Although
Buddhism first entered China from India during the Later Han, in the
time of Han Ming Ti (AD 58-76), it did not become popular until the end
of the 3rd century. The prevailing disorders, aggravated by barbarian
invasions and the flight of northern Chinese to the south, heightened
the attraction of Buddhism with its promise of personal salvation,
despite its lack of affinity with the society-oriented thought of the
Chinese. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, a
prince of the Sakya kingdom on the borders of what are now India and
Nepal and a contemporary of Confucius. Intent on finding relief for
human suffering, he received a moment of enlightenment while meditating
under a Bo tree. The Buddha taught that desires are the source of pain
and that by overcoming desires, pain can be eliminated. To this end, he
advocated meditation and pursuing the Eightfold Path, similar to the Ten
Commandments of Judaism and Christianity. The objective was to reach
Nirvana, the condition of serenity of spirit, where all cravings, strife
and pain have been overcome, giving way to a merging of the spirit with
eternal harmony.
At an early stage of its development, Buddhism split into two major
trends, Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) and Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle).
Hinayana remained closer to the original Buddhism and is still the
religion of Southeast Asian countries. The Buddhism of China, Korea,
Japan, Nepal, Tibet and Vietnam, however, stems largely from Mahayana.
Mahayana Buddhism contained more popular elements, such as belief in
repetitive prayers, heaven and deities--bodhisattvas--who would help
people gain salvation. It also readily adapted to the land and people it
converted. In China, it split into several schools, including Chan (Zen
in Japan), Tian-tai (Tendai in Japan), and Pure Land.
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