Buddhism Mini Encyclopedia History

Author: Ye Luhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Exploring the footsteps of Sakyamuni's enlightenment and teaching, and tracing the rise and decline of Buddhism in China. Chinese Buddhism is rich in history and cultural heritage. This is something that no other Buddhist country in the world can compare to. From the perspective of the development and spread of Buddhism, its dissemination from India to various parts of the world mainly follows two routes: the Southern transmission and the Northern transmission. Southern Buddhism is primarily based on Pali scriptures, while Northern Buddhism is primarily based on Sanskrit scriptures. Northern Buddhism can further be divided into two major branches: the Chinese script system and the Tibetan script system. Chinese Buddhism encompasses all three systems of Han, Tibetan, and Pali scriptures from both the Southern and Northern transmissions. Buddhism has developed in China for over two thousand years, exerting a profound influence on all aspects of Chinese society, including politics, economy, thought, culture, and folk customs. Buddhist thought and culture have become an integral part of China's traditional intellectual heritage, and Buddhist art is a treasure in the artistic treasury of the Chinese nation. In contemporary times, China is entering a new historical period. Alongside economic and political development, cultural development is also a mission bestowed upon us by the times. Cultural development includes inheriting and promoting the excellent cultural heritage of the nation's history, naturally including the outstanding heritage of Chinese Buddhist culture. We have the responsibility and obligation to organize and study this cultural heritage left by our ancestors, so that it can play a new role under today's social conditions.