Status of Chinese Buddhism
The feature of Chinese Buddhism lies in the coexistence of Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism as well as the concomitance of Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism. Buddhism was initiated in India, developed in China and further expanded to Japan and Korea. However, Buddhist doctrinal classification itself never played any crucial role in Indian Buddhism as it did in China . Indian Buddhists were threatened by the values and socio-political structures of the Indian society dominated by Hinduism and Islam and vanished between 9th century and 10th century in India while Buddhism were developed rapidly in China so that China became the true homeland of Buddhism all over the world.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220-420) the influence of Buddhism spread widely. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties(420-589) the ruling classes further helped the spread of Buddhism by building temples and monasteries, translating Buddhist sutras and constructing grottoes, and many famous monks, scholars and teachers emerged. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties(581-907), Buddhism reached its apex of popularity and splendors, and different sects of Buddhism had been formed in China . Over a long period, Buddhism gradually took root in the feudal society of China , intermingling with Confucian and Taoist thought. It had a strong popular appeal and its ideas made a notable impact on Chinese philosophy, literature and art.
