Thebes, Greece and Chinese Buddhism: Difference between pages

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[[image:Mahayanabuddha.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Seated [[Buddha]], from the [[China|Chinese]] [[Tang Dynasty]], [[Hebei|Hebei province]], ca. 650 CE.]]

:''For the ancient capital of [[Upper Egypt]], see [[Thebes, Egypt]].''

'''Chinese Buddhism''' (汉传佛教) refers collectively to the various schools of [[Buddhism]] that have flourished in [[China]] since ancient times. These schools integrated the ideas of [[Confucianism]], [[Taoism]] and other indigenous philosophical systems so that what was initially a foreign religion (the [[buddhadharma]]) came to be a natural part of Chinese civilisation albeit with its own unique character. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people affecting as it has [[aesthetics]], [[Politics of China|politics]], [[Chinese literature|literature]], [[Chinese philosophy|philosophy]] and [[medicine]].

'''Thebes''' (in [[Demotic Greek]]: Θήβα — ''Thíva'', [[Katharevousa]]: {{Polytonic|Θῆβαι}} — ''Thēbai'' or ''Thívai'') is a city in [[Greece]], situated to the north of the [[Cithaeron]] range, which divides [[Boeotia]] from [[Attica, Greece|Attica]], and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. In ancient times it was the largest city of the region of Boeotia and the modern city still contains the [[Cadmea]] (ancient citadel). During the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period, the city was famous for its silks. Thebes is, with 23,820 inhabitants (2001), the largest town of the [[Boeotia Prefecture]].

During the [[Tang Dynasty]] while at its peak of vitality, Chinese Buddhism produced numerous spiritual masters of outstanding brilliance. Their legacy is among China's greatest treasures.

==History==

For a more generalized discussion of Chinese religion, see [[religion in China]].

[[Image:Greece,ancient.gif|thumb|300px|Partial [[map]] of Boeotia, [[Attica]] and the [[Peloponessus]], showing the position of '''Thebes''' at 38.19N,23.19E]]

==History of Buddhism in China==

===[[Myth]]ic record===

===Arrival along the Silk Road===

{{main|Silk Road transmission of Buddhism}}

[[Image:HanWudiBuddhas.jpg|thumb|Fresco describing Emperor [[Han Wudi]] (156-87 BC) worshiping two statues of the [[Buddha]], [[Mogao Caves]], [[Dunhuang]], c.8th century BC.]]

The arrival of Buddhism and the first contacts between China and Central Asia which occurred with the opening of the [[Silk Road]] in the [[2nd century BC]], following the travels of [[Zhang Qian]] between [[138 BC|138]] and [[126 BC]]. Chinese murals in the [[Tarim Basin]] city of [[Dunhuang]] describe the Emperor [[Han Wudi]] (156-87 BC) worshiping Buddhist statues, "golden men brought in [[120 BC]] by a great Han general in his campaigns against the nomads". However, there is no such mention of Han Wudi worshiping the Buddha in Chinese historical literature.

The record of the earliest days of Thebes was preserved among the Greeks in an abundant mass of legends which rival the myths of [[Troy]] in their wide ramification and the influence which they exerted upon the literature of the classical age. Five main cycles of story may be distinguished:

# The foundation of the citadel Cadmea by [[Cadmus]], and the growth of the [[Sparti]] or "Sown Men" (probably an [[aetiological]] myth designed to explain the origin of the Theban nobility which bore that name in historical times);

# The building of a "seven-gated" wall by [[Amphion]], and the cognate stories of [[Zethus]], [[Antiope (mother of Amphion)|Antiope]] and [[Dirce]];

# The tale of the [[Laius]], whose misdeeds culminated in the tragedy of [[Oedipus]] and the wars of the "[[Seven Against Thebes]]," the [[Epigoni]], and the downfall of his house; Laius' [[Pederasty in ancient Greece|pederastic rape]] of Chrysippus was held by some ancients to have been the first instance of [[homosexuality]] among mortals, and may have provided an etiology for the practice of pedagogic pederasty for which Thebes was famous. ''See [[Pederasty in ancient Greece#Thebes]] for a detailed discussion.''

