Buddhism
Buddhism has been the most popular religion in China. It has the largest number of believers. Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Gautama, a prince of the Shakya family that reigned over a small kingdom in modern Nepal. His epithet is Shakyamuni. The doctrines of Buddhism can include the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths that lead to rebirth, the form of which is a result of doings and behaviour accumulated during the past lives of a person: life is suffering, and the cause for the suffering is craving for existence and sensual pleasures. This suffering can be suppressed by the Eightfold Path: right views, right intentions, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (yoga).
Buddhism was introduced from South Asia and Central Asia during the Han dynasty and was very popular among Chinese of all walks of life, admired by commoners, and sponsored by emperors in certain dynasties. It is generally believed that it spread to China in 67 AD during the Han Dynasty from Hotan in Xinjiang to Central China. Three different forms of this religion evolved as it reached the centers of population at varying times and by different routes. The social and ethnic background in each location also affected the way in which each of these forms developed and eventually they became known as Han, Tibetan and Southern Buddhism.
Buddhism during the Han Dynasty was regarded as having its basis in magic in much the same way as Taoism and it first took root among members of the royal family and aristocracy. The monastery claiming to have been the first in China is the White Horse Monastery (Baimasi) near Luoyang. Luoyang in North China became a major center where there was a focus on the translation of the scriptures while in South China Buddhism thrived in a tolerant atmosphere. Buddhism continued to flourish during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The famous Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Caves were constructed during this period.
The most important event was when Bodhidharma came to China. He arrived in Guangzhou and then went on to Nanjing where he entered into discussion with Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasty. They failed to agree over matters of doctrine and so Bodhidharma went to the Shaolin Temple. Bodhidharma was the first Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, the formation of which marked the independent development of the faith in China. This localized sect of Buddhism had a profound repercussion on Chinese philosophy and culture. Buddhism reached its zenith during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Buddhism penetrated daily life and greatly impact in architecture, sculpture, painting, music and literature. However, Buddhism was forbidden in 845 due to social and economical reasons. Over 4600 temples were demolished and 260, 500 monks and nuns were forced to give up their religion. The combination of Buddhism and Confucianism led to the formation of Li Xue, the Confucian school of idealist philosophy of the Song and Ming dynasties. This tradition was inherited by the Qing Dynasty.
Before 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, many people followed Buddhism. It is estimated that there were about 0.5 million Buddhist monks and nuns and 50,000 Buddhist temples in 1949. After 1949, Chinese government began to have the famous temples all over the country restored and refurnished. Among these were the Daci'en temple in Xi'an where Xuan Zang, a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty, had once translated Buddhist works and the Xingjiao Temple in the same city where Xuan Zang was buried, the Guangji Temple in Beijing, the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, the Baima Temple in Luoyang, to name but a few.
Buddhism today has grown quite popular as well as gaining support from the government. It is the largest organized faith in the country. Estimates of the number of Buddhists in China range around 1 billion thus making China the country with the most Buddhist adherents in the world, followed by Japan. It should be noted that many Chinese identify themselves as Taoist and Buddhist at the same time.
You buy your China tours from our company, we donate to children's villages in your name.
