Question

World religion

1. What was the character of Buddhism in Japan before the arrival of Zen?

Answer 1

Japanese Buddhism can be thought of as a religious import from China as early as 500 C.E. When both lay devotees and monks traveled to Nippon (ancient Japan). Overtime, Buddhism became indoctrinated into the state religion and it was promoted by the imperial court. During this time Buddhism in Japan provided a philosophical practice for the search of fulfillment and ultimate truth within the structure of secular life, without denying nor repressing man’s natural feelings, desires or customs. Buddhism offered both moral and intellectual benefits which Shinto, the prevailing state religion lacked and it was the cultural learnings that attracted the court. Since Japan did not have a formal written language at the time, all the Buddhist scriptures were composed in Chinese. This further led to the concentration of Buddhism exclusively to the imperial court families. However, during the Nara period, there was a gradual process where Buddhism got acculturated into the lower social strata. However, after the Nara period, a lot changed with the introduction of Tendai Buddhism during the Heian reign and this led to the development of the Zen philosophy in Buddhism.