Buddhism in Central Asia
Had Buddhism in Central Asia in its heyday, in the first Christian millennium, an important intermediary position between the Indian States and the development in China, especially after the fall of the Later Han Dynasty ( 220). The most intense was the bilateral cultural exchange from the sixth century. Since the Islamic conquests of Buddhism in the region is virtually meaningless.
With "Central Asia " here are the different states and kingdoms called that existed in the Tarim Basin and neighboring areas such as Badakhshan and the Oxus region - mostly around the oases along the Silk Road - essentially the area within 36-43 ° North and 73 - 92 ° East. From Central Asia and the impetus came from that led to the conversion of the Tibetans, Mongols, Buryats and Kalmyks. It is to the area that is referred to in Chinese literature as "the western regions ".
- 3.1 General and history
- 3.2 Literature and Manuscripts
- 3.3 Notes and references
- 4.1 See also
Development
Chance of theories have been put forward that the region has been completely evangelized BC by the Graeco- Buddhism. This would be to assume that not only king Menander, how about coming in the "Ask the Milindapañha " but also his kingdom had converted to Buddhism. It also remains unclear the reliability of a point in the Mahavamsa ( chronicle of Sri Lanka ) that the "wise Mahadeva " with a large number of monks from the region of the island have visited 101-77 BCE.
Parts of the Parthian Empire could have been Buddhist since the 1st century BC. The 148 arrived in China Parthian prince to Shih- kao (安世高) became an important early missionaries in China.
Western region
The earliest archaeologically detectable Buddhist presence dates from the time of Ashoka, were found by the stone inscriptions in Aramaic and Greek in Kandahar and Laghman.
On the coins of some Indo- Greek kings are inscriptions and figures, which were interpreted Buddhist. The achtspeichige wheel, a symbol of Buddhism appears on some coins of Menander. On the coins of Straton I. (about 125 to about 110 BC) and other kings, such as Peukolaos finds, for example, to the term Dharmika ( the Dharma ), which was buddhist, but also used Hindu.
In somewhat safer ground you stand with the Indo- Scythians. Along with coins of King Azes II (ca. 35-12 BC ) found the Bimaranreliquie on which one of the earliest representations of Buddha is located.
The founder of the Kushan dynasty Kujula Kadphises, from the Scythian tribe of the Yuezhi ( Yueh - chi), conquered the greater part of today's Afghanistan and established his suzerainty over the entire Indus Valley. In the first century, his grandson Kanishka extended (reigned after 78 or 100-125 ) the sphere of the North Indian kingdom of Gandhara, with its capital in Purushpura (now Peshawar ), where at that time a great temple complex ( Kanishka Mahāvihāra ) and a 400 foot high stupa was built.
This was the time when Indian Buddhism was in its zenith. The connections within the empire promoted beyond its spread over Afghanistan, where Buddhism had already taken root. The Emperor Kaniska was a major supporter of spreading to the north. He is known as the organizer of the fourth Buddhist Council, which was the doctrine of the primacy Sarvastivadin. In this time of transition to the Sanskrit falls as the canonical language .. Chinese sources provide the names of some major missionaries who appeared mostly as a translator canonical writings.
The missionary story is known and historically Kharoṣṭ inscriptions.
In the first centuries CE, originated in Central Asia - though mostly desert - in some oases Buddhist monasteries where monks not only local, but also many resided from Kashmir and Gandhara. The cultural colonization of these areas from India was the time of the Kushan dynasty. Monasticism in the region evolved more into a scholastic direction. The initially dominant Sarvastivadin School was supplanted by Mūlasarvāstivādin.
The spread of Buddhism took place mainly along the trade routes between India and China, the most famous classical description of the time travel story of Xuanzang (玄奘traveled: 629-45 ) is. The two branches of the Silk Road from Balkh to Dunhuang, which was a center of Buddhist missionary activity since the third century, formed the incident path for the dissemination of various Buddhist schools to East Asia.
To the east of present-day Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan excavations Soviet scientist various temple complexes have brought to light (also later time). Among other things, in Airtam (17 km from Termez ), Kara -Tepe ( cave temple in Termez, with Stupa, probably destroyed during the Sassanid Buddhist persecution 275 ), Fayaz -Tepe, Ak - Besshim (8 km from Tokmok, 1953-4 ) and Dalverzin -Tepe ( discovered in 1967 ), which still show the importance of Buddhism in the area, partly by inscriptions of its founders during the Kushan period.
A Buddhist center of the 3 / 4 Century was Margiana, that is, the area around the oasis of Merv ( near today's Mary ( Turkmenistan) ). In the area of Ferghana, and Khorezm Buddhism seems to have found less input, although there artifacts were found ( QUVA, Balavaste, Ajina Tepe is 12 km from Kurgan - Tübe )
After the Huna invasion it came under Mihirakula ( 502-42; ch:摩 醯 罗 矩 罗. ) To a first Buddhist persecution in the region. As a direct result, the number of Indian Buddhist refugees rose in the Chinese capital Luoyang in about 3000, which seemed fruitful for the Chinese Buddhism. However, Xuanzang describes the Mahāsāṃghika - school than in Bamiyan flourishing.
In the region there were, at a later period (6th - 8th century), in addition to Buddhism and eastern Manichaeism and Nestorianism to a certain extent, not always free of conflicts, side by side.
