Transcript 2017 Buddhism PowerPoint Lecture

2017 Spread of Buddhism
into East Asia
First impression of
Buddhism
•When
Buddhism first reached China, many Chinese saw
it as a foreign religion.
• They could not understand the vague concept of
nirvana.
•Also, they criticized people who abandoned their families
to become monks and nuns.
The Appeal of Buddhism
• The Chinese found a great deal of comfort in Buddhism.
• The three Chinese schools of thought-Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalismdealt with life on Earth.
• Buddhism was a religion that offered an escape from the suffering of
earthly life.
• Buddhism promised salvation for the good, those who lived moral lives,
and punishment for the wicked.
• It stressed mercy and compassion.
•Buddhist monks and nuns built
hospitals and helped the poor.
• In time, Buddhism blended with Chinese beliefs and values.
Nirvana became the western Heaven, reflecting Chinese ideas
about the afterlife.
• Chinese Buddhists emphasized Confucian ideas of proper behavior
and respect for family and ancestors.
• They also absorbed Daoist views of nature because the Chinese
could accept diverse ideas.
• As a result, many Chinese followed Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian
beliefs at the same time.
• Confucianism and Daoism were concerned with ethics and living in
harmony with nature, including the gods and spirits that were
believed to be everywhere.
• Although temples and ceremonies developed around both schools
of thought, neither Confucianism nor Daoism were a true religion
like Buddhism was.
From Korea to Japan
• A Chinese monk in the 4th c. introduced Buddhism to
Korea
• During the sixth and seventh centuries, Korean monks
went to China to study and brought back with them
the teachings of the various Chinese schools of
Buddhism – it flourished under royal patronage.
• In the sixth century, the Koreans sent gifts of images of
the Buddha and copies of Buddhist texts to the
Japanese imperial court.
• The Japanese people soon accommodated Buddhism
along with their indigenous Shinto beliefs.
• As a religion of universal appeal, Buddhism helped to
foster harmony within the country.