A brief discussion of the influence of Buddhism on Chinese traditional culture
Buddhism has been introduced to our country since Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It has a long history of about 2000 years. Except for the short-lived legal tribulations of the Three Martial Arts and One Sect In addition, it can be said that Buddhism has always been prosperous. Even today, although Buddhism in mainland China has declined, Buddhism is still very prosperous in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Tibet and Qinghai. It can be seen that Buddhism has had a very profound impact on the traditional culture of our country and has become China's traditional culture. an integral part of traditional culture.
What made Buddhism so powerful that it took root and sprouted in the fertile soil of China and became a common belief among the people at that time. Just like the Japanese people generally believed in Marxism, let us first understand the role of Buddhism in China. The general process of development.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism was initially introduced to China. Buddhism was initially regarded as one of the Taoist methods, which effectively reduced the resistance to the spread of a foreign and heterogeneous culture. At this time, many monks from the Western Regions began to come to China. It spread Buddhism and brought a large number of Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, the development of Buddhism in China began with the translation of Buddhist scriptures. One of the earliest Buddhist scriptures translated into Chinese was called the Forty-Two Chapter Sutra, which was called the Analects of Tianzhu. , both in style (42 quotations) and in meaning, are similar to the Analects of Confucius, a traditional Chinese text that is favored and respected by literati. Therefore, the later integration of Buddhism with Confucian culture has a lot to do with the original introduction of this scripture. relation. With the arrival of a large number of eminent monks from the western regions of India and the translation of Buddhist scriptures, Chinese people gradually realized that it was different from Confucian and Taoist culture. A group of scholars were attracted by this new culture and became the first bhikkhus, bhiksunis and upas in Chinese Buddhism. Sai, Upasika (house believers).
Buddhism at this time was mainly spread among upper-class literati and rulers, and had little influence on the people. As people’s understanding deepened, some accomplished monks in our country based on their personal practice experiences, Taking one or several of the countless Buddhist scriptures as the basis for practice, sects began to form. For example, Master Zhizhe of the Tiantai Sect founded the Tiantai Sect based on several classics such as the Lotus Sutra. Master Huiyuan of Lushan and some monks formed a society in Lushan. *** The common wish to be reborn in the Amitabha Pure Land, the Western Paradise World, became the beginning of the Pure Land Sect (also known as the Lotus Sect). This sect is mainly based on the Infinite Life Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra and other classics. Because the Pure Land Sect's method of chanting Buddha is simple and easy to practice, it soon spread to the world. Among the people, it became the most widely circulated sect among the people. Later, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's Universal Door of the Lotus Sutra was also listed separately because of its simplicity and ease of implementation. It was widely spread among the people and was favored by countless ordinary people, forming the "Every Amitabha" , Avalokitesvara on every household", it can be said that the belief that Buddhism has gained among the common people is inseparable from this special Pure Land method in Buddhism, because most Buddhist classics are profound and difficult to understand, and ordinary scholars cannot get a full picture of them, let alone almost all of them. Illiterate ordinary people.
In addition to the Pure Land Sect, another one that had a huge impact on traditional Chinese culture was the Zen Buddhism introduced by Master Bodhidharma. Initially, Bodhidharma came to the Southern Dynasties and met Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty. However, the Southern Dynasties only rebuilt Zen Buddhism. Because of his merit, he could not bear the magical weapon, so he came to the Songshan Shaolin Temple in the Northern Dynasties and faced the wall for ten years until he came to Huike. Later, it was passed down to the fifth ancestor Hongren. Since then, Zen has been divided into two branches. Master Shenxiu founded the Northern School of Zen, and Master Huineng took up the mantle of Hongren and founded it. The Southern Sect formed a situation of "from south to north". What really had an impact on Chinese culture was the "Dun Jiao" founded by Hui Neng - not establishing words, directly seeing one's nature, but using this mind to become a Buddha. Since Emperor Wu of the Tang Dynasty destroyed Buddhism, all sects have declined, and Zen Buddhism has only flourished. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Zen Buddhism is synonymous with Chinese Buddhism. So much so that later on, almost all temples were Zen temples, and almost all the masters were Zen masters. Zen Buddhism is close to the lives of literati and has concise principles. It is very popular among scholar-bureaucrats and literati, such as Su Dongpo and Huang Tingjian of the Song Dynasty. Their literary works are deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism and are full of Zen meaning.
