Chapter 6 Section 5 The message of Buddhism came from India

We often say that Buddhism originated in India.So, when did Indian Buddhism spread to China?Historical accounts are very inconsistent, but it is generally said that it was during the Han Dynasty.Now let us look at two records in the history books. "Hou Han Shu Biography of the Western Regions" records: "It is said that Emperor Ming dreamed of a golden man, who grew up and had a bright top, and asked his officials. Or said: 'There is a god in the West, named Buddha, whose shape is six feet long and golden in color. "The emperor then sent an envoy to Tianzhu to ask about Buddhism and Taoism, and then he painted images in China. Chu Wangying began to believe in his art, so there were quite a few people in China who followed his way. Emperor Huan was a good god, and he worshiped Futu and Laozi several times. Those who have worshiped them will turn to prosper later." The floating map mentioned here is the Buddha, or translated as Buddha.

Yuhuan's "Wei Lue Xirong Biography" records: "Lin'er Kingdom, Buddha Sutra says that its king gave birth to Buddha... This country is in the Tianzhu region." The Lin'er Kingdom here refers to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha.He also said: "In the first year of Yuanshou of Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty, Jing Lu, a doctor's disciple, was dictated by Yi Cun, the envoy of the Dayue Clan, to teach the Buddha Sutra" (Notes and quotations from Pei Songzhi in "Three Kingdoms · Wei Shu · Karasuma Xianbei Dongyi Biography").The pagoda here is the same as the pagoda, which is another translation of Buddha.

Judging from these two sources, there is still considerable disagreement about the time when Buddhism was introduced into China.The former Han Mingdi was the emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who reigned from 58 to 75 AD.The latter said Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty was the emperor at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, and the first year of Yuanshou was 2 BC.It is difficult for people to use one of them to overthrow the other, so these two theories are combined, and the time when Buddhism was introduced to China is said to be "between the Han Dynasty" or "the turn of the Han Dynasty".

These two materials tell us the following questions: First, Buddhism was first introduced to the Central Plains of China with the approval of the emperor, and believers were often princes and nobles.Second, the spread of Buddhism to the Central Plains was initially transmitted orally, and at the same time there were portraits of Buddha.Thirdly, the Chinese initially had a superficial understanding of Buddhism, thinking that it was a kind of "art", while Buddha was a god, and treated him as the same as Lao Tzu.Fourth, the first Buddhist scriptures (Buddhist scriptures) may be the "Buddha's Walking Sutra" about the life story of Sakyamuni or the like.Fifth, the Yuezhi people played an important role in the initial introduction of Buddhism to China.

According to the first volume of "Biography of Eminent Monks", monks from India and other places in the Western Regions had already come to the Central Plains of China during the Han Dynasty, such as Shemoteng from Tianzhu, Zhu Falan, An Shigao from Anxi, and Zhilou Jiachen from Yuezhi.After they came to China, they were mainly engaged in the translation of Buddhist scriptures, and of course they sometimes accepted some Chinese apprentices. Anyway, Buddhism came in during this period.This is not only a major event in Chinese history, but also a major event in the history of cultural exchanges between China and India.If you look at it from a distance, it is another major event in the cultural history of Asia and even mankind.Because we know that Buddhism is one of the three major religions in the world, and it was the first to appear among the three major religions, and it has a complete Sangha organization and a complex and rigorous ideological system; , culture and other aspects are immeasurable; and it also quickly spread to North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia and other places through China, and brought a huge impact to these countries; it can be said that it To a large extent, it has affected the historical destiny of the entire Asia.