Global InformationChinese Buddhism information
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Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism (simplified Chinese: 汉传佛教; traditional Chinese: 漢傳佛教; pinyin: Hànchuán Fójiào; Jyutping: Hon3 Cyun4 Fat6 Gaau3; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hàn-thoân Hu̍t-kàu) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which draws on the Chinese Buddhist canon[1] as well as numerous Chinese traditions. Chinese Buddhism focuses on studying Mahayana sutras and Mahāyāna treatises and draws its main doctrines from these sources. Some of the most important scriptures in Chinese Buddhism include: Lotus Sutra, Flower Ornament Sutra, Vimalakirtī Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and Amitābha Sutra.[2][3] Chinese Buddhism is the largest institutionalized religion in mainland China.[4] Currently, there are an estimated 185 to 250 million Chinese Buddhists in the People's Republic of China.[4] It is also a major religion in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, as well as among the Chinese Diaspora.[2]
Buddhism was first introduced to China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). It was promoted by multiple emperors, especially during the Tang dynasty (618–907), which helped it spread across the country.[5] The translation of a large body of Indian Buddhist scriptures into Chinese and the inclusion of these translations (along with Taoist and Confucian works) into a Chinese Buddhist canon had far-reaching implications for the dissemination of Buddhism throughout the East Asian cultural sphere, including Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Chinese Buddhism also developed various unique traditions of Buddhist thought and practice, including Tiantai, Huayan, Chan Buddhism, and Pure Land Buddhism.
From its inception, Chinese Buddhism has been influenced by native Chinese religions and philosophy, especially Confucianism and Taoism, but also Chinese folk religion.
- ^ Jiang Wu, "The Chinese Buddhist Canon" in The Wiley Blackwell Companion to East and Inner Asian Buddhism, p. 299, Wiley-Blackwell (2014).
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:8was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Chün-fang Yü (2020). Chinese Buddhism: A Thematic History, pp. 29–70. University of Hawaii Press
- ^ a b Cook, Sarah (2017). The Battle for China's Spirit: Religious Revival, Repression, and Resistance under Xi Jinping. Archived 2021-08-08 at the Wayback Machine Freedom House Report. Rowman & Littlefield.
- ^ "Six facts about Buddhism in China". Pew Research Center. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-21.