Buddhism's history spans over 2,500 years, originating from theIndian subcontinent in the 5th century BCE and spreading toEast Asia by the 2nd century CE. Teachings of theBuddha were introduced over time, as a response tobrahmanical teachings.[1] Buddhism relies on the continual analysis of the self, rather than being defined by a ritualistic system, or singular set of beliefs.[2] The intersections of Buddhism with otherEastern religions, such asTaoism,Shinto,Hinduism, andBon illustrate the interconnected ideologies that interplay along the path ofenlightenment. Buddhism and eastern religions tend to share the world-view that all sentient beings are subject to a cycle of rebirth that has no clear end.[1]
The ideologies and traditions ofTaoism have adapted over time in response toBuddhist practices.[3] Taoist philosophy stems from a mixture of early mythology and folk religious practices. TheTao ideology dates back to the seventh century BC,[4] existing long before the Taoists formed into an organized religious collective. Both Taoism andBuddhism have historically aspired to hold domineering influence over theIndian subcontinent. While Buddhism provides an elaboratecosmology and a detailed theory about the afterlife, Taoism meets other needs.
The principle focus of Taoism is the path of Tao, an all encompassing, formless power, that brings all things together in an eternal cycle. The Tao provides followers a path to reach understanding of one's individual place within the world. The relationship between Taoism and Buddhism is complexly intertwined. The arrival of Buddhism forced Taoism to restructure into a more organized religion, in response to the existential questions that Buddhism raised. Competition between Buddhism and Taoism is said to have inspired beneficial advancements in the field ofChinese medicine.[3]
Early Buddhism was originally not clearly defined by Taoism; some scriptures were mistranslated in Chinese using incorrect Taoist vocabulary, which caused discrepancies between various accounts.[3] There is an ideological crossover found between Buddhist and Taoist systems of influence.Chan Buddhism in particular holds many beliefs in common with the philosophy of Taoism.
Daoist (Taoist) simplicity stimulated Chan's abandonment of Buddhist theory and was accompanied by another traditional Daoist feature—the emphasis on total absorption in practice of a highly cultivated skill.[5]
The coexistence of Chinese Buddhism and Taoism has also resulted in various Buddhist deities being adopted into the Taoist pantheon, and vice versa. For example, in Taoism, the Chinese Buddhist deva and BodhisattvaMarici is often syncretized with the Taoist goddessDoumu, who is regarded as the personification of theBig Dipper as well as the feminine aspect of the cosmicGod of Heaven.[6] In another example, the Taoist god of war and fraternity, Guan Yu, has been adopted by Buddhism and he is widely venerated as SangharamaBodhisattva (伽蓝菩萨; 伽藍菩薩;Qiélán Púsà), a Bodhisattva or deva who serves as adharmapala of Buddhist monasteries. According to Buddhist legends, in 592, the spirit of Guan Yu manifested himself one night before theTiantai Patriarch and founderZhiyi and requested the master to teach him about the dharma. After receiving Buddhist teachings from the master, Guan Yu took refuge in the triple gems and also requested theFive Precepts, making a vow to become a guardian of temples and the dharma. The syncretism betweenChinese Esoteric Buddhism andTaoism was particularly extensive.[7] For instance, the nine-fold configuration of theMandala of the Two Realms inZhenyan andShingon Buddhism was influenced and adopted from the TaoistLo Shu Square and theI Ching.[8]
Confucianism in particular raised fierce opposition to Buddhism in early history, principally because it perceived Buddhism to be anihilisticworldview, with a negative impact on society at large. "TheNeo-Confucianistshad therefore to attack Buddhist cosmological views by affirming, in thefirst place, the reality and concreteness of the universe and of man."[9]
Some Neo-Confucianist philosophers specifically attacked Buddhism from four different main view-points. These four viewpoints include: historical/textual formulations, cosmology, metaphysics, and ethics. The philosophers known for these critiques were Ch'eng Hao, Ch'eng I, and Chu Hsi.[10] These, of course, were not the only Neo-Confucianists philosophers to speak out against Buddhism, but they are surely a part of the possibility of why Neo-Confucianism succeeded in over-powering a very strong Buddhist system from the Chinese.
The confrontation of Buddhist ideologies was already happening for a while. So what questions did Neo-Confucianists raise that made Buddhists not able to formally answer and attack back?[11] This was a huge shift of Buddhism being the leading ideology especially in East Asia to possibly losing that title.
During the Sung Dynasty rule an economic and territorial shift happened where they had lost the North of China to the Chin. As a result, the Sungs in the South were dedicated to developing a booming economy. Because of that, a commercial and social revolution took place, directly affecting both Buddhism and Confucianism. The difference between the two was how each of them handled it. While the Sung Buddhist monks had seemingly forgotten the social applications early Buddhist Chinese monks had practiced, they had lived farther and farther away in isolation within their respected temples. In response to that, Confucianism was growing in ideology almost as a filler to fill the void that Sung Buddhists had left.
