Speaking of the introduction of Buddhism, many people's first reaction is roughly this: this is just the introduction of a religion, adding a little different thing, that's it.

Speaking of the introduction of Buddhism, many people's first reaction is roughly this: this is just the introduction of a religion, adding a little different thing, that's it. If we can have a little more insight into history, we will find that the role and significance of Buddhism's Eastern Transmission are far more than this.

is generally recognized that Buddhism was in the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which was around the beginning of the AD. India at this time was at the end of the Hellenic Age. The so-called Hellenic Age can refer to our second article today, the Hellenic Age - the first wave of globalization in human history. It was during this period that the first batch of sculptural statue art appeared in Buddhism, namely Gandhara statues.

Sculpture and Art

In addition to philosophy, Ancient Greek also has a rare artistic level, and its sculpture art is unique in the world. After the Greeks entered India, they also brought their portrait sculpture techniques to India. Many Greeks who converted to Buddhism began to shape Buddha statues.

It can be said that the artistic height reached by Gandhara Buddha statue is not inferior to that of Greece. Compared with the bodybuilding and unrestrained Greek statues, Gandhara Buddha statues appear more solemn and solemn, attracting many believers to come and worship. The statue of Gandhara Buddha also entered Eastern Han with the spread of Buddhism. At this time, the statue of the Eastern Han Dynasty was like this:

This is the first time that Indian Buddhism has had an influence on the art of statues in the Central Plains. The second time is the art of Buddha statues in India, the so-called Motula art, also known as Matura art. The sculpture has very local characteristics, with distorted body proportions, different postures, extremely exaggerated expressions, not so realistic, but more contagious.

Does this image look very familiar? Especially in Tibetan Buddhism, similar paintings or sculptures can often be seen.

The popular Mingwang wrathful phase in Tibetan Buddhism also comes from Hindu Shiva, which is also common in Thailand. For example, the four-sided statue of Thailand is Brahma in Hinduism.

And another god Papira, which is very popular in Thailand, also comes from Hinduism. He is the eighth incarnation of Shiva, showing a horrifying wrath.

In other words, the wrathful figure of the Ming Dynasty, which is quite popular in China and Japan, also comes from India. Readers with a little association ability will also find that the door gods posted by every household in the past, or the four statues of the Heavenly Kings seen when they walked into the temple, also felt quite angry.

Obviously, this kind of statue is also closely related to India.

Back to Buddhist statues, the grotto statues that are popular in the Western Regions are also Indian traditions (it can be said that all grotto art in the Western Regions and Shanxi are Indian traditions). The most famous one is of course the Bamiyan Buddha that was blown up by the Taliban.

Bamiyan Buddha is like an enlarged version of the Hellenistic Gandhara Buddha statue mentioned above, but the face is not as three-dimensional as the Hellenistic period, slightly soft, and more in line with the characteristics of Oriental people. After arriving in the Western Regions and Central Plains, the face of the Buddha statue became even more rounded, but careful observers could still easily discover the inheritance relationship and the influence of Indian local artistic thinking.

Compared with the Gandhara Buddha statue above, Longmen Grottoes has a much smoother and more rounded face shape, but the composition between the eyebrows and eyes still retains a lot of common points.

This is the first huge effect that is visible to the naked eye brought by the Eastern Buddhism: it greatly promotes the sculpture level and skills in the Central Plains.

Painting

In addition to sculpture, Buddhism also played a great role in the emergence of Chinese painting. Before the beginning of religious figure painting in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Chinese painting was mainly either murals or patterns, and generally showed side or semi-sides.

Cao Buxing, a native of Huzhou, the Three Kingdoms, is considered the first person to paint Buddhist paintings in the Middle Land. He first copied the Buddha statue brought by a monk from Indian missionary:

Shi Kangju Monk Association (i.e. Kang Monk Association ) brought the Buddha statue into Wu from the south, and Buxing once wrote it in a mock-up manner. His paintings have long been lost. The Southern Qi Dynasty, Xie He , once saw the leader of the paintings of Buxing in the Secret Pavilion, and was included in the "Historical Records of Ancient Paintings ", commented: "Looking at its character, how can it be a false name!"

Kang Senghui, and there are also detailed historical records that "his first Kang lived in India, and lived in India for generations." In other words, the earliest mature portraits of ancient China are also inseparable from India.

