THE BUDDHISM

IMPACT ON CHINA
Spread of Buddhism to China
Buddhism was spread along the Silk Road and other trade
routes and had reached China by the time of the Later Han
Dynasty.One account of Buddhism's entry into China
describes Han Emperor Ming's dream during the first century
CE. It is said that Buddha appeared to the emperor in a
dream and that the very next day he ordered some his
officials to travel west in an attempt to find what had caused
his vision. The officials west traveled along the Silk Road
and eventually came upon two Buddhist monks with two
white horses. The monks carried with them a picture of
Buddha and their horses were loaded with holy Buddhist
scriptures. The Chinese officials invited the monks to return
with them to China's capital, Chang'an, to introduce
Buddhism to the emperor.
Upon there return to Chang'an, the emperor identified the
picture of Buddha as the figure he had seen in his dream. The
emperor asked the two monks to translate their texts into
Chinese. The emperor built a temple for the two monks to
stay in while they translated their texts. The temple that
became known as the White Horse Temple in honor of the
two white horses that had carried Buddhist scriptures all the
way from China. While no one knows whether or not this
myth is an accurate description, there is historical fact which
shows Buddhism being practiced in China by the middle of
the second century CE.
Even though the Later Han Dynasty disintegrated in the last
half of the second century CE, the interest in Buddhism
throughout China continued. Various figures and monks
continued to translate Buddhist texts into Chinese and thus
began the widespread popularity of Buddhism in China which
continues today.
White Horse Temple

 Left: White Horse in an enclosure at the entrance to the

White Horse Temple.
 Right: Horse that brought saints and scriptures to the
location at the entrance
The White Horse Temple (Baima Si) in Luoyang, Henan
Province, was the first Buddhist temple in China,
established by Emperor Mingdi in the year 68 AD. The
historic, leafy site features several ancient buildings and a
highly devotional atmosphere.
HISTORY OF WHITE HORSE TEMPLE
According to legend, the Eastern Han emperor Mingdi dreamed of a
golden figure flying over his palace with the sun and moon behind its
head. The emperor told his ministers about the dream, and they
suggested the figure may be the Buddha in India.
A delegation was thus sent to India to learn more about Buddhism. After
three years, the delegation returned with two eminent Indian Buddhit
monks, She Moteng and Zhu Falan (also spelled Kasyapamatanga and
Dharmavanya or Moton and Chufarlan). The monks brought with them a
white horse carrying a bundle of Buddhist sutras and figures.
The next year, the emperor ordered the construction of White Horse
Temple to honor the arrival of Buddhism in China and the horse that
carried back the sutras. It was China's first Buddhist temple. The
introduction of Buddhism in China would have a significant influence not
only in the religious sphere, but on Chinese morals, philosophy and ethics.
The first Chinese version of the Sutra of Forty-two Sections was produced
at the White Horse Temple, and the temple increased in importance as
Buddhism grew within China and spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
BUDDHIST ART
Seated Buddha, Gilt Bronze

The earliest dated

Chinese Buddhist image
is a gilt bronze seated
Buddha. It is somewhat
simplified version of the
Gandharta style.
Bodhisattvas
are enlightened beings who have put off entering
paradise in order to help others attain enlightenment.
There are many different Bodhisattvas, but the most
famous in China is Avalokitesvara, known in Chinese as
Guanyin.
Bodhisattvas are usually depicted as less austere or
inward than the Buddha. Renouncing their own
salvation and immediate entrance into nirvana, they
devote all their power and energy to saving suffering
beings in this world. As the deity of compassion,
Bodhisattvas are typically represented with precious
jewelry, elegant garments and graceful postures.
Bodhisattvas
are enlightened beings who have put off
entering paradise in order to help others
attain enlightenment. There are many
different Bodhisattvas, but the most
famous in China is Avalokitesvara,
known in Chinese as Guanyin.
Bodhisattvas are usually depicted as
less austere or inward than the Buddha.
Renouncing their own salvation and
immediate entrance into nirvana, they
devote all their power and energy to
saving suffering beings in this world. As
the deity of compassion, Bodhisattvas
are typically represented with precious
jewelry, elegant garments and graceful
postures.
Stone relief of Bodhisattva from Stone relief of Bodhisattva from Yungang
Maijishan
Tang Bodhisattvas
The Tang dynasty
ushered in a period of
growth and
prosperity, during
which  Buddhism
flourished. Buddhist
beliefs, temples, and
art permeated
almost all levels of
Tang life. Surviving
Buddhist sculpture
reflects the wealth of
the great Buddhist
monasteries.
SIX DYNASTIES
AND NORTHERN WEI
Six dynasties with capitals in Jiankang (the modern day
Nanjing) :

 Eastern Wu (222–280)
 Jin Dynasty (265–420)
 Liu Song Dynasty (420–479)
 Qi Dynasty (479–502)
 Liang Dynasty (502–557)
 Chen Dynasty (557–589)
NORTHERN WEI
 The first Buddha statues of
Dunhuang from the
Northern Wei are very thin,
still looking like an ascete.
Northern Wei wall murals and
painted figurines from the
Yungang Grottoes.
A scene of two
horseback riders
from a wall painting
in the tomb of Lou
Rui at Taiyuan,
Shanxi, Northern Qi
Dynasty (550–577)
 Yungang Caves

Yungang Caves/
Yungang Grottoes
feature a blend of
ancient Buddhist
temple grottoes and
statues, revealing
excellent stone
carvings of 5th to 6th
centuries.
Yungang colossal Buddha, Rock cut

Yungang Caves feature

several colossal and
famed seated Buddhas.
Regarded as a historical
site, Yungang Caves
boost numerous
precious ancient relics.
Regarded as a historical
site, Yungang Caves
boost numerous
precious ancient relics.
Although after over a
thousand year, the
delicate colors of
buddhist statues are still
brilliant in our eyes.
BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
PAGODA

 Pagoda, symbol of Buddhism, where people climb

to have a bird's-eye-view, is often erected in
temples. Pagodas can be made of stone, wood,
colored glaze or metal. Pagodas have an odd
number of layers. Seven-layer and Nine-layer
pagodas are commonly built. The shape of cross-
section is rectangular, eight-sided or even circular.
Initially, the pagoda served as the central axis
alongside which rows of halls and monks' rooms
spread out. Later, pagodas were built near the main
palace hall.
Songyuesi pagoda
Songyue Si Interior’s view
GROTTO

 Grotto, another type of Buddhist architecture, is

often chiseled into cliffs. In the 3rd century, Chinese
Buddhists began to build grottoes and Xinjiang is
the first area where grottoes were hewn. Grottoes
are decorated with painted sculptures, carvings and
frescos. Craftsmen revealed real life pictures and
their understanding of society in these art works,
which gave them great historical and cultural value.
The four famous grottoes in China are: Mogao Caves
, Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes and
Maiji Caves.
Longmen Caves
Mogao Caves, Dunhuang
Maiji Caves
THE BUDDHIST IMPACT ON CHINA
Reported By: Judy Meg Talan
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! 