|
(Page 3 of 7)
Japan
Japan’s native religion was Shinto, an animistic
religion that taught a
respect for nature*
and a belief that plants, animals, rivers, mountains,
and certain sites had deities associated with them.
These deities were called
kami. Over time, Buddhist
temples and Shinto shrines came to share the same
location, with people practicing both, blending the two
into one religion. Eventually, philosophers postulated
that the kami
were “transformations of Buddha manifested in Japan
to save all sentient beings.”
However, it was
not only during Buddhism’s initial entry into a country
that it was altered. Over the years, changes took place
in both the form of the Teachings and people’s
understanding of them.
For example, the statues of
Buddha with a wide smile and a big round belly like
Santa Claus, often seen displayed in stores, are called
Hotei.
Many people believe that rubbing the statue’s belly will
bring good luck. But, originally, in the Japanese and
Chinese Buddhist tradition, Hotei was a monk who
traveled around carrying a sack full of treats to give
to children. After awhile, people began to associate
this story with the idea that Hotei will give you what
you want and bring you good fortune, when originally, he
represented the happiness that giving brings.
Still, the
inevitable misinterpretations of the Teachings that
arose over the years are not the only things that
influenced Buddhism’s evolution. The governments and
politics of many countries exerted control over the form
and practices of Buddhism, which was not necessarily in
keeping with the original thread of the Teachings. For
example, in Japan
during the 17th
century, in an attempt by the government to stamp out
Christianity, everyone was forced to register at a
Buddhist temple, and Buddhism, as an organization, was
put in control of funeral rites since they were an
important Christian sacrament. As a result, today, most
people in Japan associate Buddhism with funerals and
ancestor worship, even though originally, Buddhism did
not attach much importance to such things.
Nevertheless,
Japanese Buddhism did maintain some threads of
Sakyamuni’s original Teachings. For example, Zen
Buddhism, in its purest form, teaches
meditative absorption*
as the most direct path to spiritual awakening,
de-emphasizing ritual and the intellectual study of
texts, though it does draw from some sutras, such as the
Lankavatara Sutra*
and
Heart Sutra.* But, the importance of one’s
own
experience with meditation and mindful living in the
present moment is the main focus.
Sri Lanka
In
Sri Lanka,
formerly known as Ceylon,
Buddhism is said to have been introduced around 250
B.C.E by children of King Ashoka, who was the first real
patron of Buddhism in India.
Initially, Theravada was the dominant form of Buddhism,
but over time, many different schools arose, some
closely associated with Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
Eventually, rivalries developed between the schools.
After many failed attempts to end the disputes by his
predecessors, King Parakkambahu I, in the 12th
century, forced all the different sects to adopt the
Theravada Buddhism of Mahavihara, the first monastery
that had been built in Sri Lanka.
To this day, Theravada is still the Buddhism practiced
in Sri Lanka.
Theravada is the school most heavily
focused on monasticism and renunciation as a means for
self-liberation. Because of the focus on renunciation,
Sri Lankan Buddhists have historically relied heavily
upon the support of householders and government. As a
result, Sri Lankan Buddhism is very involved with
politics and government.
Continued...
*Practices
and teachings in bold are also incorporated in HÜMÜH Buddhism.
Previous
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6 |
7
Next
© HÜMÜH 2008
|
