History Of The Far East
Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century AD, it was the world's first religion since it originated in India and developed in China. Japanese culture was undeveloped, there was no real literature, or historical records and laws, also the arts and sciences were almost totally undeveloped ( de Bary, 255 ). Buddhism radically changed the religious life of Japanese people, Japan's earlier religions were centered around nature, and never faced issues such as sin, death , instead Buddhism viewed life as being filled with inevitable suffering. What set Buddhism from all other religions in Japan was its vast literature, its use of painting and sculpture to make its messages accessible even to ...
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treasures - Buddha, the Law ( Darma ) and the monastic order, Buddha was a human figure, not a god , although there weren't any written accounts of his life until centuries after his death, it is believed he was born a prince and brought up in luxury, his life changed once he saw an old man, a sick man and a dead man in successive outings from his palace, this changed his outlook on life which he viewed as inevitably filled with suffering ( Schirokauer, 79 ), after Buddha resisted temptation under the wisdom ( Bodhi ) tree , there was a suitable cosmic response, the whole Earth swayed and blossoms rained from heaven ( Schirokauer, 80 ). The core of his teachings are the Four Noble Thruths :
1. Life is suffering and pain is unavoidable. For every action there is a moral reaction, and the goal of life is to reach the Nirvana and never be reborn again ( Buddhism believes in reincarnation ) ( Schirokauer, 80 )
2. The cause of human suffering is desire or craving.
3. To stop suffering ...
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encourage the spreading of Buddhism because it would help obtain divine protection,
This was typical of the time , when European kings would use religion as a justification to embark in crusades, or the way the Chinese rulers would use Buddhism to convince the masses about the concepts of equality .
The first historical Buddhist figure of Japan was Shotoku ( 576-622 ), he created and unified a state out of an essentially tribal or clan society, divided by strong sectionalism, he used the Chinese constitution dominated with Confucian and Buddhist culture. He convinced the people that sovereignty derives from Heaven, that the emperor was the Son of heaven and should be on top of a ...
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"History Of The Far East." Essayworld.com. September 23, 2008. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/History-Of-The-Far-East/90366.
"History Of The Far East." Essayworld.com. September 23, 2008. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/History-Of-The-Far-East/90366.
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