Certain Buddhist scriptures arrived in southern Tibet from India as early as 173 CE during the reign of Thothori Nyantsen, the 28th king of Tibet. During the third century the scriptures were disseminated to northern Tibet (which was not part of the same kingdom at the time). The influence of Buddhism was not great, however, and the form was certainly not tantric, as the earliest tantric sutras had only just then begun to be written in India. The most important event in Tibetan Buddhist history, however, was the arrival of the great t ...

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Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Distinguishing characteristics, Tibetan Buddhism - Rituals and ritual objects, Tibetan Buddhism - Traditions/Orders/Sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Schools/Tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Monasticism, Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Read more here: » Tibetan Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Certain Buddhist scriptures arrived in southern Tibet from India as early as 173 CE during the reign of Thothori Nyantsen, the 28th king of Tibet. During the third century the scriptures were disseminated to northern Tibet (which was not part of the same kingdom at the time). The influence of Buddhism was not great, however, and the form was certainly not tantric, as the earliest tantric scripture t ...

See also:

Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Distinguishing characteristics, Tibetan Buddhism - Rituals and ritual objects, Tibetan Buddhism - Traditions/Orders/Sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Schools/Tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Monasticism, Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Read more here: » Tibetan Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Tantric practitioners make use of special rituals and objects. Meditation is an important function which may be aided by the use of certain hand gestures (mudras) and chanted mantras (such as the famous mantra of Chenrezig: "om mani padme hum"). A number of esoteric meditation techniques are employed by different traditions, including mahamudra, dzogchen, and in the Kagyu school the Six yogas of Naropa. Qualified practitioners may also study or construct special cosmic diagrams known as mandalas which assist in in ...

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Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Distinguishing characteristics, Tibetan Buddhism - Rituals and ritual objects, Tibetan Buddhism - Traditions/Orders/Sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Schools/Tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Monasticism, Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Read more here: » Tibetan Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tibetan Buddhism - Rituals and ritual objects

Tibetan Buddhists divide buddhist philosophy as transmitted from India into four main schools of philosophical tenets: Two are Hinayana (Tib. theg-dman): Vaibhasika (Tib. bye-brag smra-ba) Sautrantika (Tib. mdo-sde-pa) Primary source for the former is the Abhidharmakosa by Vasubandhu and commentaries. The Abhidharmakosa is also an important source for the Sautrantikas, Dignaga and Dharmakirti are their most prominent exponents. The other two are Mahayana (Tib. theg-chen): Yogacara, also called Chittamatra (Tib. sems ...

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Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Distinguishing characteristics, Tibetan Buddhism - Rituals and ritual objects, Tibetan Buddhism - Traditions/Orders/Sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Schools/Tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism - Monasticism, Tibetan Buddhism - History of Tibetan Buddhism

Read more here: » Tibetan Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Tibetan Buddhism - Schools/Tenets of Tibetan Buddhism

Main article: Christianity in China Some consider the first entry of Christianity into China was the introduction of Nestorianism spread by European or Middle-Eastern travellers who came to China in AD 635, as documented by the Nestorian Stone in Xi'an. In 1289, Franciscan friars from Europe initiated mission work in China. This mission collapsed in 1368, as the Ming Dynasty abolished Christianity in China. The first Jesuit attempt to reach China was made in 1552 by Francis Xavier, but he died the same year on the ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Christianity

Main article: Buddhism in China Buddhism was introduced from India during the Han dynasty and has been very popular among Chinese of all walks of life, admired by commoners, and sponsored by emperors. Estimate of Buddhists in China range from 70 million to 150 million. ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Buddhism

Agon Buddhism

A sect of Buddhism that uses the Agon Sutras as scriptures.

(See also: Agon Buddhism, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

The People's Republic of China was established in 1949 and for much of its early history maintained a hostile attitude toward religion which was seen as emblematic of feudalism and foreign colonialism. Houses of worship, including temples, mosques, and churches, were converted into non-religious buildings for secular use. In the early years of the People's Republic, religious belief or practice was often discouraged because it was regarded by the government as backwards and superstitious and because some Communist leaders, ranging from Vladi ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Mainland China

Main article: Islam in China Islam was introduced into China via the Silk Road in the 7th century. It is now practised by a estimated 3% to 5% of Chinese, predominantly such minority groups as the Hui, the Uyghurs, and the Kazakhs. These make up majorities in Ningxia and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions. Islam in China, particularly in the western, minority-dominated regions, can be connected with non-Chinese nationalism and even separatist movements. Other estimates of Muslim population are much higher with ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Islam

The Tiantai teaching was first brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Jianshen (鑑眞 Jp: Gishin) in the middle of the 8th century, but it was not widely accepted. In 805, the Japanese monk Saichō (最澄; also called Dengyō Daishi 伝教大師) returned from China with new Tiantai texts and made the temple that he had built on Mt. Hiei (比叡山), Enryakuji (延暦寺), a center for the study and practi ...

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Tendai, Tendai - History, Tendai - Tendai Doctrine

Read more here: » Tendai: Encyclopedia II - Tendai - History

Tendai buddhism has several philosophical insights which allow for the reconciliation of Buddhist doctrine with aspects of Japanese culture such as Shinto and traditional aesthetics. It is rooted in the idea, fundamental to Mahayana Buddhism, that buddha-hood, the capability to attain enlightenment, is intrinsic in all things. Also central to Mahayana is the notion that the phenomenal world, the world of our experiences, fundamentally is an expression of the buddhist law (Dharma). This notion poses the problem of how we come to have many dif ...