# The advent of [[Dionysus]]; and

# The exploits of [[Heracles]].

The [[Hou Hanshu]] then records the visit of [[Yuezhi]] envoys to the Chinese capital in [[2 BC]], who gave oral teachings on [[Buddhist]] sutras to a student, suggesting that some Yuezhi had already started to disseminate the [[Buddhist]] faith in eastern Asia during the 1st century BC (Baldev Kumar (1973), exact source needed).

:''For a discussion of the many mythical kings of Thebes and their individual feats, see [[Theban kings - Greek mythology]].''

The [[Hou Hanshu]] describes the enquiry about Buddhism made around 70 CE by the Han [[Emperor Ming of Han China|Emperor Ming]] (58-75 CE):

===Early history===

It is difficult to extract any historical fact out of this maze of myths; the various groups cannot be fully co-ordinated, and a further perplexing feature is the neglect of Thebes in the [[Homer]]ic poems (Book 9 of Iliad however mentions "the hundred-gated Thebes" in Egypt). On the other hand, these myths cannot be entirely discarded, as shown by the recovery in the [[1909]] excavation of the "House of Cadmus", whom legend states was born in [[Tyre]] and taught letters to the Greeks, of a collection of Mesopotamian cylinder-seals, including one referring to a [[Kassites|Kassite]] king who ruled between 1381 and 1354 BC.

:''"There is a current tradition that Emperor Ming dreamed that he saw a tall golden man the top of whose head was glowing. He questioned his group of advisors and one of them said: “In the West there is a god called Buddha. His body is sixteen chi high (3.7 metres or 12 feet), and is the colour of true gold.” The Emperor, to discover the true doctrine, sent an envoy to Tianzhu (Northwestern India) to inquire about the Buddha’s doctrine, after which paintings and statues [of the Buddha] appeared in the Middle Kingdom."'' (Hou Hanshu, trans. John Hill)

Further archaeological excavations in and around Thebes have revealed cist graves dated to [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] times containing weapons, ivory, and tablets written in [[Linear B]]. Its name in the local tablets, and in tablets found in Mycenae, was transliterated ''TE-QA-I'' (TH Ft 140.1) understood to be read as *{{unicode|Tʰēgʷai}} ([[Ancient Greek]] {{unicode|Θηβαι}} Thēbai), and ''TE-QA-DE'' (MY X 508; TH Wu 65.a) for *{{unicode|Tʰēgʷasde}} ([[Ancient Greek]] {{unicode|Θηβασδε}} Thēbasde).

This encounter is further described in a [[6th century|6th century CE]] account by [[Yang Xuanzhi]]:

It seems safe to infer that *{{unicode|Tʰēgʷai}} was one of the first Greek communities to be drawn together within a fortified city, and that it owed its importance in prehistoric days — as later — to its military strength. Deger-Jalkotzy claimed that the statue base from Kom el-Hetan in [[Amenhotep III]]'s kingdom (LHIIIA:1) mentions a name similar to Thebes and considered to be one of four ''tj-n3-jj'' (Danaan?) kingdoms worthy of note (alongside Knossos and Mycenae). *{{unicode|Tʰēgʷai}} in LHIIIB lost contact with Egypt but gained it with "Milatos" (Hit. Milawata) and "Cyprus" (Hit. Alasiya). In the late LHIIIB, according to Palaima ("Sacrificial Feasting", Hesperia 73, 2004), *{{unicode|Tʰēgʷai}} was able to pull resources from Lamos near Mount Helicon, and from Karystos and Amarynthos on the Greek side of the isle of Euboia.

