COMMUNISM AND BUDDHISM

The officially atheist People’s Republic of China — built on the communist belief that religion is a dangerous opium of the masses — is beginning to walk the Middle Path. Though there has been no official announcement , the Communist Party is clearly prepared to give the Buddha and Buddhism a bigger role than it has played since the mass destruction of monasteries during the Cultural Revolution in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

One of the first signs of the changing policy was witnessed by millions of Chinese on the small screen after this year’s deadly earthquake in Qinghai in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The normally terse state-run news channels broadcast images of Buddhist monks chanting and praying for the victims and survivors. In another step, Indian President Pratibha Patil is scheduled to inaugurate a Buddhist temple modelled on Buddhism is the most important religion in China. It is generally believed that it was spread to China in 67 AD during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) from Hotan in Xinjiang to Central China. During its development in China, it has a profound influence on traditional Chinese culture and thoughts, and has become one of the most important religions in China at that time. In general, the development of Buddhism in China can be divided into the following periods.

The first period is Buddhism in Han Dynasty when it was just introduced into China. During this period of time, many Buddhist scriptures were translated and explained. The White Horse Temple was built during this period of time and it signifies the first time of Buddhism doctrines delivered in China.

The second period is in Jin (265-420), Northern and Southern Dynasties (386-589) when more Buddhist scriptures were translated and Buddhist writings came out. From the beginning of Northern and Southern Dynasties, Chinese Buddhism has entered its prosperous time. During this period, the Buddhism ideas were popularized across the land. The number of Buddhists was on increase.

The third period is the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when Buddhism welcomed its heyday and got unprecedented development. During this period, many new Buddhist denominations were founded. The emperors of the Sui Dynasty believed in Buddhism, and though Tang's emperors believed in Taoism, they showed a protective and tolerant attitude toward the development of other religions such as Buddhism. So in this period, Buddhism got a rapid and great development in China.

However, in the late of feudal society, because of the social unrest, Chinese Buddhism was slow in development. After the founding of People's Republic of China and the implementing of the policy of freedom in religion belief, Chinese Buddhism embraced its new growing age. Now it is developing greatly and the international academic exchanges are expanded.

Moreover, three different forms of this religion evolved as it reached the centers of population at varying times and by different routes. The social and ethnic background in each location also affected the way in which each of these forms developed and eventually they became known as Han, Tibetan and Southern Buddhism. Stupa in Bhopal in Luoyang, Henan province, later this month.

The authorities’ relaxed attitude towards Buddhism was also evident at the Chinese pavilion in the recently concluded World Expo in Shanghai. The Buddha’s image and aspects of the Buddhist legacy were on display for millions of visitors in the Tibet and Yunnan pavilions of the cultural fair. The provincial government of Zhejiang has also launched an ad campaign that uses the image of monks praying at a Buddha temple to lure tourists.

The government seems to be experimenting with a limited amount of religious liberty as part of its “safety valve” approach to manage public sentiment. Rising prosperity among a section of the Chinese people has also resulted in higher turnout at Buddhist shrines and the government cannot ignore the trend.

The big question, however, is whether these moves will actually result in greater religious freedom anytime soon. The Communist Party will not allow religion and Buddhism to weaken its command and control system. Chinese leaders have used this kind of “safety valve” approach on other issues — they have allowed the internet to grow while being quick to crackdown whenever someone used it to spread dissenting ideas.

Monks played a key role in the relief and rescue efforts immediately after the quake and these scenes were shown on official television. Soon, the presence of monks in affected areas began to lessen and there were reports of officials ordering them to go back to their monasteries . On the other hand, the official media published statements from two ‘living Buddhas’ — as some senior monks are called — praising the government’s rescue operations. It seems clear that the authorities found the quake a good opportunity to drum up support among Tibetans and counter the efforts of dissident leaders and monks among them.

It is likely that the Red nation will seek its own blend of Buddhism and socialism — just as it handled the ascendancy of capitalism three decades ago by giving it ‘Chinese characteristics’.

Recent research indicates that Buddhism had already been established in China during the reign of the first emperor, Qin Shihuang. The emperor is said to have suppressed Buddhism and Buddhist temples in the same way other philosophical schools were suppressed. Han Wei, a noted researcher from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, found evidence for this in Records of the Grand Historian, along with corresponding historical, linguistic, and archaeological evidence. According to this study, Buddhism was already popular in the interior regions of China by the time its suppression began in 213 BCE. Silk Road Archaeologist Wang Jianxin has stated that Han's research sounds "reasonable".

A number of popular accounts in historical Chinese literature have led to the popularity of certain legends regarding the introduction of Buddhism into China. According to the most popular account, Emperor Ming (58–75 CE) precipitated the first introduction of Buddhist teachings into China. After dreaming of a golden man with a shining halo, he questioned his advisors about the dream. One advisor told him about the existence of a man called the Buddha in regions to the west. The emperor then sent an envoy to Tianzhu (Southern India) to inquire about the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhist scriptures were said to have been returned to China on the backs of white horses, after which White Horse Temple was named. Two Indian monks also returned with them, named Dharmarakṣa and Kaśyapa Mātaṅga, together with sutras containing 600,000 Sanskrit words.

An 8th century Chinese mural in Dunhuang portrays Emperor Han Wudi (156–87 BCE) worshiping statues of a golden man; "golden men brought in 120 BCE by a great Han general in his campaigns against the nomads". This depiction comes from traditional accounts in the Shiji and the Book of Han.

According to some European historians, Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great sent the royal monk Massim Sthavira to Nepal, Bhutan, and China to spread Buddhism around 265 BCE. However, it has not been widely confirmed that these missionaries arrived in China or that they were responsible for establishing the teachings of Buddhism there.