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What Led To The Rise Of Buddhism In The Early Empires

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The rise of Buddhism is a vital part of what is known about the Indian subcontinent as it was in the 6th Century BCE, and thus it is important to understand the social and economic environment of that era to understand how a form of religion so different from the common Vedic practices emerged and flourished.
The age of the Vedas led to the emergence of a very rigid system that governed how a certain sect was supposed to act and how certain groups of people were to be treated by other groups. It also brought in a hierarchy which placed religion (Bramhins) at the very top, and placed occupations related to trade and manual labour at the bottom. This hierarchy can be said to have functioned adequately when agriculture was still mostly the main means of living, but the emergence of non-agricultural professions …show more content…

Buddha’s teachings mentioned that ability of women to function as individuals outside the boundaries of marriage, a concept that provided women who craved even the slightest degree of independence a way to retain control over their lives. While even Buddhism offered only a limited amount of freedom to them, it was more than they could expect from the Hindu society, and thus they were drawn to Buddhism.
The rise of Buddhism in the early empires on India is, therefore, a result of political expansion and stability, the transition of economic structures, and the change in the status quo presented by the Vedic or Brahmanical religion. The ethical way of life prescribed by Buddha can also be seen as an efficient way of ensuring the settled nature of life; by promoting a way of living that is not injurious to anyone, Buddha’s teachings also promote a life that is free of conflict—indirectly protecting the fabric of a stable

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In third century B.C.E the following vital occasion in the improvement of Buddhism was the meeting of a Buddhist friar and indian ruler named called Ashoka. It is the leader of substantial Mauryan domain in India, Ashoka had extended it until it secured cutting edge India. Be that as it may, he had turned out to be profoundly trubled by the carnage he brought about in this triumphs. Listening to the friar persuaded Ashoka to give himself to the quiet message of Buddhism. Ashoka raised thousand of rock columns everywhere on his Kingdom with the educating of the Buddha cut into them, the first composed proof we have of Buddhism.

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Buddhism was appealing to women because of the view that they were equal to men. In detail, Wei Shou’s “Summary of Buddhist Doctrine” in the Buddhist Doctrines and Practices explains “Women who enter the path are called nuns...if they can comprehend the rewards for good and bad acts they can gradually climb to the level of sages...” (83). This review is important because it recognizes both men and women as equals who can both accomplish salvation. Furthermore, in the “Lives of Eminent Monks”, Tiaohua writes to Seng Du, who she was previously engaged to, for leaving her and the ancestral rites and teachings of Confucian society to become a monk. Seng Du responds to her, saying “Men and women of the world, however, should adapt themselves to the times...you should pursue what you desire and admire.

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The religion of Buddhism first appeared in India during the sixth century B.C.E and its teachings migrated to China by the first century C.E., gradually winning over the Chinese people following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued its expansion in China for several centuries. Throughout Chinese history, China reacted to the spread of Buddhism within its empire in several ways: some valued its policies for their implications in Chinese culture, others condemned Buddhist ideals for not being original to the empire, while many remained indifferent towards Buddhism and its spread. Support for the spread of Buddhism became most evident among Chinese scholars. An anonymous scholar believed that the old Confucian philosophies of China were nothing in comparison to the greatness of Buddhism, even going as far as to compare the sages to the Buddha as swallows to a phoenix (document 3). Additionally, he admires the dedication that the Buddhist monks showed; the monks enjoyed the act of living and inaction, freeing themselves from worldly pleasure.

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Following the fall of the Han dynasty came the decline of practicers of the Confucian philosophy because of the downfall of the elite class and a centralized government. Buddhism, a religion with it’s roots from north India, has found its presence in China during the time when trade, along the silk roads, was crucial in all parts of Eurasia. Although the spread of Buddhism in China was greeted with devotion from new converts who supported the religion by spreading it and combining their cultures with the religion, it also was rejected by the ruling elite who opposed the spread of the religion that impacted China for the next following centuries.

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Buddhism offered a comforting and stable option for all including aristocrats and upper-class citizens in times of

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The introduction of Buddhism to China started off well, most openly accepted the foreign religion and it continued to thrive for centuries. Until the lack of an empire and laws plagued individuals minds. Other religions with a strong imperial structure, such as Confucianism, rose to support the growing number of negative minds. Buddhism was spread by Buddhist missionaries from India into China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). It was, at first, confined to only the higher status individuals, like aristocrats and Chinese royalty.

