FREE ESSAY ON CHINESE BUDDHISM

CHINESE BUDDHISM

Chinese Buddhism
There is evidence of Buddhists in China as early as the 3rd century, but Buddhism was not
popular in China for years. Buddhism was probably introduced after the Han emperor Ming
Ti had a dream of a flying golden deity that was interpreted as a vision of the Buddha.
After this dream, the emperor sent emissaries to India who returned to China with the
Sutra in Forty-two Sections. It is kept in a temple outside the capital of Lo-yang.
Buddhism was brought to China from the trade routes of Southeast Asia, and grew slowly. 
Buddhism first became popular in China during the Han dynasty, and was full of magical
practices, like the popular Chinese Taoism. The first Chinese Buddhists taught that the
soul was indestructible. Nirvana was the belief of immortality and peace. They also
taught karma, which taught the people to be compassionate. There was always a connection
between Taoism and Buddhism until the end of the Han dynasty. Everybody believed that
Lao-tzu, had been reborn in India as the Buddha. Many Chinese emperors worshiped Lao-tzu
and the Buddha on the same alter. The first translations of Buddhist sutras into Chinese
used a Taoist vocabulary so the Chinese could understand it better. One of the most
important reasons why Buddhism grew in China during this period was because of
translation. The most important translator was a very smart monk named Kumarajiva who had
studied the Hindu Vedas, the occult sciences, astronomy, and the Hinayana and Mahayana
sutras. 
During the 5th and 6th centuries Buddhist schools were started in China and India.
Buddhism was becoming very powerful in China, there had been a large increase in the monk
population, and Buddhism was becoming popular with the common people. When the Sui
dynasty was started in China, Buddhism became the official religion. 
The golden age of Buddhism in China occurred during the T'ang dynasty. Even though the
T'ang emperors were usually Taoists, they favored Buddhism. The government took control
over the monasteries and the legal status of monks. At this time, several Chinese schools
developed their own way to teach the Buddhist texts. There was huge increase of Buddhist
monasteries and the amount of land that they owned. During this period many scholars made
pilgrimages to India. These journeys really increased Buddhism in China because the
pilgrims brought books back and shared all of their knowledge that they had gained along
their journey. Buddhism could not replace its Taoist and Confucian rivals, so in 845 the
emperor Wu-tsung began a major persecution. 4,600 Buddhist temples and 40,000 shrines
were destroyed, and 260,500 monks and nuns were forced to return to their old lives.
Buddhism in China never recovered completely after the persecution of 845. It kept the
same background and it still continued to play a significant role in the religious life
of China. It kept the name "Buddhism", but it was expressed in different books. An
example of one of these books is the yu lu, or "recorded sayings," of famous teachers
that were taught by monks. It also had more creations such as the Journey to the West and
The Dream of the Red Chamber. Buddhism blended with the Confucian- Neo-Confucian and
Taoist traditions to form one big religion that contained all three traditions. There
were many schools that were built, but the two that were the most well known were the
Ch'an school which was known for its emphasis on meditation, and the Pure Land tradition,
which emphasized dedication towards Buddhism. The former school had the largest impact on
the upper class. The school became popular through the arts. For example, Ch'an artists
during the Sung dynasty had a huge impact on Chinese landscape painting. The Artists used
pictures of flowers, rivers, and trees, painted with quick strokes, so that the people
would understand how empty and terrible reality is. The Pure Land tradition had a larger
influence on the whole population and was sometimes associated with secret societies and
peasant revolts. The two obviously weird traditions were usually connected. They also
mixed it with other Buddhist things like the "masses for the dead", which had originally
been made popular by the doctors of Esoteric Buddhism. During the early years of the 20th
century, China had a Buddhist reform movement that was supposed to satisfy the Chinese
Buddhist tradition and changing the Buddhist teachings and schools to today's' standards.
The Sino-Japanese War and a communist government have not been helped out the Buddhist
religion. The Buddhist community was controlled during the Cultural Revolution. Since
1976 the Chinese government has tried to be more patient, but they are not sure if
Buddhism will become popular again in China.