Transcript Buddhism Comes to China Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D. REL 232

Buddhism Comes to China
Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.
REL 232
Religions of China and Japan
Berea College
Fall 2004
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WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT
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“Buddha” (awakened one) =
Shakyamuni Gautama
Siddartha, Hindu reformer in
north India, c. 500s-400s BCE
Inherited an ancient Hindu
worldview:
Cyclical existence of endless
rebirth (samsara)
Conditioning of rebirth by moral
results of one’s actions (karma)
Presumption of eternal self
(atman) underlying transitory
physical forms
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Buddha’s central insights =
the “Four Noble Truths”:
Life is suffering (duhkha)
Self-centered attachment based
on permanent selfhood (atman) is
the root of suffering
Suffering can be ended (nirvāna)
There is a path by which to end
suffering
Each “Truth” asks us to
respond to reality as it truly is:
Understand suffering
Let go of its origins
Realize its cessation
Cultivate the path toward its
cessation
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THE SELF THAT IS
NO SELF
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An atman (“self”) has a body,
emotions, ideas, biases, and
consciousness.
Actually, there is no “self”
(anatman) – only an
assemblage of components.
In rebirth, conditioned by
karma these components are
removed and rearranged,
creating a different self (yet not
disconnected from “this” self
now).
Just as one both is and is
not“oneself” from life to life, so
one neither is nor is not
“oneself” from life to life.
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CONSEQUENCES OF
NIRVĀNA
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The true self is interdependent
and impermanent
There is no basis for ego
Realizing the truth of
anātman (no permanent self)
entails:
Awakening to suffering
Compassion in suffering
Liberation from suffering
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One who seeks to realize this
truth takes the “Three
Refuges”:
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The Buddha (the teacher)
The Dharma (the teaching)
The Sangha (the taught)
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SECTARIAN DIVISIONS IN THE
SANGHA
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By 100s BCE, Buddhism
has gained powerful
political support in India
Official endorsement
facilitates the luxury of
doctrinal debate and
speculation, as well as
canon formation
Three distinct sectarian
traditions emerge shortly
before introduction of
Buddhism to China
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THERAVADA (“Way of Elders”)
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Sole survivor among earliest
Buddhist sects
Views itself as custodian of
authentic tradition
Regards Shakyamuni as
unique historical Buddha,
fully human, now vanished
Emphasizes individual
rational effort
Goal: arhant (being that
attains enlightenment after
much striving over many
lifetimes)
Maintains strong monasticlay distinction
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Not found in China today
MAHAYANA (“Great Vehicle”)
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Sees Theravada as Hinayana
(“Lesser Vehicle”) and itself
as inheritor of complete
tradition
Regards Shakyamuni as one
of infinite number of
Buddhas
Focuses on mysticism and
compassionate action
Goal: bodhisattva (being that
voluntarily defers liberation
from samsara in order to
help other beings attain
liberation)
More open to laity, women
Dominant in China
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VAJRAYANA
(“Thunderbolt Vehicle”)
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Arises from Mahayana
interaction with Hindu tantra
(esoteric ritualism) and
bhakti (devotional
polytheism)
Views itself as guardian of
esoteric tradition
Emphasizes unity of wisdom
and compassion through
visualization, ritualization,
and philosophical rigor
Goal: bodhisattva
Reasserts strong monasticlay distinction
Present in Tibetan and
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Mongolian communities
BUDDHISM AND THE
DECLINE OF THE HAN
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“Silk Road” merchants and
missionaries from India and
Central Asia transmit
Buddhism to China by 65 CE
As Han 漢 dynasty (202
BCE-220 CE) declines and
period of disunity (220-589
CE) ensues, Chinese elites
turn away from Confucianism
to Taoism and Buddhism,
often combining the two
By Tang 唐 dynasty (618-907
CE), Buddhism reaches zenith
of its popularity in China
From China, Buddhism
spreads to rest of East Asia
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CHALLENGES TO
BUDDHISM IN CHINA
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Geographic: difficulty of IndiaChina travel
Linguistic: translation of
foreign texts and concepts
Political: conflicts between
rulers and sangha; separation
between north and south
Religious: competition with
and/or dilution by
Confucianism and Taoism
Social: Chinese distaste for
foreign ways
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