On top of the Chinese Buddha's head is a formation that, though it appears like a bowl, is really a rendition of the usnisa: the crown chakra. The usnisa all but disappeared in Japanese Buddhas, evident in the relatively flat-topped Kamakura Buddha. The Kamakura Buddha thus illustrates how Japanese culture simplified the image of Buddha. The Chinese bronze statue, and many other Chinese Buddha images, are comparatively ornate when viewed

Buddhism and Christianity As a system of belief, Zen Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 14th century as the result of liberalization of trade relationships between Japan and China after finding it entry into the far eastern cultures through India. (Kitagawa, 1966) Buddhism is a system of belief with many sects that follow individual masters who are said to have achieved a new revelation on how to apply the Four Noble

Thus to some, Chinese acceptance of Buddhism was surprising given that "China was already a very old civilization, with a written language, a well-organized government system and educational system, with two well-established philosophical and religious traditions -- the Confucian and Daoist Traditions -- sophisticated literature, poetry, art & #8230; so we had here a very highly developed highly literate civilization, and Buddhism came from outside via missionaries" (Garfield 2010).

Chinese Jade Burial Suits During all my travels throughout ancient China, one of the more peculiar beliefs I came across was the notion that jade holds mystical powers, capable of preventing the body from decaying. I am currently in Chang'an, the capital of the dynasty, which is known in the present day as Xi'an. The year is 192 CE. The people of the Western Han Dynasty universally agree that this supposedly

The sculptures of the Asuka period also show how Japan considerably adopted and assimilated the Chinese and Korean styles into their artwork. The Horyu-ji treasures are so rare, because they date back to the seventh century. They are among the world's most precious antiquities. The temple and pagoda allow people today to see a wonderful example of architecture done in the Six Dynasties Chinese style. Because of this temple design,

After all, it opened up trade, thus helping commerce and, subsequently Japan's economy. Not only that, but the exchange of information was useful to governmental practices that sought to establish themselves as powerful and influential. "Jesuit" Christianity survived long enough to be "practiced" within temples, one such "Jesuit temple" being known to have existed in 1603 in the Japanese capital, Kyoto. Such temples served the Church to enact some of