Buddhism and its Travels

Siddhartha Gautama Born a Hindu in Nepal, ~560 BCE Wonders why there’s suffering Seeks enlightenment and finds it! “Work out your salvation with diligence.” Hindu caste system unappealing to Buddha – why should there be those that suffer? All can seek out enlightenment!

Four Noble Truths All life involves suffering Desire is the cause of suffering Elimination of desire ends suffering Disciplined life, following 8-fold path brings the elimination of desire

The Eight-fold Path Right Belief Right Purpose Right Speech Right Behavior Right Occupation Right Effort Right Contemplation Right Meditation Essentially: lead balanced and moderate lives (contemplation and self-control), reject devotion to luxury and extreme asceticism. Attempt to escape the cycle of incarnation without the help of Brahmins

Appeal of Buddhism Did not recognize caste State support & patronage Appealed to lower castes State support & patronage Travelled with merchants Monks spoke and wrote in the language of the people, not the scholarly language of Sanskrit Stupas and other pilgrimage sites Monasteries as city centers Monasteries were centers of education, banking, and land organization in their communities (social and economic power) Emphasize the Social, Economic, Political, Cultural, and Environmental/Geographic effects

Silk Road as Religious Conduit Monks travelled, as did Buddhist merchants Buddhism is the dominant faith of the Silk Roads 200 BCE-1000 CE Social & cultural appeal Seeing the Buddha as a divine being who walked among humans was appealing for Greeks given their religion In a time of strife (disease, political collapse, nomadic invasions) in China, Confucian philosophy did not make sense of the suffering the people endured the way that Buddhism did.

Spread of Religions 200 BCE – 400 CE As Buddhism spread, it both caused conflict and cultural blending

Conflict Buddhist Temples required land, and land required farmers to work it China had a very strict social hierarchy The dominant Confucian belief system in China required obedience to the state above all Ask students why these facts might produce conflict, and what SPICE categories of conflict Competition for land with other landowners, competition for workers Buddhism preached equality and community

To the Sources! Read the Chinese primary sources on the handout to find evidence of conflict between the traditional Chinese and the Buddhists. What kinds of conflict do you detect (use the SPICE categories)?

Cultural Blending Buddhists from India drank tea and wore cotton cloth Buddhists built temples wherever they went Buddhist texts had to be translated to Chinese Chinese society was very patriarchal Define patriarchal In China, Indian Buddhist phrases like “husband supports wife” were changed to “husband controls his wife” and “the wife comforts the husband” became “the wife reveres the husband.”

Theraveda vs. Mahayana Buddha as man Required strict sacrifice of personal property and social standing Detachment from charms of family and world desires expected Monastic life required for men and women Stays in India and Southeast Asia Buddha as divine Gifts from the wealthy to Buddhist monasteries granted salvation More accepting of traditional family structures and lifestyles Spreads to central and East Asia Narrower v. Greater Vehicle

Images of Ascetic Buddha “asceticism” = extreme self-denial in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment. One tradition holds that Gautama learned to exist on a diet of a single grain of rice per day, and that he could push his belly button in and touch his own spine.

Happy (often Fat) Buddha More ethnic Chinese look to the Buddha. Mahayana

Buddha with Western Influence Note greek facial features and hair, as well as drapery style

Great Buddha Bodhgaya, India Great Buddha Kamakura, Japan Note the comparison

Japanese Buddhas Great Buddha of Kamakura Golden Buddha, Kumamoto

Thai Buddhas

Puning Temple, Chengde, China Buddhist Temple Puning Temple, Chengde, China

Buddhist Temple Borobudur, Java

Buddhist Monastery Mongolia

Buddhist Monastery Bhutan

Dunhuang Cave Monastery Near Taklamakan Desert

Art Inside the Caves

Effects of the Spread of Buddhism Social Political Interactions between Humans & Environment Cultural Economic 1:49 to 9:50 MOVIE Interactions between Humans & the Environment: missionaries and monks traveled along the Silk Roads to spread the religion, and settled in communities to form Buddhist schools, monasteries, and temples. Pilgrimmage sites, housing relics of the Buddha (his finger, for example) were also draws for migrants.