Buddhism- A Unifying Force from Asia to the World-       By Shivangi SharmaIntroductionBuddhism was founded near fifth century BC by Siddhartha Gautam now more famou

Buddhism- A Unifying Force from Asia to the World

Buddhism was founded near fifth century BC by Siddhartha Gautam now more famously known as Buddha. When it was founded, it had a very ambiguous status of being a cult or a religion. Buddhism can be seen as a cultural force that connected people from across the globe spiritually. It has now become a global phenomenon but how and why it became a part of cultural exchange is intriguing story in itself which principally reflects the Indian concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which means the whole world is a family. Now, after globalization and other influences the Buddhist philosophies have been divided into many different schools of thoughts, in which majority were Mahayana and Hinayana. In a later stage there was a further division into Vajrayana after the flourishing of Buddhism in north east of India. The further spread of Buddhism in the world led to more and more schisms which led to other different schools of thoughts.

Major event of division of Buddhism occurred at the 4th council of King Kanishk where Buddhism got divided into two major ideologies, i.e., Mahayana and Hinayana. “Mahayana” comes from Sanskrit, meaning great vehicle. Mahayana is believed to be the more devotional form of Buddhism. Here Buddha is worshipped and respected as a God. They believe in liberating others even if they have to go through the cycle of pain and suffering to attain “Bodhisattva”. This is followed by majority of Buddhists in even in the modern world. On the other hand, Hinayana believed that Buddha was not a supernatural being or God rather they believed in enlightenment through self-realization. Vajrayana spread on the Tibet side after flourishing of Mahayana in the northern parts of India. Vajrayana means “Thunderbolt vehicle” in Sanskrit. They believe in the ultimacy of mind and that a person can achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime rather than suffering in many lifetimes.

South India to South Asia and Southeast Asia

After Ashoka supported Buddhism, it expanded not just in India but in Ceylon. Many Buddhist holy places were visited by Ashoka himself like: Lumbini, the place where Buddha was born; the Tree of Wisdom in Gaya, the Deer Park near Varanasi where he preached his first sermon and Kushinagara where he died. Even in the contemporary scenario, Sri Lanka is a Buddhist majority country, most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists. This shows the influence of Buddhism in the religious demography of Sri Lanka. It also shows how Hinayana Buddhism was spread from Southern part of India to other South Asian nations. On the other hand, Buddhism spread over the time due to the maritime connections due to the trade happening between the South Asia and Southeast Asia like Burma. After the spread in Burma, it is considered as the inception towards the other Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia and Indonesian islands to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

From the northern part of India, there was spread of Buddhism to China where the Buddhist culture assimilated the ideologies from Taoism and Confucianism. This is the reason why there was never a stark rebellion regarding a new culture. The syncretic nature of Buddhism made it very easy and adaptable for people in China to adopt this new religion without much revolt. In fact, it became like an amalgamation of cultures over the years. Different forms of Buddhism were adopted in East Asia. In Japan Buddhism came in two ways, first was the gift sent as diplomatic mission by Korea and the other was the visit of Bodhisena, a South Indian Buddhist scholar. Tibet was also a majorly influenced area and is still a very relevant area for Buddhist monks as Dalai Lama also belongs to this area. This region follows Vajrayana which is tantric Buddhism which is still followed there as well as in some parts of Japan. 

Difference in the Sculptures of Buddha can be seen as the two different schools of arts are there. Primarily Gandhara School of Art and Mathura School of Art where the distinct features of Buddha tell us the blend in the cultures. Gandhara School of Art has much more Hellenistic features, i.e., it has Greek influence in the sculpture but Mathura School of Art is more influenced by Hinduism and Jainism. Figures of Yaksha and Yakshini are the examples of Mathura School of Art.

Difference between Mathura and Gandhara Art

The variety of different art styles adopted all around the world shows how religion can change every aspect of a society. Primarily Buddhism originated from India but later on Chinese and Japanese art schools like Zen Art incorporated the culture in art like sculpting which shows how the religion influences cultures and demography. Today China has largest Buddhist population with tallest statue of Buddha.

Buddhist art in Japan: Nara and eighth-century art of Buddha

Buddhism has been a soft power of India since ancient times but now it has unified the whole Asia. Hence, it is a soft power of the whole continent. Since the conversions to Buddhism were not forced and its syncretic nature always maintained a balance between culture. This is the reason why Buddhism is still thriving. Some scholars say that China is now using the soft power of Buddhism in its own way for the promotion of BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) by gaining the trust of nations having Buddhist majority. This can be seen as the movement from the East to West not in the brutal way as the colonialism was but rather a cooperative way of East influencing the West.

Buddhism can be seen everywhere in the world in this age. It has become a global religion and it still remains popular as it gives answers to the way of living peacefully in this fast paced modern world. The ideology can be seen from monasteries to meditation centers. It can be seen in the big businesses like IKEA to Buddha Bars. Buddha bars combine the Asian cuisine with western taste which was founded by French-Romanian restaurateur Raymond Vișan, which shows the amalgamation of cultures.

Buddhism can be credited as a tool of ideological unification of people around the world. Since this religion is associated with peace and adaptability which is why people still follow this religion in their own way even when they are living a fast-paced life.

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