light consequently there were
already different kinds of Buddhism. And during the period of the three
kingdoms different parts of China. Wave in touch with different kinds of
Buddhism come from different countries was Buddhism had spread. And Buddhist
ideas come from different countries was shaped in an emergent mould in the
light of Chinese native genius.
Large numbers of Buddhist monks
from different parts of the Asia come to China to propagate different school of
Buddhism. And various texts were translated in to Chinese language. Talking
cause from these various schools and numerous interpretations of Buddhist lo
come from different lands impelled the Chinese people to assimilate Buddhism in
their own way. As results there were a number of Chinese schools of Buddhism
which were very much original inform and contend. Although all of them agreed
with the basic tenets of Buddhism as propounded by Lord Buddha himself.
There was the pure land
Buddhism, it was propounded by Hui-ynan. He was all for the worship of Amitabha
Buddha. He posited that if someone chants the name of Amitabha Buddha he will
be born in the pure land of Amitabha in the life year after. In the pure land
it will be easier for the persons who seek Nirvana.
Another major school that
showed up in China was the Tientai School. Zhiyi was the founder and the
greatest exponent of the school. Philosophy of the school it’s focused on Lotus
Sutra.
Then there was the Chan School
of Buddhism its sky is unique. It is not much a set of beliefs. It is asset of
practices. It uses meditations to transcend thoughts and attain Nirvana. It was
Bodhi dharma who introduced Chan in China. And he mingled meditative aegis with
martial activities. The center of martial activities flourished in school in
monastery in mainland China.
Ironically enough Buddhism in
China moved from strength to strength while it was waning in India. During the
Tang dynasty Six hundred A.D. onwards Chan Buddhism became the main kind of
Buddhism in China. Chan Buddhist setup many monasteries were both monks and
nuns used to live many influential ladies of the Tong court, supported the
Buddhist monasteries. The monasteries were exemeed from tax. These monasteries
received money and land as donations but towards the end of Tang dynasty
emperor Wu Zong turned against Buddhism. He wanted all Chinese people to embrace
to Taoism. Buddhist monasteries and temples were desecrated. That way the
emperor could enrich his coffers. After the death of Wu Zong persiqueisition
hopped and Buddhism became more wide then ever under the Sung dynasty in Eleven
hundred in A.D. onwards Buddhism become very popular.
When first introduced in the 1st
cent A.D. Buddhism had to complete with Taoism as a religion. Taoism is a
religion native to China. It is mystic in approach. And so there is much in
common between Buddhism and Taoism at the outset the Buddhist spread their
philosophy borrowing a lot from Tao vocabulary. During the period of the three
kingdoms Chinese people were put in real travels. Because the three kingdoms
vied with one another to achieve super monk during this period Buddhism
apparently out dead the popularity of Taoism. Because Buddhism can addressed
sufferings. The Taoist on the other hand do not view life as sufferings.
Be that is way the to behalf
systems were so competitive that many teaches from both side borrowed ideas
from the other. Now a day many Chinese behalf in elements from both schools of
thought.
True that in 1949 China held
out atheism. But Buddhism was not extinguished in China. After 1980 reforms in
China Buddhism seems to have been changed with a fresh base of life.
Today there are estimated
hundred million followers of Buddhism in China and over 20,000 temples (www.chinesecultureabent.com) Buddhism in Japan:- It took several centuries for Buddhism to travel
from India to Japan. It was during the fourth centuries A.D. that Buddhism
crossed the borders of China and reached Korea. There Buddhism enriched itself
with the wealth of local religion Syhamanism.
It was the Sixth century that
a delegation from Korea arrived at the court of the emperor of Japan. The
Koreans brought with them Buddhist Scriptures and an idol of Lord Buddha. They
brought with them a letter from Korean Prince Buddhist Dharma. This was how
Buddhism was officially introduced to Japan. Most of the aristocracy of Japan
were however indignant to this new religion. The native religion of Japan was
Shinto. It involves the worship of Kami or Spirits. There were Spirits of
particular places. There was the deity of Mount Fuji also Sun Gods was
worshiped. The word ‘Shinto’ is derived from ‘Shin’ meaning gods or Spirits and
to meaning Tao or the path. Shinto can be seen also as from of enemies. And
Shintoism prevailed until the reign of the empress. During her reign in the
Seven century Buddhism became the state religion. The impressed and her legend
built temples and setup monasteries. They encourage a expression of Buddhism is
art and literature.
During the time period between
Seventh and Ninth century Buddhism was very power China, and many a Buddhist
crossed the sea they reached the source of Japan and spread Buddhism there.
China had already developed different schools of Buddhism. And its Chinese
school help developed a corresponding Japanese school of Buddhism. This school
flourished in Japan during ‘Nara’ period of Japanese history. Later most of
them mingled together to form what we call ‘Naro’ Buddhism today.
The ‘Ho sso’ school in Japan
was introduced by ‘Dosho’ went to Xuan Zhang to learn Buddhism and consequently
he was influenced by the Yogacara school. The Yogacara school of Buddhism
assets that things have no reality in themselves. The reality as we perceive a
simply a process of knowing.
In Seven hundred forty the
Chinese monk Shen-shsing introduced the flower garland school or Korean school
in Japan. The Kegan school posits that everything in the universe is in
everything else. Even the absolute is reflected in everything and in every
being.
These two schools namely
‘Kegan’ and ‘Ho sso’ belong to ‘Nara’ Buddhism.
After ‘Nara’ period others
schools of Buddhism croupped up.
In the Eighth century the monk
‘Sai cho’ went to China and return with the doctrine of Tien tai school. It
became tendal in Japan.
Like ‘Sai cho’ the monk ‘Kuka’
went to China. He was initiated in ‘Tantra’. He introduced Vajrayana in Japan.
The sect that was created by him is known as Shingong school of Buddhism in
Japan.
‘Honen’ introduced the Chinese
school of pure land in Japan during the 12th century. The pure land
school of Japan is known as ‘Jodo-Shu’.
‘Honen’ disciple ‘Shinran’
founded a new school of Buddhism known as ‘Jodo-Shin-Shu’. It is Buddhism for
the lay man. Write now ‘Jodo-Shin-Shu’ school is most popular in Japan.
‘Eisai’ was a monk who went to
China to learn Chan Buddhism in the 12th century. He became the
first Chan or in Japanese Zen master in Japan. After the denies of ‘Eisai’
‘Myozen’ took his place. ‘Dogen’ came to him to learn the truths of Zen
Buddhism. Later he went to China. Back from China he introduced ‘Soto-Zen’ in
Japan.
The uniquely Japanese school
of Buddhism was how ever founded by “Nichirem’. He opined that the Lotus Sutra
enshrined in it the entire doctrine of Buddhism. And they were a school name
‘Nichirem’ Buddhism. Scenes then the practice of Buddhism guided by the
different schools have been continuing till date.
But it should be remembered
that in Japan Shintoism and Buddhism co-exists along with Christianity. One
much not be taken by surprise. If one finds the wedding in a family is
organized ‘Shinto’ style and funeral in the same family is observed along Buddhist
live.
In China also there are temples
where Lord Buddha ‘Confucious’ and ‘Laotse’ are worshiped in same temple.
Perhaps the world could burned a
lot from the religious tolerance observe in China and Japan.
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v Guest Lecturer, (in Evening) Tibetan Language,
Department of Languages, Calcutta University, Guest Lecturer, (in Evening) Pali
Language, Department of School of Language and Linguistics, Jadavpur
University,
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