[Master Jianren] briefly talks about the development and influence of Buddhism in China
Buddhism was introduced to China from India and took root in China in the first century AD. It continued to absorb the Western Regions and India The achievements of emerging theories and schools were combined with the traditional national culture for creative development, forming Chinese Buddhism in the three major systems of Chinese, Tibetan and Pali that are rich in Chinese cultural characteristics. It can be said that it is the longest lasting in human history. It has the widest spread, far-reaching influence, and is an all-encompassing ideological and cultural movement.
1. The historical origins of Chinese Buddhism
If we compare the fifteen or six hundred years from the fourth century BC (more than a hundred years after the death of the Buddha) to the twelfth century The history of Indian Buddhism is evenly divided into three periods. Sino-speaking Buddhism includes the first and second periods of Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, as well as the fundamental part of the third period of secret Buddhism; Tibetan-speaking Buddhism translates and transmits the early Buddhism. The Vinaya and most of the sutras and treatises in the second and third periods; Buddhism in the Pali language family basically uses the original Pali texts, and some are translated into minority languages. It can be seen that the Buddhism of the three language families currently circulating in China can be said to have comprehensively inherited the three phases of Buddhism in Indian history.
2. The formation and influence of Chinese Buddhism
However, in addition to Pali Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism are enriched by combining the cultural traditions of the nation. The most prominent manifestation of the characteristics of development is the prosperity of various schools and sects. For example, both the Chinese and Tibetan language families can list more than ten large and small sects. Secondly, Sino-Tibetan Buddhism still adheres to the precepts of the Shravakayana in terms of precepts and uses Mahayana teachings to explain it; in terms of belief, it completely adheres to the teachings of Mahayana, so there is no debate between Mahayana and Hinayana. Thirdly, since Buddhism was introduced into China in the first century AD, most of the dynasties in the past have adopted policies to protect and help the development of Buddhism. According to laws, monks and monasteries can enjoy certain special treatment. In principle, the life of monks is provided by the state. guarantee. Fourth, most emperors in the past dynasties of China have given eminent Buddhist monks high political status and honors, and they have been named national masters, imperial masters, living Buddhas, etc. Fifth, the relationship between Buddhism and other sects and schools of thought (such as Confucianism and Taoism) in China can be said to be mutually penetrating and mutually reinforcing during the development process. This is different from the situation in India where Buddhism and heretics are always in hostility, opposition and fierce struggle. Sixth, Buddhism has penetrated into all aspects of Chinese national culture. Since the Jin Dynasty, Chinese poetry, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, stone carving, printing, architecture, etc. have all been influenced by Buddhism; Buddhism has also played a great role in the development of medicine and calendar; music, drama, novels, etc. Development was also deeply influenced by Buddhist thought. Buddhism has had an influence on Chinese philosophy for thousands of years, while Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties was directly inspired by Zen thought. Therefore, scholars believe that Neo-Confucianism is actually a disguised version of Zen Buddhism. Seventh, the teachings of Chinese Buddhism have an extremely profound impact on people's daily life. We recently made a preliminary estimate and found that about a thousand idioms commonly used in popular language originated from Buddhism. Eighth, Chinese Buddhism has a very strong vitality, and it has spread to other countries and nations and flourished. It is the longest lasting and powerful ideological and cultural movement in human history that spread in a peaceful way. The splendid cultural achievements it has created are obvious to all.
3. Looking at the inheritance and development of Chinese Buddhism from the perspective of "Humanistic Buddhism"
In order to carry forward the Buddha's spirit of benefiting people and benefiting the world, my country's Buddhist circles advocate the promotion of human-centered "Humanistic Buddhism" Thought. In fact, the idea of ??humanistic Buddhism was not founded by later generations. In "Zengyi Agama", the Buddha told the heavenly emperor Sakyamuni, "I was born in the human world, grew up in the human world, and became a Buddha in the human world." Nagarjuna, the ancestor of the Mahogany School, was in "The Great Wisdom" states that "all undertakings that lead to life are the path of Buddhism." Maitreya and Asanga, the founders of the Yoga Sect, proposed in the "Yoga" and "The Great Ornament Sutra" that the Bodhisattva cannot learn the "Five Mings" if he does not learn them. Achieve all wisdom. In particular, the "Maharajam Sutra" proposes that the four manifestations of incarnation Buddhism that transform sentient beings are led by craftsmanship. After being translated to China, these glorious ideas of Mahayana that actively engage with the world were inherited and carried forward by Buddhist masters of all generations. They strive to organically combine Buddhist ideas with the excellent national traditions so that the Buddhist thoughts and spirit can be reflected in people's daily physical and mental activities and in social practice.
