Dissemination of Buddhism in East Asia********During the third century B.C., Emperor Ashoka sent missionaries to the northwest of India that is, present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The mission achieved great success, as the region soon became a centre of Buddhist learning with many distinguished monks and scholars. When the merchants of Central Asia came into this region for trade, they learnt about Buddhism and accepted it as their religion. With the support of these merchants, many cave monasteries were established along the trade routes across Central Asia. By the second century B.C., some Central Asian cities like Khotan, had already become important centers for Buddhism. The Chinese people had their first contact with Buddhism through the Central Asians who were already Buddhists.

Buddhism in ChinaWho brought Buddhism here?Merchants and travelers using the Silk Road: When the Han Dynasty of China extended its power to Central Asia (specifically, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in the first century B.C., trade and cultural ties between China and Central Asia also increased. In this way, the Chinese people learnt about Buddhism so that by the middle of the first century C.E., a community of Chinese Buddhists was already in existence.

How?Chinese scholars are in conflict whether Buddhism reach China through land or water. However, plausible theory is that Buddhism started from the Greater Yuezhi of northwest India (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) and took the land roads to reach Han China. After entering into China, Buddhism blended with early Daoism and Chinese traditional esoteric arts and its iconography received blind worship.A legend! One account of Buddhism's entry into China describes Han Emperor Ming's dream during the first century CE. It is said that Buddha appeared to the emperor in a dream and that the very next day he ordered some his officials to travel west in an attempt to find what had caused his vision. The officials west traveled along the Silk Road and eventually came upon two Buddhist monks with two white horses. The monks carried with them a picture of Buddha and their horses were loaded with holy Buddhist scriptures. The Chinese officials invited the monks to return with them to China's capital, Chang'an, to introduce Buddhism to the emperor.

What are the stories?

Translations of Buddhist textsAs interest in Buddhism grew, there was a great demand for Buddhist texts to be translated from Indian languages into Chinese. This led to the arrival of translators from Central Asia and India.

The first notable one was Anshigao from Central Asia who came to China in the middle of the second century. With a growing collection of Chinese translations of Buddhist texts, Buddhism became more widely known and a Chinese monastic order was also formed. The first known Chinese monk was said to be Anshigao's disciple.

Taoist ideas were used to explain Buddhism to make the new philosophy easier for lay people to understand. During the 3rd century, the Han dynasty fell. However, Buddhist texts were still translated.

Chinese Monk Dao-an (4th century)He continued translating and collecting Buddhists scriptures. Though he had to move from place to place because of political strife, he not only wrote and lectured extensively, but also collected copies of the translated scriptures and prepared the first catalogue of them. He invited the famous translator, Kumarajiva, from Kucha.

5th century saw Southern and Northern China with different rulers.

Southern ChinaThe Buddhists in southern China continued to translate Buddhist texts and to lecture and write commentaries on the major texts. Their rulers were devoted Buddhists who saw to the construction of numerous temples, participated in Buddhist ceremonies and organised public talks on Buddhism. One of the rulers expanded on the earlier catalogue of Buddhist texts.

Northern ChinaIn northern China, except for two short periods of persecution, Buddhism flourished under the royal patronage of rulers who favored it. By the latter half of the sixth century, monks were employed in government posts. Buddhist arts also flourished, especially in the caves at Dun-huang, Yun-gang and Long-men.In the thousand caves at Dun-huang, Buddhist paintings covered the walls and there were thousands of Buddha statues in these caves. At Yungang and Long-men, many Buddha images of varying sizes were carved out of the rocks. All these activities were a sign of the firm establishment of Buddhism in China by the end of this period.

Results

Buddhist influence on Chinese Art, Literature, Sculpture, Architecture and Philosophy of that time.Buddhists schools were established not only to teach Buddhism but also as way of studying the numerous translated Buddhists text from India. The two most prominent schools were the Chan and the Pure Land schools. And though Buddhism was repressed in many occasions, China was still able to preserve its teachings for hundreds of years more.Introduction of Chan Buddhism by Bodhidharma and Pure Land Buddhism by Amitabha Buddha. Buddhists Scholars travelling to India to study. Famous Chinese monk to travel was Xuan-Zang who, after his study in India, brought back many Buddhists text that he himself translated.

Buddhism in KoreaWho brought Buddhism here?Buddhism was originally introduced to Korea from former Qin in 372, or about 800 years after the death of the historical BuddhaWe must understand that ancient korea was divided into 3 kingdoms: Goguryeo(North),Baekje(South), Silla (Southeast)

Goguryeo In 372, the monk Sundo (Shundao in Chinese) was sent by Fu Jin of former Qin to the court of the King Sosurim of Goguryeo. He brought texts and statues (possibly of Maitreya Bodhisattva who was popular in Central Asian Buddhism), and the Goguryeo royalty and their subjects quickly accepted his teachings.

Baekje In 384, the Indian monk Marananta arrived in Baekje and the royal family received the similar strain of Buddhism he brought. King Asin proclaimed, "people should believe in Buddhism and seek happiness." Silla A King named Chinhung encouraged for the growth of Buddhism. A monk, Jajang, is credited with having been a major force in the adoption of Buddhism as a national religion. Jajang is also known for his participation in the founding of the Korean sangha, a type of monastic community. Another great scholar to emerge from the Silla Period was Won-hyo. He renounced his religious life to better serve the people and even married a princess for a short time and had a son.

How?During the sixth and seventh centuries, many Korean monks went to China to study and brought back with them the teachings of the various Chinese schools of Buddhism.

Royal patronage of Buddhism helped in grow and spread in the three kingdoms of ancient Korea.

What are the stories?

