"Hello Mr. Lee, first time we met, my name is Johnson, I'm from the church!" The man in front of him said with a faint smile.

"Hello ......"

If it wasn't necessary, Li Changguo didn't want to find the man in front of him, although he rarely knew the means of the church, but he knew how much blood it needed for a sect in history to be introduced to China, and this sect was naturally the current Buddhism.

China is one of the ancient civilizations in the world, with a long history and profound cultural accumulation. In history, there were three open periods, the first was the absorption of Buddhist culture during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the second was the acceptance of Western and Central Asian civilizations through the "Silk Road" during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the third was the church in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Although there are still many periods of cultural diffusion that are not so concentrated, and there are still various controversies and doubts about these periods of dissemination, as long as we look at it, the influence of Buddhist culture on China is so penetrating and penetrating. So much so that it is almost difficult for us to avoid foreign Buddhist culture and extract the true and pure "national essence".

Buddhism is not just a sect. Teach events. Coming on the great ship of Buddhism were equally excellent Indian, Greek, Persian and Central Asian cultures. Sculpture, painting, music, fine arts, products, treasures, crafts, technology, ideas, logic, character, ethos, all kinds of things, all crossed the Hanhai Sea and came to Middle-earth with the help of this ship. Vision, intellectuality, literature, and mind have all changed.

It must be said that Buddhist culture has changed China to a certain extent.

Buddhism arose in India around the 5th century BC. India was in the midst of a time of great upheaval and change: slave states were established in some places, and tribal alliances were still in place. Within the society there was a hierarchical-caste system: first, the Brahmins, who enjoyed the privilege of teaching, interpreting and presiding over sacrifices of the Vedic scriptures; Then there is Kshatriya. belonged to the military aristocracy; Vaishyas are the third estate, engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, producers and traders; Finally, there are the exploited Shudras.

Ruler "vulgar greed." Rough lust, lowly materialism. the selfish plundering of public property, as well as taxes, usury, extortion, etc...... It has caused unprecedented suffering in people's lives. "Wars of annexation between nations are constantly taking place, and the Kshatriya caste is under military rule. a sharp increase in power; With the development of the productive forces of society, the economic power of the Vaishyas has become increasingly strong. The old ideas are opposed by the broad masses of the people, the ideological circles are active, and all kinds of philosophies and heresies are inconsistent. Faced with the corruption of the rulers, social chaos and the misery of the poor, some people tried to withdraw from social life and became "shamen". They live in the wild and "wear bark." Eat acorns, drink water in your hands, do not marry, do not bear children, do asceticism, sit all day long."

The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni, was born in such times. He is a true historical figure who was born into the family of the King of Pure Rice in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapila (in present-day Nepal). The surname is Giodasin, and the name is Siddhartha; Shakya is the name of its tribe, and Muni means saint. After birth. His mother died and he was raised by his aunt. According to Kshatriya's custom, he began to learn calligraphy, Vedas, and martial arts at the age of 8, and was "proficient in all sixty-four kinds of books." The best education. At the age of 17, he married his beautiful wife, Yajendhara, and is said to have had a son.

Since childhood, he has been contemplative, thinking about social and life issues. I deeply feel the "impermanence" of human changes in the world, and I want to get rid of the troubles of life. At the age of 29, he resolutely gave up his rich wealth and privileged material life. Escaped from the house one night, cut his hair and shaved his hair, and became a "sand gate". He first went to the ascetic forest of the Bhagava Immortals to practice penance, then found Aroda Garan to live a Brahmanic life, and then studied sitting meditation with another Shaman.

Although after six years of penance, his body is thin and weak, but he still has not gotten rid of the suffering of "impermanence" and reached the state of liberation. So he cheered himself up again, went to the Nidanlian River, bathed in the river, ate again, meditated under a Bodhi tree, and meditated on it for seven days and seven days and nights. He thought of the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and used the idea of "reincarnation" to explain its roots, and put forward a whole set of basic ideas of Buddhism, such as "Twelve Causes", "Eightfold Path", and "Four Noble Truths", to reach the realm of great enlightenment. At the age of 35, he finally became a saint - Ye - "Buddha".

