Buddhism in China and Japan - Essay Example

On the contrary, it believes that change is normal and in order for a person to attain a state of spiritual satisfaction he has to act morally and follow the teachings that are designed to help him live through his lifelong worries without any confusion. There are two major sects established all over the world, Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Emperor Asoka the Great embraced Buddhism after the war of Kalinga. In the third century, he made efforts to spread the word of Buddhism and sent missionaries to the North West region of India, which is Pakistan and Afghanistan of today.

Out of the many religions established in China at that time, Taoism was one of them. Due to similarities in the Taoist teachings and Buddhism, in terms of spirituality and meditation, the concept was welcomed well by the Chinese and soon it became widely practiced by the people. In the sixth century, the message of Buddhism reached Korea and Japan. Buddhist scriptures were translated extensively all over the world. Due to historical and sociological reasons, Buddhist practices in China differ from those in Japan.

Zen is a form of meditation proposed by Buddhism. However, the ways to attain the state of nirvana are different in both China and Japan. Besides, Japanese have merged this religion with that of the prevailing Shinto, which involves the inclusion of several gods. This is not the case in China, where the concept of God in Buddhism is absent. However, the main beliefs remain the same. Only the means to achieve the goal are