Arrival of Buddhism

Around the beginning of 1

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