:''"The establishment of the Báimǎ-Sì ([[White Horse Temple]] (白馬寺)) by [[Emperor Ming of Han China|Emperor Ming]] (58-75 CE) of the Han marked the introduction of Buddhism into China. The temple was located on the south side of the Imperial Drive, three leagues (li) outside the Xiyang Gate. The Emperor dreamt of the golden man sixteen Chinese feet tall, with the aureole of sun and moon radiating from his head and his neck. A "golden god", he was known as Buddha. The emperor dispatched envoys to the Western Regions ("遣使向西域求之") in search of the god, and, as a result, acquired Buddhist scriptures and images. At the time, because the scriptures were carried into China on the backs of white horses, White Horse was adopted as the name of the temple."'' (Translation: Ulrich Theobald).

As a fortified community, it attracted attention from the invading [[Dorian]]s, and the fact of their eventual conquest of Thebes lie behind the stories of the successive legendary attacks on that city.

[[Image:HanBuddhaDrawing.jpg|thumb|One of the first known Chinese Buddha statue, found in a late [[Han dynasty]] burial in [[Sichuan]] province. Dated circa [[200|200 CE]]. The hair, the moustache, the robe indicate heavy influence by [[Gandhara]]n styles.]]

The central position and military security of the city naturally tended to raise it to a commanding position among the Boeotians, and from early days its inhabitants endeavoured to establish a complete supremacy over their kinsmen in the outlying towns. This centralizing policy is as much the cardinal fact of Theban history as the counteracting effort of the smaller towns to resist absorption forms the main chapter of the story of Boeotia. No details of the earlier history of Thebes have been preserved, except that it was governed by a land-holding [[aristocracy]] who safeguarded their integrity by rigid statutes about the ownership of property and its transmission.

These Chinese emissaries are said to have visited the country of the [[Yuezhi]] (Ch: 月氏國), and to have brought back with them two missionaries named Dharmaraksa (Ch: 竺法蘭, Zhu Falan) and Kasyapa Matanga (Ch: 迦葉摩騰, Jiashe Moteng, sometimes shortened to Moteng), together with sutras written with 600,000 Sanskrit words. The two missionaries wrote “The Sutra of forty-two sections spoken by the Buddha" (四十二章經), to provide guidance on the ideas of Buddhism and the conduct of monks. It is the first Buddhist text in the Chinese language, although its authenticity is a matter of debate.

Their arrival in 67 CE marks Buddhism's official introduction in China. Historians generally agree that by the middle of the 1st century, the religion had penetrated to areas north of the Huai River. Emperor Ming's brother [[Liu Ying]] the Prince of Chu was the first high-profile believer of Buddhism, although there is some evidence that Emperor Ming himself might have been as well.

===Archaic and classical periods===

In the late [[6th century BC]] the Thebans were brought for the first time into hostile contact with the [[Athens|Athenians]], who helped the small village of [[Plataea]] to maintain its independence against them, and in [[506 BC|506]] repelled an inroad into Attica. The aversion to Athens best serves to explain the unpatriotic attitude which Thebes displayed during the [[Greco-Persian Wars#Xerxes's Invasion|Persian invasion of Greece]] ([[480 BC |480]]–[[479 BC]]). Though a contingent of 700 was sent to [[Battle of Thermopylae|Thermopylae]] and remained there with [[Leonidas]] until just before the last stand when they surrendered to the Persians<ref>Herodotus [[#Bibliography|Bibliography]] VII:205 ,222,223.</ref>, the governing aristocracy soon after joined King [[Xerxes I of Persia]] with great readiness and fought zealously on his behalf at the [[battle of Plataea]] in [[479 BC]]. The victorious Greeks subsequently punished Thebes by depriving it of the presidency of the [[Boeotian League]], and an attempt by the Spartans to expel it from the [[Delphic League|Delphic]] [[amphictyony]] was only frustrated by the intercession of Athens.

The first documented translation of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese occurs in [[148|148 CE]], with the arrival of the Parthian missionary [[An Shih Kao]] in China, probably on the heels of the [[Kushan]] expansion into the [[Tarim Basin]]. An Shi Kao established Buddhist temples in [[Loyang]] and organized the translation of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese, testifying to the beginning of a wave of Central Asian Buddhist proselytism that was to last several centuries. Traces of Buddhist iconography can also be seen in works of art from this period.