Chu Hsi is known to be the “great synthesizer”[12] of early Neo-Confucianism. He used an organized and developed process in order to attack Buddhism. Which proved to be successful. Chu Hsi was actually in a more privileged position than his forerunners as the Cheng brothers had already laid down the foundation of the Ch’eng Chu school.
Before Prince Shotoku made Buddhism the national religion of Japan, many opposed the integration of Buddhism into Japan. Once this forced integration occurred, Japan synchronized Buddhism with its native religion Shinto, resulting in a unique sect of Buddhism existing only on the East Asian Island.[13]
In theJapanese religion ofShinto, the long coexistence of Buddhism and Shinto resulted in the merging of Shinto and Buddhism. Gods in Shinto were given a position similar to that of Hindu gods in Buddhism. Moreover, because the BuddhaVairochana's symbol was the sun, many equatedAmaterasu, the sun goddess, as his previousbodhisattva reincarnation. According to Helen Hardacre, by the Heian period, a theory namedwakō dōjin (和光同塵) had emerged. The Buddha and Kami had taken on a new form as saviors of man, who "dim their light and mingle with the dust of the world". This not only relates the two religions, but demonstrates a marked difference in status between the two deities at this period in time.[14] The laterTokugawa Shogunate era saw a revival of Shinto, and some Shinto scholars began to argue that Buddhas were previous incarnations of Shinto gods, reversing the traditional positions of the two religions. Shinto and Buddhism were officially separated during theMeiji Restoration and the brief, but socially transformative rise ofState Shinto followed. In post-war modern Japan, most families count themselves as being of both religions, despite the idea of "official separation".
As time went on, the Japanese became more and more accustomed to including both the kami and Buddhist ideas in their spiritual lives. Philosophers put forward the idea that the kami were "transformations of the Buddha manifested in Japan to save all sentient beings".[15]
In addition, Buddhism played an important part in the religious legitimation of Japanese emperors via Shinto.
It is noteworthy that the Sui were the first Chinese dynasty with which the newly emergent centralising Japanese state came into contact, so the practice of using Buddhism as an officially sanctioned religion would have been demonstrated to the Japanese as a political reality.[16]
The interplay between Taoism, Buddhism, and Shinto in China and Japan stimulated the adoption of the Chinese practice of state-sanctioned religion and religious legitimation through association with divinity by the Japanese government. The official implementation of the termtennō (天皇) to refer to the Japanese emperor is also widely agreed to take place during the latter part of the 7th century, as a result of these interactions.
When Buddhism was introduced in Korea, its temples were built on or near the shaman mountain-spirit shrines. Still today, one can see buildings at these Buddhist temple sites dedicated to the shaman mountain-spirits Sansin (Korean: 산신). Most Buddhist temples in Korea have a Sansin-gak (Korean: 산신각), the choice of preference over other shrines, typically a small shrine room set behind and to the side of the other buildings. It is also common for the sansingak to be at a higher elevation than the other shrine rooms, just as the mountain itself towers above the temple complex. The sansin-gak maybe a traditional wooden structure with a tile roof, or in more modern and less wealth temples, a more simple and utilitarian room. Inside will be a waist height shrine with either a statue and mural painting, or just a mural painting. Offerings of candles, incense, water and fruit are commonly supplemented with alcoholic drinks, particularly Korea’s rustic rice wine makgeolli. This further serves to illustrate the non-Buddhist nature of this deity, even when he resides inside a temple. And yet, on the floor of this small shine room, one will frequently see a monk’s cushion and moktak: evidence of the regular Buddhist ceremonies held there. Sansin may not be enshrined in a separate shrine, but in a Samseonggak or in the Buddha hall, to one side of the main shrine. Sansin shrines can also be found independent of Buddhist temples.[17]
Having both originated from the same place, Hinduism and Buddhism have shared India and influenced each other over centuries.
Both Hinduism and Buddhism originate from India but they hold separate beliefs. As Knott states, Hindus describe the origin of their religion assanatana dharma claiming that it goes past human origin and can now be found in scriptures of the Vedas.[18] The Vedas, mentioned then introduce the concept of a caste system in order to reach enlightenment or moksha. The Brahmin class, which is the highest class, is the only class in Hinduism that can reach enlightenment, so through good karma and multiple lives through reincarnation, someone from a lower class can become a Brahmin and thus reach moksha/enlightenment. The caste system today still remains in place to help establish the Brahmin status and maintain a societal hierarchy which categorizes people.[19] Despite both being from India, the religions' beliefs about reaching enlightenment and the caste system differ. Buddhism originated with the Buddha in India, who then spread his teachings.[20] In regards to the caste system only Hinduism heavily relies on it. Buddhism, on the other hand, strays away from the caste system in their belief that anyone, not just Brahmins, can reach enlightenment no matter their ranking in the caste system. This differs from Hinduism, and today influences the relevance of the caste system in some societies as both Buddhism and Hinduism coexist in India.[21] As a result, Buddhism has spread past India and is mainly in Eastern Asia, while Hinduism still remains majorly in India.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
.svg)