Therefore, a major influence of Buddhism is reflected in traditional literature. Tang poetry, Song lyrics, Yuan opera, etc. are all deeply influenced by Buddhism, especially Zen. The introduction of Buddhism and the translation of Buddhist scriptures brought a large number of foreign Vocabulary, such as prajna, consciousness, jhana, maha, samadhi, has enriched our Chinese vocabulary. Among the poets of the Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei was deeply influenced by the Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra, and his pastoral poems are full of Zen. The poetry of Sansu and others of the Song Dynasty is filled with the flavor of Zen. Novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties used some Buddhist names, such as Tathagata, one of the ten names of Buddha, and Victorious Buddha, one of the fifty-three Buddhas of the past kalpa. However, they clearly deviated from the original meaning when used, unlike Tang poetry and Song poetry, which borrowed poetry. It expresses the inner understanding of Zen, so its influence on the novel can only be regarded as superficial.
Another major influence of Buddhism is reflected in tea culture. The original meaning of Buddhism is the teachings of the Buddha, so it attaches great importance to precepts and prohibits monks from drinking. However, it not only does not reject tea with a purifying effect, but also strongly promotes it. People in the world drink it, and pilgrims come to make pilgrimages. They will invite pilgrims to taste tea. In addition, large temples are mostly built on mountains, which are suitable for growing tea. Therefore, they have made a great contribution to the development and promotion of Chinese tea culture.
Since most Buddhist temples are on mountains, the temple buildings undoubtedly enrich the humanistic culture of the mountains. For example, Mount Emei in Sichuan is a famous Buddhist Taoist temple, Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang is the Taoist temple of the Tiantai Sect, and the Northern Shaolin Temple is built on Songshan Mountain in Henan. There are Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist temples built in Mount Wutai, and Mount Lu is the ashram of the famous ancestral court of the Pure Land Sect. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Luoyang Longmen Grottoes are Buddhist cave temples. Most people combine mountain tours with pilgrimage.
Buddhism, as one of the three religions, had a huge influence on Confucianism and Taoism. The emergence of Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue in the Song and Ming dynasties is inseparable from the Confucian scholars and officials learning from Buddhism. Confucian culture was systematized and speculative through Neo-Confucian psychology, and was undoubtedly influenced by Buddhism. The architecture of Taoist temples draws on the characteristics of Buddhist architecture. Influenced by the Buddhist sitting posture, Confucian scholars and officials also changed from kneeling to sitting cross-legged, a comfortable sitting posture.
Mahayana Buddhism takes compassion as its purpose and the purpose of saving all sentient beings, and advocates using a transcendent spirit to engage in worldly affairs. It is different from Theravada Buddhism, which only cares about its own salvation. Many officials who are lay people are corrupt in officialdom. In an era when corrupt officials are rampant, we can still adhere to clean administration and care about the sufferings of the people. It is inseparable from their Buddhist beliefs. Many scholar-bureaucrats took pleasure in reading Buddhist scriptures and studying Zen philosophy in their spare time, and stayed away from drinking and indulgence, which undoubtedly resisted the spread of officials' bad styles. Ordinary people who are laypeople take reciting the name of the Buddha (or Guanshiyin Bodhisattva), worshiping the Buddha, and fasting as their daily affairs, and they also release animals and give alms. They play an important role in the harmony of their neighbors and the improvement of their physical and mental health. This is in line with their deep belief in "good deeds." Good deeds will be rewarded, and evil deeds will be rewarded with evil consequences. It is not possible to avoid retribution because the time has not come." This is inseparable from the Buddhist teachings. It can be seen that the influence of Buddhism was not limited to a specific class, but was a belief generally accepted by the public at that time.
