How did Japan become Buddhist? - History of Religions DOCUMENTARY

Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on the history of Japan and history of religions continues with an episode on how Japan became Buddhist.

More videos on the history of Japan:
Japanese Warrior Women - Female Samurai: Japanese Warrior Women - Female Samurai


#Documentary #Japan #Buddhism

[IKEMENOsakaman]

Before the Meiji Period, Buddhism and Shinto co-exist. A lot of Buddhist Temples have a Shinto Shrine connected with them. Japan was able to assimilate Buddhism into its culture. Oddly, Buddhism became associated with burial rites. Oddly in Japan, one is born in the Shinto faith. Then they get married in a Christian Chapel, When they died, their funeral is held at a Buddhist Temple. So one is born Shinto. Married Christian. Died as a Buddhist.

[ricka]

Bodhisena’s arrival to Japan in the mid 700s had a profound impact on Emporer Shomu which led to the wider acceptance of early Buddhism in society

[alexandercortese]

what a gem! This channel is not only about war documentaries

[ghosthost]

I've had the pleasure to visit Kamakura and Kyoto, in the summer of 2018. Felt very enlightened at my experience in Japan. Beautiful temples and shrines.

[roihanfadhil]

Ah yes, after previously talking about how Buddhism came to China, now you are talking about how Buddhism came to Japan, I really enjoyed it, especially the music in the beginning, great video as always.

Btw, can you make video about how Hinduism came to Indonesia, kings & generals?
It is will be very interesting because Indonesia is the only country outside the Indian subcontinent where Hinduism was the majority religion in medieval era.

[erdenetogtohB]

The storytelling in this content is so powerful. 📖

[sixshooter]

Thank you guys for doing all these. You guys are the best I've seen at making history documentaries since Ken Burns.

[neptune]

Religious and Demographic History is amazing, keep it up

[Light_spot_]

Amazing work as always 👏👏👏, love your team & how you've helped me to have a better perspective of the human civilization.🙏🌸🍃

[TheSage]

Thank you for producing this; one of my favorite areas to study and something I worked hard on for my MA. Its very nice to see it so nicely explained and amazing artwork.

[praneeth]

I'm so grateful for east and south east asians for accepting, preserving, and promoting buddhism.

[kkumar]

It's so sad to know that people have forgotten the importance of India in spreading Buddhism across the eastern world. It's the monks from India who went out in the wild and crossed mountains to reach as far as Japan to preach Buddhism. Even people who are buddhists are unaware of the Indian history, they do not know where their religion originated and what it took to reach the places. The influence of Indian subcontinent specifically India on the eastern world is beyond imagination. Its time for India to make sure this information is reaching places.

[rajithaabeykoon]

Buddhism the only religion that people embraced without any blood shed or force conversion, proud to be Buddhist

[Extremists]

Yes it's shaped Japan we know it's more scientific, rational and atheist it's because of impacted Japanese minds and beautiful preserve buddhism and Japanese applicable to all Buddhist countries.

[dhammapalatan]

Buddhism has co-existed quite peacefully with the native faiths in various Asia regions, the spirit of "live and let live" prevail and flourish.

[fikipilot]

Well, that was comprehensive. Pretty cool kings and generals. Pretty cool! Now, I have to go learn much information about Shinto. Hai

[Alejojojo]

Buddhist however was at some point in Japanese history to be separated from Shinto, but they were so entertwined that sometimes it was difficult to do so.

[internee]

I appreciate this video in English with Western pov, in midst of fruitless disputes over whether it was Chinese or Korean that brought civilization to ancient Japan, you wrote both.

[SirJaymesDAudelée]

15 yr Buddhist practitioner here (Korean, version tho); took basic precepts in 2008. It’s great to see this channel— who covers all the medieval & ancient stuff that I love, all of a sudden cover a topic that is paramount in my life, even though I would not have thought based on your regular content, that the subject of Buddhism would be a fit for your channel. There is little militarily to speak about in terms of it. Not nothing, but very little, and in regard to its actual history, not it’s doctrine—which is obviously anti violence altogether.

I can’t say I know much about the Japanese history with Buddhism, but I can say from my own experience, that Buddhism isn’t really a religion. At least not in the sense of literally every other religion in the world. Faith essentially takes no part in core Buddhist teachings. In fact, faith was left to Hinduism & Vedic yogis according to Siddartha Gautama, as a thing that was simply not of any use to what he was looking for, which was an answer to suffering. His take on faith based religion was, “maybe it’s real, maybe it’s not; but irregardless, the religions do not appear to have an answer for suffering that is practical, so let’s leave them where they’re at, and look elsewhere for our answers.” So he didn’t seek to create a competing religion, he left the idea of religion to itself, and essentially created what we could quite accurately think of as a 2600 yr old program of psychotherapy, the way someone who lived 2600 years ago would dream up such a thing, so long before the concept of science would ever appear. And the 8 fold path of Buddhism is what he came up with. A way to live and interface with the world that gave us the best possible means to deal with suffering, and grants us peace and contentment—no matter what our circumstances are. And the roots of all this is simple an eternal, self critical, search for what is true in life, and what is essentially delusion.

So…

…Buddhism refutes no religion, and one can practice Buddhism as a member of any religion—at least from the Buddhist perspective. I doubt Islam would be tolerant of their members practicing Buddhism for example, but the reverse isn’t true.

Buddhism was never going to conflict with Shintoism, which is a heavily nature driven ideology. A nature ideology mixes extremely well with Buddhism. Probably better than with the religions of any place it travelled through during the great spread eastward.

It is relatively easy for Buddhism to gain a foothold in a culture that isn’t heavily - stubbornly dogmatic about their current beliefs, because the conversation simply begins with some ideas that no sane, reasonable person can refute, because these ideas are veritable to the nature of reality. And once people have that conversation, their minds open a bit, and they think, “this thing might have a lot more to teach us.” And so long as there isn’t already a cultural willingness to be attached hard to a delusional, dogmatic belief system, that just cannot be bent— otherwise certain people would loose their grip on power—the Buddhism could just slid in right next to whatever’s already there. This happens everywhere you have a people willing to engage in an ongoing discourse about the nature of reality. And I’ll leave it with this: ever wondered why Buddhism is, and always has been vehemently rejected by the Abrahamic religions?

See: “delusional, dogmatic belief systems, that are held hard so as to avoid loosing a grip on power. “

[SchizoFoxN]

Just started playing Total War: Shogun 2 again for the 100th or so time, perfect video to watch on the side, thanks!