Buddhism in China

Buddhism in China

        The salvation religion of Buddhism was founded in India in the sixth century B.C.E. Siddartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism; he was born in 563 B.C.E. and came from a kshatriya family but gave up his position and inheritance to seek salvation after being exposed to misery outside of his comfortable lifestyle. The story of Gautama’s journey conveys the Buddhist concern with suffering (Bently 179). Gautama became the Buddha or “enlightened one” after 49 days of meditation under a bo tree. He received enlightenment once he understood both the problem of suffering and the means by which humans could eliminate it from the world. Guatama gave his sermon “Turning of the Wheel of the Law” at the Buddhist holy city of Banaras (modern Varanasi) (Bently 179). This speech represented the beginning of the Buddha’s quest to promulgate the law of righteousness.

        Disciples of Buddha first came from all parts of the Ganges Valley who then became a community of monks who traveled on foot, preaching the Buddha’s doctrine and seeking handouts for their meals (Bently 180). They sought spiritual perfection and to surpass suffering. Buddha led his disciples through northern India for forty years. Buddha died about 483 B.C.E. around age eighty after leaving his companions with a final message: “Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!” (Bently 180).

        The core of Buddha’s doctrine, known as the Four Noble Truths, teaches that all life involves suffering; that desire is the cause of suffering; that elimination of desire brings an end to

suffering; and to live a disciplined life conducted in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path calls for individuals to lead balanced and moderate lives, rejecting both the devotion to luxury often found in human society and the regimes of extreme asceticism favored by hermits and Janis; it demanded right belief, right resolve, right speech, right behavior, right occupation, right effort, right contemplation, and right meditation (Bently 180). Early Buddhism is known as Theravada Buddhism due to this strict law of acceptance. Buddhist lifestyle consisted of a moderate life characterized by quiet contemplation, thoughtful reflection, and disciplined self-control. The goal of Buddhists is to eventually reach nirvana, a state of perfect spiritual independence, and escape from the cycle of incarnation and attachment. Together, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path constitute the Buddhist dharma, the basic doctrine shared by Buddhists of all areas.

        Early Buddhism, like Janis, sought to escape the cycle in incarnation without depending on the Brahmins and they did not recognize social distinctions based on caste or jati. This appealed strongly to members of lower castes. Also, early Buddhist monks and preachers avoided the use of Sanskrit, the literary language of the Vedas that the Brahmins employed in their rituals, in favor of vernacular tongues that reached a much longer popular audience (Bently 180).

        During the centuries following the Buddha’s death, Buddhist monasteries wielded enormous social, economic, and cultural influence in India; they served as banks and helped