(The following is reproduced from Happy Paradise)
The profound and long-established Buddhist thought and culture is not only an important part of the traditional culture of all ethnic groups in China, but also plays an important role in China's society, politics, and society. History, philosophy, ethics, literature, language, music, dance, architecture, sculpture, painting, astronomy, medicine, science and technology, as well as weddings, funerals, auspicious festivals and other folk customs, national character and psychological quality and other aspects of secular culture are produced have had a significant impact and positive role.
The introduction of Buddhism into China had a great impact on the development of Chinese history and culture, leaving a splendid Buddhist cultural heritage in Chinese history. The exchange and integration of Indian Buddhist culture and China's inherent culture not only led to the comprehensive development of the integration of Buddhism and Chinese culture, but also formed academic ideas, cultivation methods, music and art, crafts and architecture, customs and habits, etc. in the process of integration. Chinese Buddhist culture has become an important part of Chinese traditional culture.
Buddhist philosophy contains profound wisdom. The interactive influence of Buddhism and Chinese classical philosophy has promoted philosophy to propose new propositions and new methods. Buddhism has profound and unique insights into the universe and life, reflection on human rationality, and analysis of concepts. In terms of outlook on life, Buddhism emphasizes the subject's consciousness and links one's own liberation with the salvation of mankind. With its unique way of thinking and lifestyle, it gives new inspiration to the spiritual life of the people in traditional Chinese society.
Buddhism has brought new artistic conceptions, new styles, and new methods of wording to Chinese culture, literature and art. Thousands of volumes of scriptures translated from Sanskrit are great and magnificent works of literature in themselves. Ma Ming's "Praise to the Deeds of the Buddha" brought a model of long narrative poetry; the "Lotus", "Vimalakirti" and "Hundred Yus" inspired the creation of novels in the Jin and Tang Dynasties; Prajna and Zen thoughts influenced Tao Yuanming, Wang The poems of Wei Wei, Bai Juyi and Su Shi. Bianwen, popular lectures and Zen masters' quotations all have a deep relationship with Chinese popular literature.
How to view the relationship between religion and culture is a problem that every nation will inevitably encounter in the process of developing culture. Buddhism has had a great influence and role on Chinese culture and has left a splendid Buddhist cultural heritage in Chinese history. For example, the most preserved ancient buildings in my country are Buddhist temple pagodas, the existing brick pagodas of Songyue Temple in Songshan Mountain, Henan Province, the Tang Dynasty wooden buildings of Nanchan Temple and Foguang Temple in Wutai Mountain, Shanxi Province, the large wooden pagoda in Yingxian County, the stone east and west pagodas of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, etc. , are precious objects for studying the history of ancient Chinese architecture. Many Buddhist buildings have become prominent symbols of the landscape contours across our country. Among the lush greenery, there are red walls, green tiles, and palaces and pavilions. The exquisite Buddhist architecture adds infinite spring beauty to the beautiful scenery of thousands of miles. The Dunhuang, Yungang, Longmen and other grottoes are world-famous as treasure houses of ancient sculpture art. They absorbed the characteristics of Gandhara and India and developed into a sculpture art with Chinese national style. It is a great cultural heritage of our country.
Buddhism has also brought new artistic conceptions, new styles, and new methods of wording to Chinese culture. Thousands of volumes of scriptures translated from Sanskrit are great and magnificent works of literature in themselves. Ma Ming's "Praise to the Deeds of the Buddha" brought a model of long narrative poetry; the "Lotus", "Vimalakirti" and "Hundred Yus" inspired the creation of novels in the Jin and Tang Dynasties; Prajna and Zen thoughts influenced Tao Yuanming, Wang The poems of Wei Wei, Bai Juyi and Su Shi. Bianwen, popular lectures and Zen masters' quotations all have a deep relationship with Chinese popular literature.