Gu Kaizhi 's Luo Shenfu Picture rubbings.

The author of the Luo God Fu Wei Chensi and Wang Cao Zhi is recognized as the first person to introduce Buddhist chants and has a deep connection with Buddhism.

Painting techniques may not necessarily be an impression from India, but as mentioned above, the wrathful appearance of the door gods is deeply influenced by Buddhism and India in terms of shape. The landscape paintings that emerged later in the Sui and Tang also have a lot of ideas from Buddha and Laozi. There are also many similar images in the murals of

Taoism .

In addition to sculptures and paintings, Buddhism also brought Indian architecture. The prototype of the pagoda is Buddha niche in Buddhism. But unfortunately, India's most powerful stone building was not introduced.

Music and rhythm

In addition, the Buddhist chants mentioned above and the subsequent Western Huyin also had a profound impact on the Central Plains. During the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, Kucha music was already popular in the neighborhoods. At that time, the music of big and small broken formations, the music of heaven, the music of longevity, and the music of Taiping were all used by Kucha music, and Kucha music "occupied" the wind music field of the Sui and Tang dynasties. And it became popular all over the country from Changan , which has profoundly influenced the development of Chinese music.

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Chang'an also took the singing and dancing of Hu'er in the Western Regions as a fashion. An Lushan was favored by the so-called Hu Xuan dance. The music and dance in the Tang court were mostly from the Stone Kingdom of the Western Regions. Bai Juyi even wrote a touching song of the pipa, which can be proof of it.

And Kucha music mostly has Indian roots:

Kucha Pipa seventh tune originated from Indian Northern Sect music. Kucha Lesatha (palace sound) comes from Shadja from Indian Northern Sect music, and the general tune (feather sound) comes from Panchama from Indian Northern Sect music [2]. After Kucha music was introduced to China, it evolved into a Buddhist song of the Tang Dynasty in .

Buddhism also brought Indian music and research on language. It was during this period that Zhou Yi created "Four Tones and Rhymes", and for the first time proposed to enter the four tones. Later, it was developed by Shen Yue and others, which laid the foundation for Chinese phonology , and prepared for the subsequent blowout development of lyrics, music and poetry.

Literature and novel

Literature, the popular Buddhist scriptures in areas similar to the Western Regions during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, as well as the Indian folk myths that spread with Buddhism, not only had a significant impact on the emergence of Central Plains novels ( Tang legend ), but also became the motto of many paintings and sculpture content.

Buddhism also greatly enriches Chinese characters, such as the vast world, past and present life, evil debts, evil fate, compassion, fate, sentient beings, equality, disasters, tribulation, reincarnation, devils, etc. (and many more) words, most of which come from Buddhism and Buddhist worldview.

Speaking of worldview, Buddhism has a greater impact. Before Buddhism was introduced, Chinese people generally had no concept of reincarnation, and religious belief roughly stayed at the level of spirituality and worship of ancestors. After the introduction, most people began to believe in the existence of their past and present lives (even if this person does not believe in Buddhism), and India's , Yama King also crossed the ocean and replaced the King of Mount Tai and became the master of the underworld. The popular ten kings during the Sui and Tang Dynasties is the most powerful evidence of the mixture of imported Indian goods and local legacy.

The concept of the Dragon King of the Four Seas also comes from India. The Indian prototype of the dragon is Naga, which is closer to a snake, and is translated as a dragon after it is introduced. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the earliest legend of dragon precipitation was translated from the classic Indian legend. From then on, the Dragon King became related to the rain. You should know that in ancient China, the god of water was the so-called Hebo . I believe that readers who read Ximen Bao Zhiye when they were elementary school students still have the impression. The image of Hebo as a river god or water ghost is still circulated in Japan.

But the image of the dragon has been completely Chineseized in this process, and it is no longer like the naja snake in India. The introduction of the theory of reincarnation has caused significant changes in the attitude towards life, and has greatly expanded the imagination of literati when they create. The works of later generations such as Tang Xianzu, Yuan Hongdao , Tu Long , etc., all rely on ghosts and gods and the next life to make up for the regrets of this life. The legend Nan Kemeng, known to all ages, can be regarded as a teaching of Buddhist doctrine.