Since then, Shakyamuni has preached far and wide, covering North and Central India. He organized the Sangha, befriended the king, contacted the merchants and tycoons, established many monasteries, and formulated a whole system for organizing the monastery; He vigorously opposed the "Brahmin first", advocated the "equality of the four castes", was kind and gentle to all sentient beings, and proposed that Shakya's disciples should not talk about caste or caste, but only ...... in order of eldest and youngest. He promoted his Buddhist ideas and ideals until his death at the age of 80.

Shakyamuni's ideas won the support of the rising "Third Estate" and quickly developed in India. India is an ancient civilization that values philosophy and is full of imagination. With the widespread spread of Buddhist ideas and the increase in the number of monks, the charismatic experience of Shakyamuni became more and more miraculous among believers, and Shakyamuni evolved from a real historical figure to a sect. The idol of the church became a god. The theories of Buddhism are becoming more and more complicated, and the Buddhist sects that hold the highest qualifications have been difficult to adapt to the needs of society, and the content with free colors and more mythological elements makes Shakyamuni's thoughts more religious. Civilize.

In a society where myths and legends are abundant and witchcraft is valued, this apotheosis is inevitable. The deification of Shakyamuni has provided a colorful blueprint for Buddhist art. With the advent of Buddhism, the art of Buddhism, which used images and metaphors to propagate Buddhist teachings, also emerged. Buddhist art developed on the basis of the art inherent in India, and it was first carved on cliffs and stone pillars during the reign of Emperor Ashoka (268-232 BC), the third king of the Mauryan Dynasty, known as the Ashoka pillars, with ornate capitals carved at the upper ends of the stone pillars.

There are also records of the establishment of stupas in the stone carvings of Emperor Ashoka. The tower is the tomb of the ancient Indians, the top is high with an earthen ram, some are also covered with stones outside, the bones of the deceased are buried under the tower, and the tower is covered with exquisite carvings, which is the object of sacrifice. At the same time, caves were dug in the mountains, temples were built, and statues were carved. Painted murals. Early statues, mostly in relief. The three-dimensional sense is not very strong. Most of the figures are frontal upright, and the shape looks bloated. The facial expression is stiff and dull, lacking in life. Although the decorations, such as the headscarves and the jewelry they wear, are carefully depicted, they cannot hide the stereotyped shapes. The carved animals are more delicate and the images are more realistic. These characteristics are the embodiment of the rustic style of ancient Indian art.

During the subsequent Sunga dynasty (187-72 BCE) and the Satwahana dynasty (30 BCE-3rd century AD, the Hundred Theravadic dynasty), Buddhist art at the beginning of Ashoka was further developed. Whether it is the famous Balhut and the Shanchida Pagoda, or the Baya and Ajanta Caves, they are all majestic and magnificent. The carvings are vivid and exquisite. In the carvings of stupas and caves of this period, the themes of Buddhist art, such as the story of Bunsen, the Buddha's biography, the protector deity, the decorative patterns and the donor, have been basically completed. However, the image of the Buddha, the main object of worship, did not appear, but was replaced by the Bodhi tree, the Dharma wheel, the umbrella cover, and the footprints. The later Kushan dynasty carved the image of the Buddha in the middle reaches of the Ganges, southwest of present-day New Delhi, and developed into "mathura art".

The "Gupta Art" that emerged during the Gupta Dynasty in the 4th century AD (319-540 AD) was the peak in the history of the development of Buddhist art in India. All these arts remain the splendor of Indian history and its artistic treasures to this day. Another development of Buddhism during the reign of Ashoka was the spread of Buddhism to all parts of India. It first spread to Sri Lanka in the south of India. Rows of stone columns were added around the large tower built here, decorated with beautiful capitals; Afterward. The famous Lion Rock Siklia mural was produced.

Buddhism spread westward along the Silk Road to the Gandhara region. It is the crossroads of the ancient land transportation between Asia and Europe, and the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures. In the early days, it was occupied by King Alexander of Macedon, who founded a number of Hellenistic cities; Later, it was unified under the Mauryan Empire of India. When Buddhism was transmitted here. Many local Greeks converted to Buddhism, built pagodas, and built monasteries. Offering relics,......。

Mid-century AD. The Yueshi people, who originally lived in Huaguo, established the Kushan Kingdom here, and its third king, Gyalseka, followed the example of Ashoka and believed in Buddhism. In the territory of the implementation of Buddhism, held a gathering, for a time Mahayana Buddhism flourished, built a tower to repair the temple, carved stone Buddhist art prevailed. The people of the Kushan Kingdom created the famous "Gandhara Art" in the history of Buddhist art.

