China and Buddhism

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AP® EXAM TIP

Be sure you know the causes and effects of the spread of Buddhism into South, East, and Southeast Asia.

By far the most important gift that China received from India was neither cotton nor sugar, but a religion, Buddhism. The gradual assimilation of this South Asian religious tradition into Chinese culture illustrates the process of cultural encounter and adaptation and invites comparison with the spread of Christianity into Europe. Until the adoption of Marxism in the twentieth century, Buddhism was the only large-scale cultural borrowing in Chinese history. It also made China into a launching pad for Buddhism’s dispersion to Korea and from there to Japan as well. Thus, as Buddhism faded in the land of its birth, it became solidly rooted in much of East Asia, providing an element of cultural commonality for a vast region (see Map 8.5).

AP® EXAM TIP

Study the routes and the broad timetable of the spread of Buddhism.

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Figure 8.5: Map 8.5 The World of Asian BuddhismOriginating in India, Buddhism later spread widely throughout much of Asia to provide a measure of cultural or religious commonality across this vast region.