In the early first century AD, Buddhism wandered from India into Central Asia and eventually crossed the Yumen Pass into China. It arrived bearing the distinct marks of a foreign faith, seeking to establish a foothold in Chinese soil. After three to four centuries of integration, it gradually took on a form more familiar to the Han people.

This outsider, born out of the Brahmin society, clashed with China’s worldview. Concepts like reincarnation and karma were foreign to the Chinese, who instead held to a belief in the "Mandate of Heaven." The Book of Changes explored the principles of yin and yang, Lao Tzu spoke of the Dao—both searching for cosmic order and ultimate origins. Confucians acknowledged the supremacy of Heaven's way, while Buddhists denied the existence of a sovereign creator. When it came to life and death, the Chinese believed in the immortality of the soul and that the departed lived on in an underworld much like the world of the living (hence the traditions of ancestor worship and elaborate tomb construction). In contrast, Buddhism taught that “all things are impermanent,” with no eternal, unchanging essence.

Northern Buddhism struggled to adapt. Monks refused to kneel before emperors, nuns and monks did not engage in productive labor, and leaving one’s family to become a monastic violated Confucian ethics of filial piety—all of which sparked social tensions. Over time, however, Buddhism became more assimilated: it came under imperial regulation, developed temple-based economies, and began to affirm that laypeople could practice the faith without renouncing worldly life.

Thanks to generations of monks traveling westward to retrieve scriptures, imperial support for Buddhist translations, and literati who infused poetry and painting with Zen thought, Buddhism finally took root. It became one of the three pillars of Han culture—alongside Confucianism and Daoism—interweaving with them, exchanging influence, and producing diverse cultural expressions.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the truth of the gospel, so we may know You. For centuries, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism have sought answers to life’s mysteries and the laws of heaven. But only You, the Creator, hold the true answers. We pray that followers of Chinese Buddhism—and those shaped by Confucian and Daoist traditions—may come to know that You are the self-existent, eternal God. You established the laws that govern the universe, yet You are not an impersonal cosmic force, but the Creator who loves us and longs to enter into a covenant relationship with us. Help Christians reflect the beauty of Christ in societies shaped by Han Buddhism. Lord, Buddhism took centuries to become rooted in Chinese soil—may we likewise persevere in mission work with patience. Keep us from giving up out of impatience, from turning back in the face of difficulty, or growing discouraged when responses seem few. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.