Medical

People who have read Jinyong will find that in his novels, an Indian monk who is proficient in pharmacology and herbal medicine often appears. This is not a false fabrication by Jin Yong, but a reasonable imagination based on facts. When Buddhism was first introduced, people from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties knew the extraordinary medical aspects of monks in Western Regions. For example, the new verb of Theory of :

The above-mentioned Ji Po in Fakaizu, and learned medicine in seconds. . . Xi Yin He practiced the Tao very diligently and had evil in his abdomen. All doctors could not treat it. He was famous for hearing about the Dharma, so he went to welcome it. . . Heyiji Decoction and take it to a large amount of time.

Xi Yin is a Taoist. Many doctors cannot cure her illness. She was cured by Pan monk from the Western Regions-India.

Astronomy

In addition to medicine, astronomy is also a key "discipline" brought by Buddhism. Ancient India has achieved outstanding mathematical achievements, so astronomy has developed well. Although it is not as good as ancient Greece, it cannot be underestimated. The concept of the seven stars and nine stars originated from India. The astronomical testing department of the Tang Dynasty once active a large number of Indian experts:

Even Indian father and son have become the highest officials of the Tang Dynasty astronomy organization. From this fact, it is not difficult to see the important role that Indian astronomy introduced with Buddhism plays in the development of astronomical calendar in my country.

Important figure in Taoism Kou Qianzhi (one of the four great masters of ), learned the " Weekly Edge Sutra " was the new "Gaitian" theory entered by Buddhists at that time. One of his teachers is Shi Tanying (I don’t need to say more about this name).

Taoism and folk religion

Buddhism was introduced, and Taoism was slowly becoming an independent school from the traditions of Taoism, alchemists and folk. The Yellow Turban at the end of the Han Dynasty had the shadow of early Taoism. Zhang Lu, who is entrenched in Hanzhong Wu Dou Rice Sect, Zuo Ci , who was beheaded by Sun Ce , and Zhang Heng , who became enlightened in Longhu Mountain, are all representatives of this period. However, early Taoism seemed extremely backward in all aspects. It had neither written rules nor solemn etiquette nor unified doctrines and doctrines. Using art in the room (such as Sun Xiu during the Eight Kings Rebellion) and distributing disaster relief food to obtain believers (such as Zhang Lu) was actually an inparable religion. So, Taoist people who are determined to reform fell in love with Buddhism again, or the above-mentioned Kou Tianshi . He copied a large number of laws introduced by Buddhism, including all ten-recitation of the Sarvasattva. Of course, Taoism has also absorbed a lot of doctrines from Buddhism, and reincarnation and tribulation have also become the theories of Taoism. There are even many Taoist priests who believe that passing through the tribulation is a plagiarism of Taoism in Buddhism. Guanyin Bodhisattva in Buddhism is also stolen from Cihang Taoist in Taoism. It's really ridiculous.

In addition, Buddhism has brought a lot of thinking, improving the quality and depth of Middle-earth thought. Diamond Sutra and other sutras are based on the logic of innate logic. Tang Monk The method that Xuanzang sought to go to the Western Regions is called the Dharma-Pharaoh Consciousness-Only School:

" Consciousness-Only School 's Consciousness-Only School 's Consciousness-Only School 's Consciousness-Only School 's Consciousness-Only School mainly explains: 'All things in the universe are all images of the wavering of the mind; the internal and external realms are not matter, and nothing is not changed by the mind; there are eight ways to change consciousness, and the laws that change are all kinds of things, which are called the so-called Consciousness-Only School.' In addition, this sect also emphasizes "five-positions and hundreds of Dharmas", "seeds are manifested", " Alaya dependent origination", "four points", " three-type realm ", "three natures", and "five natures" learning."

However, because consciousness-only requires profound Sanskrit , logic and philosophy, it was soon lost in the Middle Land, and the Zen Buddhism that emphasizes sudden enlightenment was the only one. The once exquisite debate on Buddha became a "smart" dispute between scholars and officials.

summary

The influence and role of Buddhism’s Eastern Expedition are underestimated, on the one hand, it is because a certain mentality is at work, and on the other hand, it is because Buddhism has been integrated too deeply and it is difficult to distinguish each other (especially for ordinary people). But in fact, the introduction of Buddhism greatly improved the height and quality of civilization in the Central Plains and greatly enriched the originally extremely single and boring life. If Buddhism had not spread to the east, what would have been a very boring and fun scene?