Several major sects established in China during the Sui and Tang Dynasties almost all embody this spirit and tendency, among which Zen is the most outstanding. They hold high the seal of "Buddhism is in the world and is not separated from the world", making Buddhism and life integrated. This positive attitude of Chinese Buddhism to the world has enhanced its status in society. It can be seen that Humanistic Buddhism is an original thought of primitive Buddhism, but it has been fully developed and embodied in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. This ideological movement has gone through a process of more than a thousand years. In the third five hundred years after the death of Buddha (the Sui and Tang Dynasties), it swept the entire East Asia with surging momentum and spread among various ethnic groups and countries with different languages. All bear admirable and abundant fruits. In particular, the eminent monk Taixu in modern times strongly promoted the spirit of "Humanistic Buddhism", which further clarified and sublimated the ideas of Humanistic Buddhism in China and even the world, with more far-reaching influence and richer results.
4. The spread and development of Buddhism in modern China
Chinese Buddhism spread to Korea from the Middle East in the fourth century AD, to Japan in the early sixth century AD, and successively spread to Southeast Asian countries including Thailand. Have frequent contacts. In modern times, especially in the past half century, Chinese Buddhism has received more and more attention in the world.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the People's Government has implemented a policy of freedom of religious belief, which has enabled Buddhism, which was still dying in old China, to flourish. It repaired temples, protected historical sites, rectified the Sangha system, and developed Great achievements have been made in various aspects such as Buddhist cultural undertakings and training of Sangha talents. The People's Government has reiterated its policy on freedom of religious belief and stipulated specific provisions to protect freedom of religious belief in the new constitution to protect believers' normal religious activities. Restoration of key temples, opening of Buddhist academies and various training classes, renovation and protection of historical sites, opening of Buddhist services and various festival activities, large-scale training of successors of the monastic community, resumption of the printing and distribution business of Buddhist scriptures, etc. etc., all of which show that a lot of work has been done in restoring and carrying forward fine traditions, and remarkable results have been achieved.
However, what is more noteworthy is that we are integrating the ideas of "Humanistic Buddhism" with the new trends and new levels of modern human culture and civilization, striving to contribute to the modernization of our country and the world. make positive contributions to the cause of peace.
4.1 We have carried out friendly contacts and various forms of Buddhist cultural and academic exchanges with the Buddhist circles in many countries, and carried out activities such as mutual visits, sending students to each other, and sending each other classics and publications. At the same time, the Chinese Buddhist Culture Research Institute was established to carry out multi-disciplinary systematic research work.
4.2 There are more and more younger generation scholars in famous universities and research institutions carrying out academic research on Buddhism, constantly publishing relevant treatises, exploring specific issues in Buddhism, and achieving many gratifying results. Results. Of course, a considerable number of these treatises are from the standpoint of criticizing Buddhism. However, we have noticed that: first, the trend of affirming the achievements and contributions of Buddhism in papers is increasing day by day; second, the criticism is directed at the negative elements that deviate from the purpose of humanistic Buddhism. Therefore, it can also be said that critics suppress and eliminate negative factors from the opposite aspect, paving the way for the development of Humanistic Buddhism. In addition, many publishing houses have formulated long-term plans to systematically publish ancient books, and have published Buddhist scriptures in Chinese and Tibetan, including ancient classics on Buddhist history, biography, medicine, literature and art, in an increasing number. This is a very gratifying phenomenon, which strengthens our confidence in restoring China's leading position in Buddhist research in the world.
4.3 With the strong sponsorship and support of the government, a large-scale investigation and collection of scriptures, scriptures and cultural relics were carried out, and efforts were made to centralize, organize, repair and preserve them. For example, the Nanjing Jinling Sutra Engraving Office has made great efforts to produce Chinese woodblock sutras, the Sichuan Dege Sutra Printing Institute has made Tibetan woodblock sutras, and the Beijing Buddhist Library and Cultural Relics Museum has made great efforts to produce Fangshan Stone Sutras, or has restored and expanded its original business. , or have achieved positive results. What is particularly important is that with the support of the people's government, the "Chinese Tripitaka" is being compiled and published. This is an extremely huge project. Its Chinese part contains more than 20,000 volumes, making it the most complete collection of Buddhist scriptures in Chinese so far. In addition, the compilation and publication of various reference books related to Buddhist research is also worth noting, such as the compilation and publication of the "Tibetan-Chinese Dictionary", the reprinting of the "Buddhist Dictionary", etc. The completion of these tasks will surely provide more convenience for the development of Buddhist research.
In short, since Buddhism was introduced to China from ancient India, it has been fully integrated with traditional Chinese culture to form Chinese Buddhism with Chinese cultural characteristics. While it has profoundly influenced Chinese culture and various other fields, it has spread far and wide. Overseas, especially after the reform and opening up, with the strong support and help of the government, and the joint efforts and active work of the national Buddhist and Buddhist circles, the development of Chinese Buddhism is exciting, and it has made gratifying achievements achievements, its future is bright. It can be said that Chinese Buddhism originated in ancient India, developed in China, and affects the whole world. It will continue to nurture and grow on Chinese soil. It will move towards the future with confidence and move towards the ideal realm of humanistic Buddhism, a world of peace for all mankind. The majestic world of Huazang with happiness, peace, prosperity and prosperity.