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The main difference between Chinese Buddhism

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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Cherry Zhang


Chinese prefer to learn about “philosophy”, instead of “religion”. If you know Chinese culture you will find it heavily influenced by Buddhist philosophy, but most of Chinese are still atheistic/pantheistic. They take what they think will help them, and reject what they think is unnecessary, i.e., the religion. Mandarin for beginners to learn is not so eay, Lingo Bus provide high-quality international education resources for children. Buddhism is thought to have been brought to China by Indian missionaries during the Han dynasty merging with the local religion Taoism. Buddhism is China’s oldest foreign religion.

The main difference between Chinese Buddhism in regards to its original beliefs is tied to Buddha. Chinese Buddhists believe that Buddha is not just a teacher who taught disciplines how to live their life but that he is a god to be prayed to for help. Most Buddhist rituals are also tied Taoist beliefs like worshipping your ancestors.

After the fall of the Han dynasty, China split into many different kingdoms, Buddhism was formerly found in the southern kingdoms. From then on the religion grew, reaching it’s peak during the Tang dynasty. Buddhist arts flourished and monasteries grew rich and powerful. But the whim of rulers changes fasts and it was also during the Tang Dynasty that Buddhism received a hard hit in China never quite recovering to it’s former glory.


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