In [[457 BC|457]] Sparta, needing a counterpoise against Athens in central Greece, reversed her policy and reinstated Thebes as the dominant power in Boeotia. The great citadel of Cadmea served this purpose well by holding out as a base of resistance when the Athenians overran and occupied the rest of the country ([[457 BC|457]]–[[447 BC|447]]). In the [[Peloponnesian War]] the Thebans, embittered by the support which Athens gave to the smaller Boeotian towns, and especially to Plataea, which they vainly attempted to reduce in [[431 BC|431]], were firm allies of Sparta, which in turn helped them to besiege Plataea and allowed them to destroy the town after its capture in [[427 BC]]. In [[424 BC|424]] at the head of the Boeotian levy they inflicted a severe defeat upon an invading force of Athenians at the [[Battle of Delium]], and for the first time displayed the effects of that firm military organization which eventually raised them to predominant power in Greece.

By the end of the second century, a prosperous community had been settled at Pengcheng (modern [[Xuzhou]], [[Jiangsu]]).

After the downfall of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War the Thebans, finding that Sparta intended to protect the states which they desired to annex, broke off the alliance. In [[404 BC|404]] they had urged the complete destruction of Athens, yet in [[403 BC|403]] they secretly supported the restoration of its democracy in order to find in it a counterpoise against Sparta. A few years later, influenced perhaps in part by Persian gold, they formed the nucleus of the league against Sparta. At the battles of [[Battle of Haliartus|Haliartus]] ([[395 BC|395]]) and [[Battle of Coronea|Coronea]] ([[394 BC|394]]) they again proved their rising military capacity by standing their ground against the Spartans. The result of the war was especially disastrous to Thebes, as the general settlement of [[387 BC|387]] stipulated the complete autonomy of all Greek towns and so withdrew the other Boeotians from its political control. Its power was further curtailed in [[382 BC| 382]], when a Spartan force occupied the citadel by a treacherous coup-de-main. Three years later the Spartan garrison was expelled, and a democratic constitution definitely set up in place of the traditional oligarchy. In the consequent wars with Sparta the Theban army, trained and led by [[Epaminondas]] and [[Pelopidas]], proved itself the best in Greece. Some years of desultory fighting, in which Thebes established its control over all Boeotia, culminated in [[371 BC|371]] in a remarkable victory over the pick of the Spartans at [[Battle of Leuctra|Leuctra]]. The winners were hailed throughout Greece as champions of the oppressed. They carried their arms into [[Peloponnesus]] and at the head of a large coalition permanently crippled the power of Sparta. Similar expeditions were sent to [[Thessaly]] and [[Macedon]] to regulate the affairs of those regions.

===Relation to Confucianism and Taoism===

However the predominance of Thebes was short-lived; the states which she protected refused to subject themselves permanently to her control, and the renewed rivalry of Athens, which had joined with Thebes in 395 in a common fear of Sparta, but since 387 had endeavoured to maintain the balance of power against her ally, prevented the formation of a Theban empire. With the death of [[Epaminondas]] at [[Mantinea]] in [[362 BC|362]] the city sank again to the position of a secondary power. In a war with the neighbouring state of [[Phocis]] ([[356 BC|356]]–[[346 BC|346]]) it could not even maintain its predominance in central Greece, and by inviting [[Philip II of Macedon]] to crush the Phocians it extended that monarch's power within dangerous proximity to its frontiers. A revulsion of feeling was completed in 338 by the orator [[Demosthenes]], who persuaded Thebes to join Athens in a final attempt to bar Philip's advance upon Attica. The Theban contingent lost the decisive [[battle of Chaeronea]] and along with it every hope of reassuming control over Greece. Philip was content to deprive Thebes of her dominion over Boeotia; but an unsuccessful revolt in [[335 BC|335]] against his son [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]] was punished by Macedon and other Greek states by the severe sacking of the city, except, according to tradition, the house of the poet [[Pindar]].