Moving stories in Buddhist scriptures often become the subject matter of artists' paintings. Cao Buxing, Gu Kaizhi, Zhang Sengyao, Zhan Ziqian, Yan Liben, Wu Daozi and other famous painters of the past dynasties are all good at Buddhist paintings. In Chinese painting, it developed from the literati paintings of Wang Wei's school to the freehand paintings that became popular after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which are related to Zen thought. This shows the role that Buddhism plays in the art of painting. As for music, in the third century AD, Fanbai became popular in China. The music of the Tang Dynasty also absorbed music from Buddhist countries such as Tianzhu music, Qiuci music, and Anguo music. A small part of the music of the Tang Dynasty is still preserved in some Buddhist temples.
Accompanying Buddhism are the transmission of astronomy, medicine and other science and technology.
The eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty created the Dayan Calendar and determined the meridian, making outstanding contributions to astronomy. There are more than ten kinds of medical books and prescriptions translated from India recorded in the history books of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Tibetan Buddhism also has the science of medical prescriptions. Buddhist sutra engraving promoted the development of printing in my country. Almost all of the oldest engravings in the world that have been preserved today contain images of Buddhist sutras.
Buddhist philosophy contains profound wisdom. It has profound and unique insights into the universe and life, reflection on human rationality, and analysis of concepts. In "Dialectics of Nature", Engels praised Buddhists for being at a higher stage of development of human dialectical thinking. In terms of world view, Buddhism denies the existence of a supreme "god" and believes that things are in an infinite network of cause and effect without beginning or end. In terms of outlook on life, Buddhism emphasizes the subject's consciousness and links one's own liberation with the salvation of mankind. The interactive influence between Buddhism and Chinese classical philosophy has promoted philosophy to propose new propositions and new methods. With its unique way of thinking and lifestyle, it gives people new inspiration, enables them to liberate their minds, get rid of Confucian dogma, and pushes people's spiritual life into a new world.
So does Buddhism still have a role to play in the process of developing a new socialist national culture? The development of human culture is a continuous process, and traditional culture and modern culture cannot be completely severed. We must absorb all valuable essence from traditional culture to enrich and develop a new socialist national culture. Chinese traditional culture also includes Buddhist culture. Nowadays, there is a prejudice that when it comes to traditional Chinese culture, it seems that it is only Confucian culture, which completely obliterates the status of Buddhist culture in traditional Chinese culture and the contribution of Buddhists to Chinese culture. In fact, the traditional Chinese culture since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties is no longer pure Confucian culture, but a cultural form formed by the convergence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
The study of Chinese history, especially the history of Chinese culture, is inseparable from the study of Buddhism. In fact, it started when An Shigao came to the East to translate the scriptures in 148 AD, from Zhu Shi’s journey to the west to seek scriptures in 260 AD, to the meeting between Zhu Xi and Lu Xiangshan in Ehu in 1175 AD (the former marked the beginning of a new cultural movement—Buddhism, and the later This marked another new cultural movement - the founding of Neo-Confucianism). These more than a thousand years were a glorious period of Chinese national culture, which was also known as the Wei, Jin, Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang cultures by Chinese and foreign scholars. The Five Dynasties and Northern Song Dynasty were the remaining waves. It was precisely during this period that Buddhism became the mainstream of Chinese philosophical thought. Its long period, great momentum, and wide influence (spread abroad) are far beyond the comparison of Confucian classics of the Han Dynasty and Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties. So Hu Shi stopped writing "History of Chinese Philosophy" halfway because he didn't understand Buddhism at the time and couldn't continue writing. There is also a famous contemporary historian in my country who adopted a nihilistic attitude towards Buddhist culture in his early years. However, in his later years, he began to systematically study Buddhist scriptures and expressed that he needed to make up for his mistakes. The historian told people that Buddhism and culture have such a deep relationship in Chinese history. If you don’t understand Buddhism, you won’t understand Chinese culture. But now people still don't pay attention to the study of Buddhism and regard it as a vulgar religious superstition. For example, Xuan Zhong, a great translator, traveler, linguist and Buddhist master in Chinese history, has left his due chapter in the world history works of Western scholars. His name is even more well-known in India. Former Indian Prime Minister Nehru regarded him as one of the four great men in history. But in China, people only know Tang Monk in "Journey to the West" and don't know the mysterious prize in the history of Chinese culture. What's more, some people regard Buddhist culture, this precious cultural heritage, simply as a way to make money, and many things that should not happen have happened, giving people the excuse that China does not respect culture. Although many people now deny that Buddhism is part of Chinese culture, their words actually contain elements of Buddhism. Language is the most universal and direct form of culture! Many popular terms in our daily life, such as world, reality, actuality, equality, current situation, moment, clear rules and precepts, relative, absolute, etc., all come from Buddhist vocabulary. If they really want to completely abandon Buddhist culture, I'm afraid they won't even be able to explain it thoroughly. Therefore, when formulating cultural development strategies today, we should raise the issue of carefully studying the essence of Buddhist culture.