Sogdiana
From the lands of Sogd ( with the capital Samarkand ) that the Kang of the Chinese, several significant early missionaries came to China. Buddhism seems to have been there displaced by resurgent Manichaeism in the 7th century, for the most part.
Balkh
There dominated the Sarvastivadin related western Vaibhasika School, which was widespread throughout Western Turkestan. This represents a link in the transition from Hina - Mahayana dar. Balkh was the 7th century capital of Tocharistan and to many (? Hundred) temple have had. Excavations in Zang -Tepe (30 km from Termez ) have confirmed the historical descriptions.
Eastern region
From the turn of time are Buddhist activities in the area of today's Sikiang Chinese province ( " Chinese Turkestan " ) detected.
Khotan
Main article: Kingdom of Hotan
Located on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin oasis of Khotan is also known as Kustana. You should have been colonized at the time of Asoka's Indians and was economically and culturally the most significant place for Buddhism. In its heyday, the power range up to Niya (Ni- jang ) covered.
Khotan was an early mahayanistisches center, as well as the Book of Zambasta, an anthology of the 8th century shows.
The kings maintained a significant monastery Gotami. Locally, especially religious music was cultivated. Mahāyāna teachings prevailed. The out of town, the monastery became the location of birch-bark manuscripts written in Sanskrit, but are written in Kharoshthi font.
With the Islamic conquest of Khotan in 1004 Buddhism was ousted, a process that had begun in western Turkestan 200 years earlier. Today's living there Turkic Muslims have virtually no knowledge of history.
Turkic
Turkic tribes that were known to Buddhism to some extent from the 6th century, without accepting him immediately, began to confess to from the early 7th century. The Chinese traveler Ou k'ong ( traveled to Kashmir and Gandhara 759-64 ) already reported by built under Turkherrschaft temples.
The Uyghur who had known 762-845 for Manichaeism, were defeated in Mongolia 842. Then they went south from there it was taken over - and resurgence - the Buddhist culture also among the Turkic peoples nachdringenden.
Also see: Realm of Göktürks
Kucha
Main article: Kuqa
Located between Kashgar and Turpan oasis Kuqa ( ch. :龟兹or库车) was known in ancient times for its abundance of water. From the 4th century Tocharer dynasty had established there. The local Buddhists usually hung on the Sarvastivadin. They were the first who began to translate Sanskrit manuscripts in local languages. Maitreya was an object of special veneration. It is the origin of the translator Kumarajiva (罗什, 344-413 ).
Kashgar
The west of the Tarim Basin located place Kashgar is referred to in Chinese texts as Su- leh. Currently Hsuan - tang Sarvāstivaādin the doctrine was still the dominant one. After rigorous devastation by Muslim conquerors are now hardly Buddhist traces found.
Yarkant
Yarkant was the Han dynasty known as So -ku, later Che -ku -p'o or Che -ku -ka. Mahayanist teachings prevailed.
Karashar
Karashahr ( Sanskrit: Agni ) is the Chinese Yanqi or A - k'i -ni. Around 400 predominated the Hinayana teaching direction here. At present, the journey of Hsuan - tsang the place had probably already irrelevant.
See also: site of Buddhist temple in Shikshin
Loulan
Loulan on the Lop Nor, was the Han period as Shan -shan known, later Na -fo -po, tiebtanisch Nob and one of the most important localities for modern manuscripts. Loulan is obviously Chinese transcription of the original name Kroraina. The traveler Faxian (法 显) reported that there, dominated by 400 Hinayana Buddhism under strict observance of the Vinaya.
Turpan
Main article: Turpan, German Turfanexpeditionen
Turpan (吐鲁番) was an important center both hinayana as well mahayanistischer schools, whose traces can be traced back to the 4th century. From the 9th century, the region was the heart of the Uyghur Empire.
Buddhist literature
The literature of the canon is in various languages, mostly, but not only in Sanskrit but also Prakrit, Tocharian, Uighur, inter alia, Receive dialects. In total, it covers the entire range of contemporary Buddhist doctrines.
Was often written on birch bark. After the British Colonel Bower and the French traveler Dutreul in the 1890s for the first time acquired birch-bark manuscripts, began soon after the systematic archaeological search. Major localities of manuscripts such - in the Indian stock often lost materials - are friendlier ( the Kingdom of Shanshan ), Donhuang, Loulan Gucheng and the nearby Niya (Ni- jang ). The first texts were found by the expeditions of Aurel Stein, Dimitri Alexandrovich Klementz, the Japanese Count Otani Kozui and Paul Pelliot.
The area of present day Afghanistan are not exactly localized findings, the two most important collections come today. Firstly, the collection of the British Library from the 1st century, including with canonical writings of the Dharmagupta school. Second, the collection Schøyen, the Norwegian National Library contains the texts from the second to the seventh century, mostly Mahāyāna scriptures. The manuscripts found are written in Prakrit and Sanskrit and not transferred into local languages .
The later, translated into Agni and Kucha manuscripts dating from the 5th and 7th centuries have been preserved in agnäisch ( Tokhara A) and kucharisch ( Tokhara B). The first translator " Dharmamitra from Termez " ( Tarmita ) is provable. Found in Zang -Tepe fragments of the 7th or 8th century, the Brahmi script, written in one, inherited from the Tocharians, variant. The Uyghur took over this. Your traditional manuscripts contain mostly Mahayana texts, hardly Vinaya.