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Buddhism and Christianity differed in their locations of origin and where they spread to. Buddhism originated in India and spread eastwards, specifically to Asian lands outside of India. Christianity, however, originated in the East Mediterranean and primarily spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. Buddhist merchants established monasteries in oasis towns along the Silk Road, facilitating the diffusion of Buddhism into the grasslands of Central Asia, China, and eventually Southeast Asia. Christian missionaries utilized sea lanes and road networks to spread the religion throughout the Roman Empire and the Mediterranean basin.

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Buddhism instantly strikes the interest of nature and finding the underlying truth of it. In the 1950s, Buddhism is like a fresh breath of air being able to escape the life of the ordinary through communism and consumerism. Meanwhile escaping ordinary society,

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During the Vedic Age, politically, the Aryans did not have a state or common government but, rather formed hundreds of chiefdoms organized around herding communities and agricultural villages. Thus, because of their close proximity, this practice encouraged competition for resources and created enormous potential for conflict. Following Aryan migrations in India, what type of economic foundations emerged with regard to food supply and specialized labor? What changed regarding their political

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Answer 3. Buddhism being the most influential force in Ashoka’s life (as evident from most of the historical texts about him) shaped most the Edicts likewise which encouraged mankind to enjoy and practice generosity, kindness, morality and many more not only this he also tried to achieve a just society through all his practices. Rock Edict XIII being one of the important of all Edicts reflects a lot about the acts of kindness as explained in Ashoka Dhamma. As one can easily see how after the Kalinga war hundreds and thousands of people and animals lost their lives and a lot were carried away captive which is not acceptable by all those practicing dhamma and a deep remorse is shown towards the loss as it it considered to be painful and serious.

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The role of Buddhism in the rise and fall of the Silla Dynasty Unified Silla came into being through a procedure of expansion that was territorial in nature. (Yi) It was necessary to develop an extended system of local government and provincial as well. The provinces were the basic units in the governmental administration of Unified Silla. The countries were further divided into villages and settlements for those with un-free status.

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The similarities and differences between the social categories each society created was the importance of each person in the society. In the Early Vedic Era the Early Aryans depended on a pastoral economy. Slowly they started to settle into permanent societies, losing their tribal political organization and forming a more formal political organization, which led to the creation of the Caste system. “The Aryans used the term Varna, a sanskrit word meaning “color” to refer to many social classes. ”(Bentley, 81)

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300 Words | 2 Pages

Thesis: Religion, namely Hinduism, influenced the social hierarchy in the Indus River Valley tremendously by making Brahmans the highest social class, motivating people to do good for better karma, and providing each social class with its own role to play in the society. Paragraph: Religion allowed Brahmans to be the highest social class. This is evident because in the caste system of the Indus River Valley, Brahman, the highest class, are the priests and academics. Directly below Brahman are the Kshatriya, which is composed of kings and warriors.

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The impact of the Buddhist teachings and worship has on individuals and the Buddhist community throughout the world, is significant as the teachings of Buddhism shape the lives of its adherents. Through the teachings or Dhamma of the Buddha the lives of adherents are shaped, as adherents are guided by the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts, and through Temple Puja the life of the Buddhist community is also shaped. The Buddhists teachings of the Eightfold Path and Five Precepts, the worship through the significant practice of Temple Puja, and the Dalai Lama influences adherents not only the way that they live, but also the choices that they make, such choices include the bioethical issue of abortion, and how the community practiced

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1469 Words | 6 Pages

It also became an agent of mental and practical liberation to the oppressed peoples and of economic development to the disadvantaged peoples. “Engaged Buddhism” is defined by the intention of Buddhists of whatever sect to apply the values and teachings of Buddhism, especially compassion and love, to the problems of society in a nonviolent way, and are motivated by concern for others’ welfare, and is served as a channel to express their own Buddhist practices. So, “Engaged Buddhism” is neither a new Buddhist sect nor does it belong to one of the established sects. This engagement is not detached from Buddhist spirituality, but it is a modern phenomenon to express their Buddhism spirits and values to the problems of society (King, The Social Ethics of Engaged Buddhism, 2005). On the other hand, the reason of emergence of “Engaged Buddhism” was similar to the third problem Taixu discovered as I mentioned above.

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