1

• “Silk Road” merchants and missionaries transmit
Buddhism to China by 65 CE
•
As Han 漢 dynasty (202
BCE-220 CE) declines,
Chinese elites turn away from
Confucianism to Daoism and
Buddhism, often combining elements of each in syncretistic mix
•
By Tang 唐 dynasty (618-907
CE), Buddhism reaches zenith of its popularity in China
•
From China, Buddhism spreads to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan 2

3

•
Geographic : difficulty of India-
China travel
•
Linguistic : translation of foreign texts and concepts
•
Political : conflicts between rulers and sangha ; separation between north and south during
“Period of Disunity”
•
Religious : competition with and/or dilution by
Confucianism and Daoism
•
Social : traditional Chinese distaste for foreign ways (e.g., celibacy, monasticism, Sanskrit terminology, karma theory)
4

•
Buddhists in Tang China develop theory of “Last Days of the Dharma ” (Chinese mofa , Japanese mappo 末法 )
– view of present as degenerate era in which former methods of teaching do not suffice for enlightenment
• “Desperate times call for desperate measures” – tendency to focus solely on one text or practice
•
Chan
禪
= Sanskrit dhyana
(“meditation” – Japanese:
Zen )
•
Chan goal: Chinese jianxing ,
Japanese kensho
見性
(seeing one’s true nature) – sudden enlightenment
•
Based on Theravāda concept of individual effort (Chinese zili , Japanese jiriki
自力
) and
Tantric meditation techniques
•
Enlightenment verified by
“mind-to-mind” transmission from master to disciple, beginning with Bodhidharma
(Indian, 400s CE?) 5

•
Buddhism (Tantric, Chan,
Pure Land) introduced during
500s CE by Korean immigrants, missionaries, and diplomats
•
Functions of Buddhism in early Japan:
1.
Instrument of diplomacy
2.
Vehicle of civilization
3.
Symbol of political power
• Shintô-Buddhist syncretism:
1.
theory of honji suijaku 本地
重跡 (original reality, manifest traces)
2.
Buddhas and bodhisattvas are honji , kami are suijaku 6

7

•
Degeneration of dharma justifies rejection of devotion and scriptures in favor of meditation as sole or primary method of attaining enlightenment
•
Reality must be seen as it is
(nondualistic, spontaneous,
“empty”)
•
Two major sects:
1.
Chinese Linji , Japanese Rinzai
臨濟 – uses riddles (Chinese gong’an
, Japanese koan 公案 ), verbal abuse and meditation
2.
Chinese Caotong , Japanese Soto
曹狪 -- uses meditation only
8

•
Cements syncretism of indigenous and imported elements (Buddhism/Daoism,
Buddhism/Shintô) in East
Asian Buddhism
•
Hugely influential on East
Asian cultures:
1.
Calligraphy
2.
Cuisine (e.g., tea)
3.
Drama (especially in Japan)
4.
Martial arts (e.g., fencing)
5.
Painting
6.
Philosophy
7.
Poetry
8.
Ritual (e.g., tea ceremony)
9

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