1. 2017 Spread of Buddhism into East Asia

2. The Spread of Buddhism, 500s B. C - A. D
The Spread of Buddhism, 500s B.C - A.D. 600This map shows how Buddhism spread from India throughout Asia. Buddhism began in northeastern India, the birthplace of Buddha, and from there spread along trade routes. By the first century it had reached China. From there it traveled to Korea and on to Japan around A.D Buddhism also took hold in Tibet during the 600s.

3. First impression of Buddhism
When Buddhism first reached China, many Chinese saw it as a foreign religion.
They could not understand the vague concept of nirvana.
Also, they criticized people who abandoned their families to become monks and nuns.

4. The Appeal of Buddhism
The Chinese found a great deal of comfort in Buddhism.
The three Chinese schools of thought-Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism- dealt with life on Earth.
Buddhism was a religion that offered an escape from the suffering of earthly life.
Buddhism promised salvation for the good, those who lived moral lives, and punishment for the wicked.
It stressed mercy and compassion.

5. Buddhist monks and nuns built hospitals and helped the poor.

6. In time, Buddhism blended with Chinese beliefs and values
In time, Buddhism blended with Chinese beliefs and values. Nirvana became the western Heaven, reflecting Chinese ideas about the afterlife.
Chinese Buddhists emphasized Confucian ideas of proper behavior and respect for family and ancestors.
They also absorbed Daoist views of nature because the Chinese could accept diverse ideas.
As a result, many Chinese followed Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian beliefs at the same time.
Confucianism and Daoism were concerned with ethics and living in harmony with nature, including the gods and spirits that were believed to be everywhere.
Although temples and ceremonies developed around both schools of thought, neither Confucianism nor Daoism were a true religion like Buddhism was.

7. From Korea to Japan
A Chinese monk in the 4th c. introduced Buddhism to Korea
During the sixth and seventh centuries, Korean monks went to China to study and brought back with them the teachings of the various Chinese schools of Buddhism – it flourished under royal patronage.
In the sixth century, the Koreans sent gifts of images of the Buddha and copies of Buddhist texts to the Japanese imperial court.
The Japanese people soon accommodated Buddhism along with their indigenous Shinto beliefs.
As a religion of universal appeal, Buddhism helped to foster harmony within the country.