Buddhism
Buddhism held great influence in the ancient world and is still very popular today. Buddhism was spread to China from India and Central Asia and there it found a permanent home. It significantly impacted the Han and Tang dynasties of China in different ways and was characterized by its accepting nature, which brought the conversion of many Chinese women. Buddhism also gave much importance to its monasteries, and developed intellectually and impacted culture in China, Korea, and Japan.
Monks and merchants played a huge role in bringing Buddhism from Central Asia to China. The ruler of India, Ashoka, was a passionate Buddhist and helped to spread Buddhism to Central Asia. Ashoka actually caused most Central Asian city-states to become Buddhist centers. The form of Buddhism formed in Central Asia called Mahayana, in which Buddha assumed the role of God, was then taken to China and Japan by the monks and merchants through trade routes. These merchants and monks not only brought the Buddhist religion, they also brought ideas about the decoration and creation of temples and the portrayal of Buddha. The missionaries did not directly proselytize the Chinese people and allowed the religion to find its own place. They knew that Buddha once said "it is thirst which leads to renewed existence" and therefore found it important to learn from their surroundings. Because the missionaries choice, Buddhism was then able to assimilate into Chinese society because of it similarities to Daoism. Daoists believed Buddhism was an Indian version of Daoism and therefore both religions interchanged ideas, which caused Buddhism to become more acceptable. The new religion of Buddhism did not put an end to the separate Daoist ideals; it only displayed similar ideas and was then able to be absorbed into society.
During the Han dynasty, which ruled from 202 B.C to 220 A.D., Buddhism was accepted as another form of thought. The Chinese people were willing to accept separate truths...
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