Buddhism also has a wide-ranging influence on Chinese literature. The Buddhist scriptures are vast, and the Taisho Tibet alone contains more than 10,000 volumes of scriptures. Many classics in Buddhism, such as the Diamond Sutra, Vimalakia Sutra, and Lotus Sutra, which are widely circulated in the religious circles, are masterpieces handed down from generation to generation even from a literary perspective.
The view of time and space shown in Buddhist scriptures is something that Chinese people have never heard of. The Chinese people's view of time and space is relatively narrow. As Zhuangzi said, "Beyond the Liuhe, the sages discuss it but do not discuss it." The time and space explained in Buddhist scriptures show us an extremely majestic momentum. In the Vimalakirti Sutra, Vimalakirti was ill and the Buddha sent his disciples to greet him. Although its residence is only one foot long, hundreds of people do not feel crowded after entering, and the room does not become larger. This is what Buddhism calls an incredible state. After entering the room, Shariputra changed his mind: Everyone came to visit the patient, but there was no place to sit. Where should they sit? As soon as he had this thought, Vimalakīrti asked Manjushri Bodhisattva: When you travel among the countless thousands of billions of asamkhyas, where is the most magnificent seat? Manjushri Bodhisattva replied: Thirty-six Ganges Sand Country to the east is the Sumeru Buddha Kingdom. The Lion Seat there is 84,000 leagues high, and its majesty and beauty are unparalleled. Vimalakirti then showed his magical power and immediately brought thousands of lions and placed them in his husband's house. The narratives in Buddhist scriptures take the entire universe as the stage and infinite time and space as the background.
For those who do not believe in Buddhism, it may just be regarded as a myth. Even so, its open imagination space has greatly expanded the thinking of Chinese people from another perspective.
The genres of Buddhist classics are also very rich, including poems, prose, novels, and dramas. Even if you don't accept it from a religious level, you can still learn it as a cultural inheritance, so it is very popular among traditional literati and officials. As early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, eighteen eminent sages gathered in Lushan Mountain and formed a lotus society under the disciples of the eminent monk Huiyuan to practice pure karma. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the literati's love for Buddhism became even more popular. The famous Wang Bo, Wang Wei, Bai Juyi, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, etc. are all devout Buddhists. Literary works represent the author's observation, experience and life accumulation of the world. They are also a reflection of the author's ideological realm and a reflection of his spiritual beliefs. Therefore, many ancient literary works contain Buddhist principles and flow with Zen spirit. If we don't understand Buddhism, it will be difficult to understand the underlying meaning of these works.
In addition, some works are directly based on Buddhism or related content. For example, "Journey to the West" is based on the experience of Tang Monk (Xuan Zang Sanzang) going west to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Students who have studied history should know that Master Xuanzang is one of the four major translators in the history of Chinese Buddhism and has made outstanding contributions to Chinese Buddhism. "Journey to the West" is based on this period of history, and many Buddhist ideas are naturally incorporated into its creation. Unfortunately, after some interpretations in film and television works, Tang Monk has become a poor foil for Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, failing to reproduce the historical reality. And notebook novels such as "Yuewei Cottage Notes" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" also reflect the Buddhist thought of karma and retribution to varying degrees. As for the famous book "A Dream of Red Mansions", it presents readers with many poems that are very Zen-like. If you know nothing about Buddhism, you will not be able to interpret these works correctly.