My class being 6th grade world history we study about how Buddhism began. Our text talks about Siddhartha Gautama's enlightenment after he saw old age, pain, and death. He lived during the same time as Confucius but it was he who started the Buddhist Religion. This religion has guidelines similar to the ten Commandments of the Bible. They have the Eightfold Path.
Buddhism is a more conventional religion than either Taoism or Confucianism. Buddhists go to services, practice rituals, and give money to their local temple. During the time of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), Buddhism became popular and its priest and temples were wealthy and powerful.
In their heightened power, the Tang emperors felt threatened by them, and therefore persecuted both the leaders and the followers of Buddhism. But they survived and became another influential system of thought in the development of Chinese culture. There are many of them throughout the United States today.[Edit by="sshorter on Jan 12, 4:08:00 PM"][/Edit]
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