st Century AD, Buddhism first appeared in China Monks travelled along overland trade routes from NW India to Central Asia Perhaps seen as a form of Daoism Similarity between Mahayana concept of fundamental emptiness and Daoist idea of non-being The Gateless Gate 8: Getsuan said to his students, "Keichu, the first wheel-maker in China, made two wheels having fifty spokes each. Suppose you took a wheel and removed the nave uniting the spokes. What would become of the wheel? If Keichu had done so, could he be called the master wheel-maker?" Arrives as part of a mix of ideas and practices Elite Patronage The first monastery was set up near the Han (Later) capital at Luoyang Han emporers wished to appear as patrons to all spiritual paths Buddhist monks became teachers at the imperial court, although without the same status as Confucian scholars
Popular Adoption As the Han dynasty faltered and life became more difficult, many ordinary people began to embrace Buddhism At the same time Buddhism was becoming the common religion of non-Chinese people living in central Asia Oppression Resentful Confucian and Daoist scholars denounced aspects of Buddhism as immoral or un-Chinese Violations of the body: shaving the head & cremation of the dead Failure to continue ancestral lines by choosing celibacy and renouncing old name Refusal to pay homage to rulers Insistence that monastery lands were not subject to tax Use of magic in proselytisation In 446-452 and 574-579 N. rulers ordered monasteries closed and monks to return to normal life Further persecutions occurred in 845 under Emperor Wuzong Han Yu: Buddha was a man of the barbarians who did not speak the language of China and wore clothes of a different fashion. His sayings did not concern the ways of our ancient kings, nor did his manner of dress conform to their laws. He understood neither the duties that bind sovereign and subject, nor the affections of father and son. Impacts Sculpture and Art Buddhism made extensive use of figural sculpture and imagery in proselytisation, decoration, and ritual Most extensive suriving early site are cave temples Dunhuang site constructed by non-Chinese monks c. 400 in a style similar to that found at Central Asian oases Yungang site commissioned by Wei court in 460 Most scenes/sculptures display events of Sakyamunis life Buddhas are shown in meditate state with masklike faces Accompanying bodhisatvas wear amulets and earings and have more varied poses Influence from collossal statues at Bamiyan Elongated ear lobes and cranial bumps derive from Indian models In the 6 th Century, slender and more curved style similar to Chinese painting develops Impacts - Architecture In India stupas house Buddhist relics or texts and as a focal point for devotions Adopted in China as part of temple and monastic complexes as pagodas Mix of Indian and Chinese elements Early example of square, wooden White Horse Pagoda at Dunhuang Later development of octagonal, stone or brick structures Impact - Texts The first translations of Sanskrit Buddhist texts were made by foreigners in the mid-2 nd century Translations by Kumarajiva in 5 th Century became standard versions of many texts There were also Chinese monks who journeyed to India in search of texts e.g. Xuanzang and Tripitaka Earliest examples of woodblock printing dating to 9 th Century found by Marc Auriel Stein in 1907 Development of koan literary form in Chan Buddhism
David Woodward, J. B. Harley - The History of Cartography, Volume 2, Book 2 - Cartography in The Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies-University of Chicago Press (1995)