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Tendai, Tendai - History, Tendai - Tendai Doctrine

Read more here: » Tendai: Encyclopedia II - Tendai - Tendai Doctrine

Main article: Judaism in China During the Tang Dynasty (7-10 cent. CE) or earlier, small groups of Jews settled in China. The most prominent early community was at Kaifeng, in Henan province. (see Kaifeng Jews) In the 20th century, many Jews arrived in Hong Kong and Shanghai during those cities' periods of economic expansion in the first decades of the century, as well as for the purpose of seeking refuge from the Holocaust in Western Europe. Shanghai was particularly notable for its volume of Jewish refugees, most of wh ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Judaism

Main article: Taoism Taoism is the organized, indigenous religion of China and is traditionally dated to 142 C.E. with the founding of the Way of the Celestial Masters by Zhang Daoling. Taoist religion builds on earlier concepts found in classic wisdom text known as the Way and Its Power or Dao De Jing. This work is attributed to Lao Zi, a mythological person who subsequently came to be venerated as a god. The philosophy of Taoism is centered on 'the way', an understanding of which can be likened to recognising the true nature of the universe. Taoism is ...

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Religion in China, Religion in China - Buddhism, Religion in China - Taoism, Religion in China - Islam, Religion in China - Christianity, Religion in China - Judaism, Religion in China - Recent sects, Religion in China - Falun Gong, Religion in China - Way of Former Heaven, Religion in China - Mainland China, Religion in China - External link

Read more here: » Religion in China: Encyclopedia II - Religion in China - Taoism

In esoteric Vajrayana Buddhism, Amitabha's Western Pure Land is the counterpart to Akshobhya's Eastern Pure Land, or Abhirati. While especially recognized by the Japanese Shingon sect, Eastern Pure Land Buddhism is less popular than in Western Pure Land Buddhism. ...

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Pure Land Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism - Overview, Pure Land Buddhism - Eastern Pure Land

Read more here: » Pure Land Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Pure Land Buddhism - Eastern Pure Land

Hui-yuan: A Buddhist monk, who lived ca. 337-417 C.E. He is credited with founding the Pure Land sect of Buddhism.

 (See also: Hui-yuan, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Soka Gakkai International (SGI)

A sect of Soka Gakkai Buddhism, formerly named Nichiren Shoshu of America. The sect promotes enlightenment though gongyo. This involves kneeling before a gohonzon (black wooden box containing passages from the Lotus Sutra), quoting this scripture, and chanting the daimoku (�nam-myoho-renge-kyo�). Also known as chanting buddhists.

(See also: Soka Gakkai International, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

When Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945, the celibate ordained members of the main sect of Korean Buddhism, Chogye, to take over for the married monks who ran the temples during the occupation. The new occupiers, however, brought with them their own religions, Christianity in the south and Marxism in the north. Although today there are large Buddhist organizations in Korea, the influences of Marxism, Western secularism, and Christianity continue to grow, which some see as a natural result of ...

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Korean Buddhism, Korean Buddhism - Historical overview of the development of Korean Buddhism, Korean Buddhism - Buddhism in the Three Kingdoms, Korean Buddhism - Goguryeo, Korean Buddhism - Baekje, Korean Buddhism - Kaya, Korean Buddhism - Silla, Korean Buddhism - Buddhism in the Unified Silla period 668-918, Korean Buddhism - Buddhism as state religion in the Goryeo period 918-1392, Korean Buddhism - Suppression under the Joseon dynasty 1392-1910, Korean Buddhism - Buddhism during the Japanese occupation 1910-1945, Korean Buddhism - Buddhism and Westernization 1945-present, Korean Buddhism - Looking Ahead

Read more here: » Korean Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Korean Buddhism - Buddhism and Westernization 1945-present

Buddhism: World religion based on the spiritual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. There are a number of versions or sects of Buddhism generally teaching paths to Nirvana (enlightenment or bliss) though the four noble truths (recognizing existence and source of suffering) and the eight fold path (correct understanding, behavior and meditation).

(See also: Buddhism, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

In esoteric Vajrayana Buddhism, Amitabha's Western Pure Land is the counterpart to Akshobhya's Eastern Pure Land, or Abhirati. While especially recognized by the Japanese Shingon sect, Eastern Pure Land Buddhism is less popular than in Western Pure Land Buddhism. ...

See also:

Pure Land, Pure Land - Overview, Pure Land - Eastern Pure Land

Read more here: » Pure Land: Encyclopedia II - Pure Land - Eastern Pure Land

Tzung

A term originally used to mean "sect", but later appropriated by the intuitional school known as Ch'an (Japanese, Zen) for use in special contexts.

 (See also: Tzung, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Mahakasyapa

Also, Kasyapa; one of Buddha's disciples. The Ch'an Sect, according to its tradition, claims him as its first patriarch.

 (See also: Mahakasyapa, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhism

World religion based on the spiritual teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha. There are a number of versions or sects of Buddhism generally teaching paths to Nirvana (enlightenment or bliss) though the four noble truths (recognizing existence and source of suffering) and the eightfold path (correct understanding, behavior and meditation).

Some variations of Buddhism include traditional Theravada schools of India, Mahayana Buddhism, which became very popular in China and Japan, and Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) in Tibet.

Two more recent forms that have had great influence in America are Zen and Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism.

(See also: Buddhism, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)