#3 - Buddhism and the Silk Road

What does Buddhism have to do with Silk Road?

by Sam Green

Buddhism began thanks to Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha. He denounced the good life he possessed and went out, received enlightenment after much meditation, and went on to share his discoveries with the world. The grandson of the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka, spread the religion throughout India via establishing it as the main religion in the area. Followers of Buddhism continued to spread it throughout the region on their own, eventually filling much of India with Buddhist. Furthermore, trade with the Kushans assisted in this too, seeing as how they traded with Chinese, Romans, and Parthians.

Buddhism then spread to the people of the Tarim Basin. There, it was taught through Sanskrit, which then became the language of the religion. Further along, the first signs of Buddhism first showed in China around the second century BC. On top of that, they were found to have existed in the steppe area near China. There, barbarians converted to Buddhism, altering their life forever. When they adopted the faith, they tended to lose many of their warrior-like, barbaric qualities. Eventually, their nomadic identity would be lost, and they would integrate into society. Later on though, some barbarians relapsed and reverted to their old way of nomadic, aggressive life and such.

With the Silk Road's creation, China has easier access to the Western world. When Emperor Mingdi of the Han dynasty had a vision of the Buddha, he made it his goal to learn of this new religion. Monks were brought into China and eventually spread their beliefs. This went on and on, causing new developments to occur. The Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese, and the Buddha was finally depicted in their art. In the end, the Buddhist rein fell. After the Tang Dynasty collapsed, Arabs of the West came in and started conquering much of the land. Because of this, Islam was introduced to the area. Islam disagreed with most Buddhist views, so they tended to destroy whatever Buddhist works they found. How typical.

1. What was the impact of Buddhist beliefs on nomads in the steppes?

It mellowed them out, making them become civilized folk.

2. What was Kumarajiva's role in spreading Buddhism in China?

He translated many works of the Buddhists into Chinese and distributed them among the common folk.

3. How did Buddhist art change in the 200s?

They began to physically represent the Buddha through imagery and such.

4. What caused Buddhism along the Silk Road to decline?

The Tang Dynasty in China collapsed, taking away its base. Then, Islams came in and started converting everyone.