Shigeo Kamata's "The Way Buddhism Came" Summary and Comments - Recommended reference book to learn the history of the spread of Buddhism to China. Learn about the grueling journey of the Sanzang Dharma Masters.
I would like to introduce "The Way Buddhism Came" by Shigeo Kamata, published by Kodansha in 2003.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Buddhism, which was introduced from India to the West, spread eastward to China, Korea, and Japan, taking firm roots in each of these regions. Along the path of the spread of Buddhism, there are many legacies of Buddhist culture, including the grottoes of Dunhuang and Yungang. The key players in the spread of Buddhism were the Buddhist monks who were passionate about proselytizing and seeking the Dharma, such as Buddha Zucho, Fa Xian, and Xuanzang Sanzang. This exhibition sheds light on the historical sites, artifacts, and accomplishments of these Buddhist missionaries that still remain today, and traces the path taken by the Buddha.
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In this book, you can learn about the activities of the famous Genjo Sanzo and other Sanzo priests and their historical background.
Buddhism spread from India to China. This fact itself is widely known, but it is surprisingly difficult to know when, where, and how Buddhism was actually transmitted. I myself was only vaguely aware of it. Reading this book, I was surprised at how dangerous and life-threatening it was to travel from China to India in search of Buddhist scriptures.
The author describes the book in the "Afterword" at the end of the book as follows
The book, "The Spread of Buddhism" (the original title of this book), has traditionally focused on the history of the spread of Buddhism, but in this book, we have tried to shed light on the people who spread Buddhism. Looking at the lives of Hoken and Xuanzang, we are keenly aware that they lived a hard life, overcoming any difficulties with a determination to spare their lives and abandoning everything in order to achieve a single goal. By reading this book, we can learn about the indomitable will and vitality of these predecessors.
In addition, this book does not merely introduce existing Buddhist relics from China and Korea, but strives to provide an understanding of the history and culture of the Han and Korean peoples who created these relics.
In addition, this book not only provides readers with the history of the eastward expansion of Buddhism, but also describes the current status of grottoes and temples in China, which will be useful for those who are planning to travel to China. It will also serve as a Buddhist travel guide, especially for those who are visiting China to see temples and grottoes. We hope that it will also be useful as a reference work for the "East Asia Old Temples Pilgrimage. I have included brief introductions to famous temples not only in China but also in Korea.
Kodansha, Shigeo Kamata, The Way Buddhism Came, p. 290
In the lives of Hoken and Xuanzang, we are keenly aware of their grim lives, in which they overcame any difficulty with a determination to spare their lives and abandon everything in order to achieve a single goal. We can learn about the indomitable will and vitality of these predecessors by reading this book."
In this book, you will learn about the passionate spirit of seeking of the monks who traveled to India in search of sutras. It is because of these life-threatening journeys that Buddhism reached Japan.
Also, as quoted above, the book explains a lot about Buddhist sites in China and on the Silk Road. It is very easy to visualize the sites because of the pictures included in the book. This work is very much appreciated as a reference work when visiting places related to Buddhism.
We recommend this book to learn about the monks who risked their lives to search for sutras and the process of propagation and development of Chinese Buddhism. We encourage you to pick up a copy.
This is "Shigeo Kamata's "The Way Buddhism Came" - A recommended reference book to learn the history of the spread of Buddhism to China. Learn about the tough journey of the Sanzang priests".
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