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Rise of Mahayana Buddhism
Chinese Seated Buddha, Tang Dynasty, Hebei province, ca. 650 CE. Chinese
Buddhism is of the Mahayana tradition, with popular schools today being Pure
Land and Zen.The precise geographical origins of Mahayana are unknown. It is
likely that various elements of Mahayana developed independently from the 1st
century BCE onwards, initially within several small individual communities, in
areas to the north-west within the Kushan Empire (within present-day northern
Pakistan), and in areas within the Shatavahana Empire, including Amaravati to
the south-east (in present-day Andhra Pradesh), to the west around the port of
Bharukaccha (present-day Bharuch, a town near Bombay), and around the various
cave complexes, such as Ajanta and Karli (in present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra).
The late Professor Hirakawa argued that Mahayana was a movement of lay Buddhists
focused around stupa devotion. Pictures within the wall of a stupa representing
the story of the Buddha and his previous reincarnation as a bodisattva were used
to preach Buddhism to the masses. This theory is still widely held among
Japanese scholars, but most western scholars now reject it.[9] The Sangha, at
the same time, became increasingly fragmented both in terms of Abhidharma and
Vinaya practice. This led to a widening distance between the laity and Sangha.
The Mahayana movement, on the other hand, was ecumenical, reflecting a wide
range of influence from various sects. Monks representing different
philosophical orientations could live in the same Sangha as long as they
practiced the same Vinaya. Still, in terms of Abhidharma, the Sarvastivada
school (which had been rejected by the 3rd council, according to the Theravada
tradition) and the Dharmaguptaka school, both of which were widespread in the
Kushan Empire, seem to have had major influence. Moreover, those who believe
that Mahayana sutras were composed during this period speculate that the process
of reshuffling of sutras according to various Abhidharma eventually led to
editing which made the composition of new Mahayana sutras possible.
Expansion of Mahayana Buddhism between the 1st – 10th century CE.Around 100 CE,
the Kushan emperor Kanishka is said to have convened what many western scholars
call the fourth Buddhist council and is usually associated with the formal rise
of Mahayana Buddhism. This council is not recognised by Theravada line of
Buddhism. according to Mahayana sources, this council did not simply rely on the
original Tripitaka in the third council. Instead, a set of new scriptures,
mostly notably, the Lotus Sutra, an early version of the Heart Sutra and the
Amitabha Sutra were approved, as well as fundamental principles of doctrine
based around the concept of salvation for all beings (hence Mahāyāna "great
vehicle") and the concept of Buddhas and bodhisattvas who embody the indwelling
yet transcendent Buddha-nature who strive to achieve such a goal. However, most
western scholars believe this council was purely Sarvastivada, while the late
Monseigneur Professor Lamotte considered it entirely fictitious.[10] The new
scriptures were first written in Sanskrit. From that point on, and in the space
of a few centuries, Mahayana would flourish and spread from India to Southeast
Asia, and towards the north to Central Asia and then east to China where
Mahayana was Sinicized and this Sinicized Mahayana would be passed on to Korea,
Vietnam and finally to Japan in 538 CE. The East Asians would go on to write
more indigenous sutras and commentaries to the Mahayana Canon. The most complete
Mahayana Canon today is in the Chinese language.
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