We should note that before Buddhism was introduced, Koreans were practicing Animismor the worship anything in nature. However, as Buddhism can be very adaptable, the ancient Koreans did not have a hard time accepting it as their new faith.As similar to China, Buddhism also experienced set-backs during the times of the Joseon dynasty where in neo-Confucianism penetrated the kingdom.

Under the new rule of the Yi Seonggye of Joseon Dynasty (14th-20th century) Buddhism lost the support of the court when Confucianism became the sole official religion of the state. Buddhism was suppressed. Buddhist monks were forbidden to enter the capital, their lands were confiscated, monasteries closed and Buddhist ceremonies abolished. Despite all the troubles of this difficult period, there were occasionally some great monks who continued to inspire their followers and kept Buddhism alive.

With the collapse of the Yi Dynasty, Korea came under Japanese control. The Japanese who came to Korea introduced their own forms of Buddhism, which included the tradition of the married clergy. As a result, some monks in Korea broke away from their tradition of celibacy.The Japanese Jdo Shinsh and Nichiren schools began sending missionaries to Korea. The formation of new Buddhist sects, such as Won Buddhism happened.

Results

Buddhism flourished under their royal patronage. Great works of art were created and magnificent monasteries built. Buddhism exerted great influence on the life of the Korean people.

The whole of the Tripitaka in Chinese translation was also carved on to wooden printing blocks. Thousands of these blocks were made in the thirteenth century and have been carefully preserved to the present day as part of Korea's national treasures.

Similar to other countries, Buddhism help legitimize or maintain the rule of the royal Buddhist patrons.

Buddhism in JapanWho brought Buddhism here?Korean delegates brought Buddhists relics to Japan as Ordered by king Seong of Baekje.Five monks from Kipin, somewhere in Kabul region of Gandhara (northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) travelled by ship to Fusang. They propagated Buddhist doctrine.

How?In the 6th century, the king Seong of Baeje, anxious to establish peaceful relations with Japan, sent gifts of images of the Buddha and copies of Buddhist texts to the Japanese imperial court.

According to the Chinese historical treatise Liang Shu, which was written in 635, five monks from Gandhara traveled to Japan in 467. At the time, they referred to Japan as the country of Fusang (Chinese: Fus: "The country of the extreme East" beyond the sea), and they introduced Buddhism to the residents of the island nation.

They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result the customs of Japan changed

What are the stories?

From King Seong of Baekje (ancient south Korea)The official story of the arrival of Buddhism to Japan states that a political delegation arrived from Korea in 538 C.E. Among the gifts it brought for the Emperor were a bronze Buddha image, some sutras, a few religious objects and a letter warmly praising the most excellent Dharma.

After initial opposition, the gifts were accepted, and a temple was built to house the objects. However, an epidemic which ravaged the land was interpreted as bringing the wrath of the indigenous kami (Japanese Shinto deities) down on the nation. This led to the objects being thrown into a canal and the temple being destroyed.

Prince Shitoku a devout BuddhistFrom the very beginning, the establishment of Buddhism depended on the protection and support of the Japanese rulers.

Among these, Prince Shotoku deserves special mention for his great contribution to the early growth and expansion of Buddhism in Japan during the early part of the seventh century.

Tradition says that Prince Shotoku wrote the first "constitution" of Japan, which promoted moral and social values as taught in Buddhism. His devotion and royal patronage of Buddhism helped to make it widely known.

The Nara Period (8th Century)Buddhism continued to spread as more new temples were built in all the provinces (ex. Todaiji Temple at Nara). Buddhist scriptures were copied and distributed throughout the country. Also Chinese monks started to arrive and many Chinese schools of Buddhism were introduced to Japan.

The Japanese monks became involved in administrative roles. Some of them served as scribes and clerks in the court, while others helped in the carrying out of public works.

A few were assigned to explore and draw maps of distant parts of the country. Though the monastic order grew in size, it remained firmly under the control of the court as the ordination of monks was only permitted at a few centers approved by the court.

The Heian Period (began at the end of 8th century)During this period, two Japanese monks named Saicho and Kukai brought two schools of Buddhism to Japan from China.

Saicho had a temple on Mount Hiei, which was near the new capital. Soon the ruler began to patronize the temple and also sent Saicho to study in China. On his return to Japan, Saicho introduced the Tian-tai school of Buddhism from China.

At about the same time the other monk, Kukai returned from China and introduced Vajrayana Buddhism to Japan. This school of Buddhism became very popular with the Japanese court and its influence was even greater than that of the Tian-tai school of Buddhism. Kukai himself was a learned monk and wrote a great deal on the teachings of this school.

The Kamakura Period (at the end of 12th century)Political power shifted to a group of warriors (Samurai) who had their headquarters at Kamakura. During this period, a number of distinctly Japanese Buddhist sects arose. They became popular because of their simplicity and directness of approach. Among these sects were the Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren and Zen.

Results

During the Kamakura (11851333) and Muromachi (13361573) Buddhism had a great influence on Japanese society. Buddhist institutions were used by the shogunate to control the country.

Buddhism influenced Japanese culture from arts and design, to ways of dealing with nature and others, and even in their music and visual art.

Buddhist temples, schools, and shrines were built to further advance the its growth.

Like other countries, Buddhists holidays. In Japan, the Buddhist Obon festival is celebrated primarily in communities with large Japanese diasporic communities.

Sources:http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/east-asia.htmhttp://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/chinahistory.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhismhttp://www.monkeytree.org/silkroad/mindbody/buddhism.htmlhttp://buddhism.about.com/od/throughasiaandbeyond/a/chinahistory.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Buddhismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Japanhttp://viewonbuddhism.org/history_japanese_buddhism.html

Prepared and edited by:Dani Tindungan Jr.