Most of the Chinese gentry were indifferent to the [[Central Asia|Central Asian]] travelers and their religion. Not only was their religion unknown, but much of it seemed alien and amoral to Chinese sensibilities. Concepts such as [[monasticism]] and individual spiritual [[Enlightenment (concept)|enlightenment]] directly contradicted the core Confucian principles of family and emperor. Confucianism promoted social stability, order, strong families, and practical living. Chinese officials questioned how a monk's personal attainment of [[nirvana]] (total state of peace and happiness) benefited the empire. Buddhism was less antithetical to [[Taoism]], the other major religion of China. Indeed, upon first encountering Buddhism, many Chinese scholars regarded it as merely a foreign branch of Taoism.

===Local interpretation of Indian texts===

===Hellenistic, and Roman periods===

[[Image:Chang_Sheng-wen_001.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sakyamuni]] Buddha teaching. Zhang Shengwen, [[Yunnan]], 1173-1176 AD.]]

The city was refurbished in [[315 BC|315]] by [[Cassander]], but it never again played a prominent part in Greek politics. It suffered from the establishment of [[Chalcis]] as the chief fortress of central Greece, and was severely handled by the Roman conquerors [[Mummius]] and [[Lucius Cornelius Sulla|Sulla]]. [[Strabo]] describes it as a mere village, and in [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]'s time (mid-[[1st century]]) its citadel alone was inhabited.

[[image:3waterjing'anshi.jpg|thumb|[[Jing'an Temple]] in downtown [[Shanghai]]. [[Three Kingdoms]] era ([[Wu Kingdom]]) temple.]]

To thrive in China, Buddhism had to transform itself into a system that could exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus highly regarded Indian [[sutra]]s that advocated [[filial piety]] became core texts in China. Buddhism was made compatible with ancestor worship and participation in China's hierarchical system. Works were written arguing that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to that individual's society and family and monks thus contributed to the greater good.

It is conjectured that the shocking collapse of the [[Han Dynasty]] in [[220]] and the resulting period of social upheaval and political unrest known as the [[Three Kingdoms]] period may have helped the spread of Buddhism. Buddhism was a minor force, however, compared with Daoism which was directly associated with efforts to defy the emperor (cf. [[Yellow Turban Rebellion]]). The Daoist [[Zhang]] family self-governed the [[Hanzhong Commandry]] for nearly 20 years until invasion by the renowned Chinese [[warlord]] [[Cao Cao]].

===Byzantine period===

A reason for the lack of interest mostly stemmed from the ruling entity and gentry. All the rulers were [[Han Chinese]] and had simply never heard of or knew too little of the religion. The [[Nine-grade controller system]], by which prominent individuals in each local administrative area were given the authority to rank local families and individuals in nine grades according to their potential for government service, further consolidated the importance of Confucianism. [[Daoism]] too remained a strong force among the population and philosophers.

During the early [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] period it served as a place of refuge against foreign invaders. From the [[10th century]], Thebes became a centre of the new [[silk]] trade, its silk workshops boosted by imports of soaps and dyes from Athens. The growth of this trade in Thebes continued to such an extent that by the middle of the twelfth century, the city had become the biggest producer of silks in the entire Byzantine empire, surpassing even the Byzantine capital at [[Constantinople]]. The women of Thebes were famed for their skills at weaving. Theban silk was prized above all others during this period, both for its quality and its excellent reputation.

===Buddhism gains political traction in the north===

Though severely plundered by the [[Normans]] in [[1146]], Thebes quickly recovered its prosperity and continued to grow rapidly until the dissolution of the Byzantine empire by the [[Fourth Crusade]] in 1204. Thanks to its wealth the city was selected by the Frankish dynasty [[de la Roche]] as its capital. In [[1311]] it was used as a capital by the short-lived state of the [[Catalan Company]].

