Buddhism first arose in Nepal. Later, it spread to the Western Regions along with the Silk Road. In 68 A.D., Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty sent people to the west to welcome the Buddha, which is a sign of the introduction of Buddhism to the Central Plains, which is close to 2000 years from today.
Because of geographical conditions, cultural conditions, and national influence, the globalization of Buddhism was actually completed in China. The world's major Buddhist countries, such as Myanmar and Thailand, introduced their Buddhism from China. Even from Japan and South Korea in the east, and to Europe and the United States in the west, Buddhism was obtained from China.
Therefore, in a certain sense, China is considered to be the native of Buddhism, and this pattern also makes Buddhism have a huge impact on China itself. These impacts include the following.
Chief among them is the religious influence. In some eras in history, the imperial court promoted Buddhism and promoted Buddhism. For example, Wu Zetian, who believes in Buddhism, has done a lot of things related to Buddhism under her unlimited power, influencing a large number of people. Both the Yuan and Qing dynasties adopted Buddhism as their state religion and played a visible role in the promotion of Buddhism.
Taoism is the indigenous religion of China, but it arose after the introduction of Buddhism. Although Taoism and Buddhism are parallel and start from scratch at the source, since its emergence, it has produced a large number of fusions with Buddhism. Later, Buddhism in China was in fact compatible with Taoism and Buddhism, and there were a large number of Buddhist figures, the structure of the Buddhist universe, and the teachings of Buddhism.
From ancient times to the present, Chinese people have devout Buddhas, but the Buddha they believe in is not the original Buddhism produced in Nepal, but Buddhism mixed with Taoism and other contents. Of course, in addition to Taoism, the relevant content of Confucianism, which has played a major role in Chinese history, is also reflected in Buddhism, in which the content of persuading people to do good, the content of karma, etc., have realized the deep integration of China's local religion and Buddhism.
The influence on China's national character can be described in one word, and that is unforgettable. More than 2,000 years of long years, coupled with the consistency between Buddhism and the character of the Chinese themselves and the traditional Chinese philosophy of life, have made the ideas of Buddhism deeply rooted in everyone's bones. Whether they ostensibly preach belief in Buddhism or non-belief in Buddhism, there is a deep Buddhist thought in the character of the Chinese.
There are a lot of specific performances. For example, the idea of goodness. Even people who are full of evil actually have a certain amount of goodwill in their hearts, and this kindness is directly related to Buddhism. Outside of China, most ethnic groups seek immediate pleasures, while in China, our ancestors have been taught to come first with bitterness and then sweetness. This kind of national character did not exist with the emergence of Chinese civilization, and has a deep relationship with Buddhist spiritual thought.
Of course, the above are just examples, and the influence of Buddhism on Chinese is far more than that. It can be said that every Chinese has a certain Zen in their hearts, accepts certain Buddhist ideas in the depths of their minds, and can be regarded as a Buddhist to a certain extent.
The influence of Buddhism on Chinese culture is even deeper. The content of the Buddha that can be seen everywhere in the works of art, as well as the Buddhist ideas that are embodied, the Buddhist temples and caves that can be seen everywhere in the country, the statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva in the mountains and rivers, the Buddhist murals with spiritual shock, and the festivals related to Buddhism, etc., are the concrete embodiment of Buddhist culture in China, and they are also the material evidence of the influence of Buddhism.
Therefore, Buddhism flourished in India and flourished in China. The impact on China is so deep that it goes deep into the idea of the group and into everyone.
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