Chinese Buddhism
There is evidence of Buddhists in China as early as the 3rd century, but Buddhism was not popular in China for years. Buddhism was probably introduced after the Han emperor Ming Ti had a dream of a flying golden deity that was interpreted as a vision of the Buddha. After this dream, the emperor sent emissaries to India who returned to China with the Sutra in Forty-two Sections. It is kept in a temple outside the capital of Lo-yang. Buddhism was brought to China from the trade routes of Southeast Asia, and grew slowly. Buddhism first became popular in China during the Han dynasty, and was full of magical practices, like the popular Chinese Taoism. The first Chinese Buddhists taught that the soul was indestructible. Nirvana was the belief of immortality and peace. They also taught karma, which taught the people to be compassionate. There was always a connection between Taoism and Buddhism until the end of the Han dynasty. Everybody believed that Lao-tzu, had been reborn in India as the Buddha. Many Chinese emperors worshiped Lao-tzu and the Buddha on the same alter. The first translations of Buddhist sutras into Chinese used a Taoist voc
The golden age of Buddhism in China occurred during the T'ang dynasty. Even though the T'ang emperors were usually Taoists, they favored Buddhism. The government took control over the monasteries and the legal status of monks. At this time, several Chinese schools developed their own way to teach the Buddhist texts. There was huge increase of Buddhist monasteries and the amount of land that they owned. During this period many scholars made pilgrimages to India. These journeys really increased Buddhism in China because the pilgrims brought books back and shared all of their knowledge that they had gained along their journey. Buddhism could not replace its Taoist and Confucian rivals, so in 845 the emperor Wu-tsung began a major persecution. 4,600 Buddhist temples and 40,000 shrines were destroyed, and 260,500 monks and nuns were forced to return to their old lives. Buddhism in China never recovered completely after the persecution of 845. It kept the same background and it still continued to play a significant role in the religious life of China. It kept the name "Buddhism", but it was expressed in different books. An example of one of these books is the yu
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Approximate Word count = 785
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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