Subsequent chaotic periods of [[Sixteen Kingdoms]] and [[Southern and Northern Dynasties]] changed the situation, resulting in state support of Buddhism. Most rulers and population of the Wu, Hu, and the Northern dynasties originated from more than ten distinct ethnic groups including either non-[[Han Chinese]] "barbarians", or Han Chinese after generations of "barbarian" influence. They did not propagate nor trust the combined philosophical concept of [[Confucianism]] and [[Daoism]] as zealously as their rivals in the south. Official support of Buddhism would eventually mould a new Chinese populace with a common ideology out of the diversely ethnic population, which would in turn consolidate these dynasties.

It is instructive that Buddhism propagated faster in northern China than in the south. Social upheaval in northern China worked to break down cultural barriers between the elite ruling families and the general populace, in contrast to the south where elite clans and royal families firmly monopolized politics. Daoist and Confucian political ideology had long consolidated the political status of elite clans in the south. Support of another religion would have unknown and possibly adverse effects, for which these clans would not risk their privileges. Furthermore pro-Buddhist policy would not be backed by the bureaucracy, which had been staffed by members of the clans. Southern rulers were in weaker positions to strive for their legitimacy - some were even installed by the clans. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the [[Liang Dynasty]] that saw the official support of Buddhism. Rebellion of [[Hou Jing]] near the end of Emperor Wu's reign wreaked havoc on the political and social privileges of the elite clans, which indirectly assisted the spread of Buddhism. But Buddhism spread pretty well in the peasant populace, both in the north and the south.

''Portions of the historical section were taken from the [[1911 Encyclopedia Britannica]].''

===Monks and rulers join forces===

==See also==

[[Image:SuiBodhisattva.JPG|thumb|left|170px|Sui Dynasty [[Bodhisattva]], sandstone, Tianlongshan Grottoes, [[Shanxi]], [[6th century]].]]

*[[Sacred Band of Thebes]]

Arrivals of several prestigious monks in the early [[5th century]] also contributed to the propagation of the religion and were welcomed by rulers of the [[Sixteen Kingdoms]] and [[Northern Dynasty|Northern Dynasties]]. [[Fo Tu Cheng]] was entrusted by the tyrant [[Shi Hu]] of [[Later Chao]]. [[Kumarajiva]] was invited by [[Lü Guang]], the founder of [[Later Liang]], and later by [[Yao Xing]], second ruler of [[Later Qin]]. Biographies of these monks, among others, were the subject of the ''[[Memoirs of Eminent Monks]]''.

*[[List of traditional Greek place names]]

*[[Theban pederasty]]

The direct experiential impact of contact with practicing monks should not be underestimated. Confucianism had no equivalent to holy men &mdash; the archetypical best and brightest was a wise government minister, not a saint. Daoist priests were more immediate, but given to relativism. It is notable that when another "foreign " religion, [[Nestorianism]], sought to extol the virtues of one of its main benefactors they claimed he was so moral that "...even among the most pure and self-denying of the Buddhists, such excellence was never heard of;" (cf. [[Nestorian Stele]]). Through the actions and example of monks, Buddhists successfully laid claim to the high moral ground in society.

==Bibliography==

* [[Herodotus]] "''The Histories of Herodotus''"

* Angold, Michael - "''The Byzantine Empire, 1025-1204''"

In this way Buddhism grew to become a major religion in China. By the start of the [[6th century]], Buddhism had grown in popularity to rival [[Daoism]]. We know they were successful because the monks were soon accused of falling into extravagance and their lands and properties confiscated by [[Emperor Wu]] of the [[Northern Zhou Dynasty|Northern Zhou]] dynasty and [[Wuzong]] of the [[Tang Dynasty]].

