It has been said that religions are not static. They are the result of shifting social, economic, and political changes. Sometimes religions themselves cause cultural change. They may challenge outdated ideologies and during processes of conflict become altered to more suit the needs of the people they serve. During stable historical periods, changes in religions may appear imperceptible, but during times of political or social upheaval, religious changes are more obvious, and, in fact, may outdistance changes in other areas of life . The relationship between religion and culture is quite close, and it seems impossible to understand one without seriously studying the other. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the early origins of Buddhism, particularly in the pre-Japan and Japan era, the affects of Buddhism on the Japanese culture, and the position of Buddhism in Japan at the present time.
Buddhism was introduced from India into China during the first century A.D., and it was largely under the influence of Buddhism that China flourished in its age of the T'ang dynasty. Buddhism found great numbers of followers in China and came to be regarded as virtually inseparable from the centralization of the institutions of that country, particularly the visual arts. Buddhism moved from India into China due to the greatly expanding economy and the socio-economic and political changes which occurred as India moved from the pastoralism of an earlier time to a surplus agrarian and urban economy. These economic and social factors reflected in early Buddhism greatly influenced its ethos and later development in Japan. Under the T'ang dynasty China enjoyed a great national flourishing, and her influence extended far beyond the borders, into Korea and Japan.
Buddhism was introduced into Japan during the sixth century and quickly gained acceptance among the ruling class as a vehicle of sophisticated Chinese civilization and a ...