==Notes==

<references />

During the early [[Tang dynasty]] the monk [[Xuanzang]] journeyed to [[Nalanda]] in India and other important sites to bring back scriptures. He sought to expand influence of [[Mahayana]] over [[Theravada]], though the [[Yogacara]] school he preferred differs significantly from the later Chinese Mahayana schools that developed such as [[Pure Land]] (see ''[[Journey to the West]]''). The Tang capital of [[Chang'an]] (today's [[Xi'an]]) became an important center for Buddhist thought. From there Buddhism spread to [[Korea]], and Japanese embassies of [[Kentoshi]] helped gain footholds in [[Japan]]. Buddhist ideology began to merge with [[Confucianism]] and [[Daoism]], due in part to the use of existing Chinese philosophical terms in the translation of Buddhist scriptures. Various [[Confucius|Confucian]] scholars of the [[Song dynasty]], including [[Zhu Xi]] ([[Wade-Giles|wg:]] [[Chu Hsi]]), sought to redefine Confucianism as [[Neo-Confucianism]].

[[Image:longmen-hidden-stream-temple-cave-amitabha.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A [[Tang Dynasty]] [[Amitabha]] sculpture in the Hidden Stream Temple Cave, [[Longmen Grottoes]], [[China]].]]

The popularization of Buddhism in this period is evident in the many scripture-filled caves and structures surviving today. The [[Mogao Caves]] near [[Dunhuang]] in [[Gansu]] province, the [[Longmen Grottoes]] near [[Luoyang]] in [[Henan]] and the [[Yungang Grottoes]] near [[Datong]] in [[Shanxi]] are the most renowned of the [[Northern Dynasties|Northern]], [[Sui Dynasty|Sui]] and [[Tang Dynasty|Tang Dynasties]]. The [[Leshan Giant Buddha]], carved out of a hillside in the [[8th century]] during [[Tang Dynasty]] and looking down on the confluence of three rivers, is still the largest stone Buddha statue in the world. As a side note, duplications of Buddhist texts were considered to bring meritorious [[karma]]. [[Printing]] from individually carved wooden blocks[http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/diamond.html], from movable clay type and from movable metal type[http://www.korea-np.co.jp/pk/070th_issue/98111805.htm], proved much more efficient and eventually eclipsed hand copying. The ''[[Diamond Sutra]]'' of AD [[868]], a Buddhist scripture discovered in AD [[1907]] inside the Mogao Caves, was the first dated example of block printing.

==Modern Chinese Buddhism (Branches and Sects)==

Today the most popular form of Buddhism in both [[mainland China]] and [[Taiwan]] is a mix of the [[Pure Land]] and [[Chán]] school. Its central scripture, the [[Amitabha Sutra]] was first brought to China by [[An Shigao]], circa [[147]], however the school did not become popular until later.

==Reference==

#Chen, Kenneth Kuan Sheng. ''Buddhism in China: A historical survey.'' Princeton, N.J. , Princeton University Press, 1964.

#Welch, Holmes. ''The practice of Chinese Buddhism''. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1967.

#Welch, Holmes. ''The Buddhist revival in China''. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1968.

#Welch, Holmes. ''Buddhism under Mao''. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1972.

==Further Reading==

[[Image:Wood Bodhisattva.jpg|right|thumb|230px|A wooden [[Bodhisattva]] from the [[Song Dynasty]] ([[960]]-[[1279]] AD)]]

* Huai-Chin, Nan (tr. Thomas Cleary); ''The Story of Chinese Zen''. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1995.

==External links==

*[http://www.buddhism.com.cn/ China Buddhist Association]

*[http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/chin_timeline.htm Timeline of China Buddhism]

*[http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/buddhis.html/ About Buddhism in China: A Selected Bibliography]

*[http://www.buddhactivity.com Buddhactivity Dharma Centres database]

==See also==

*[[Buddhism]]

*[[History of Buddhism]]

*[[Timeline of Buddhism]]

*[[Chinese philosophy]]

*[[Confucianism]]

*[[Taoism]]

*[[Neo-Confucianism]]

*[[Religion in China]]

*[[Chinese Buddhist cuisine]]

*''[[Memoirs of Eminent Monks]]''

*[[Three Disasters of Wu]]

*[[Zen]]

{{Asia in topic|Buddhism in}}

{{buddhism2}}

*[http://www.timelessmyths.com/classical/thebes.html Timeless Myths - House of Thebes]

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