Another achievement of Gandhara art is the creation of the image of the Buddha. Buddhism during the Kushan Dynasty was dominated by Mahayana; It also inherited the active culture and art of the Mauryan Dynasty and carried it forward to make it more colorful.

"Due to the influence of Greco-Roman liberal thought, Greco-Roman had a long tradition of making various idols of gods. Church and Western sculpture art have long been deeply integrated." Thus, the image of the Buddha first appeared in the Gandhara region. The worship of the Buddha's idols gradually replaced the pagoda and developed into the main object of worship. The production of the image of the Buddha indicates that the main subject matter of Buddhist art has been completed.

At this time and in the centuries that followed, Buddhism and its art spread along the Silk Road to the north, west, and east, and in Central Asia, in addition to the above-mentioned regions, in the west to the south of the Amu Darya River and in the north to the Syr Darya River in the north, including present-day Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries respected and respected by the local rulers. Buddhism flourished in this area, and they used white plaster and other materials to mold Buddha statues and architectural decorations,......。

The people, scholars, and artists of these regions have developed their own ideas, sects, and religions. On the basis of teaching, culture, art, living customs and natural conditions, he studied, understood, judged the situation of these foreign things, and combined them with his own traditional culture to produce the "Amu Darya School of Art".

Buddhism was introduced to China around the 1st century B.C., and Buddhist art flourished with it. First appeared in the Frontier Regions. According to the local natural conditions, the people of these areas built stupas with rammed earth and earth blocks; built a "Hui" shaped hall of "wood bone mud wall"; And the central pillar cave that appeared in India has been developed, forming a "turtle-style" shape with local characteristics; The art of clay sculpture was developed by shaping statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva with clay and plaster, etc.; The lines in the Central Plains painting of China were organically combined with the concave and convex smudging method in India, resulting in the "Yumin Art", "Qiuci Art" and "Gaochang Art" in the "Frontier Painting School".

Buddhist art was passed on to the Central Plains of China, and combined with the inherent Chinese painting art in China, there was a Buddhist art in the Central Plains style, such as the use of lines and the Dunhuang art of color. Ganggrotto art, etc. Similarly, the Buddhist art of the Central Plains also shows the characteristics of the region, radiating brilliance in the unification. Buddhism then spread to the dynasty. Xian, Dongying and other Far East and Southeast Asian regions have also successively appeared prosperous and unique situations. There are still many devout believers in these areas today.

Buddhist art is a comprehensive art, including buildings, pagodas, temples and other carriers; Sculptures, paintings, and some decorative motifs that express the contents, as well as plastic works of art such as ritual vessels and offering vessels. As mentioned above, Buddhism and its art originated in India, and with the spread of Buddhism, Buddhist art also flourished in various parts of Asia.

This has made Buddhist art more colorful, and it has become a kind of art with national and local characteristics. Some of these creations have even developed into their own national traditions. At the same time, it also reflects the level of their respective culture and art. Therefore, the exploration of these developments and changes in Buddhist art has a significant impact on Central Asia and China, especially the frontier history, sectarian history, and Buddhism. The study of education and culture and art is of great significance.

In short, these Buddhist buildings and arts, shining with dazzling brilliance on the ancient Silk Road, show the style of the ancient Oriental peoples, and their connotation and significance are very profound. As early as 2,000 years ago, Buddhist monks and monks traveled hard to spread Buddhist ideas and teachings along the Silk Road, and with it, Buddhist art - architecture, sculpture, painting, etc. - also developed in these places. Majestic pagoda temples, solemn Buddha statues, gorgeous and colorful murals, these exquisite works of art, like pearls, are connected by the Silk Road one by one, becoming the immortal cultural and artistic heritage of all mankind.

The Silk Road is not only a trade route, but also a way to spread Buddhism and its art, but also a cultural road to connect the economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and to integrate and promote the development of their respective traditional cultures. Through these Buddhist arts, we can understand and understand the Buddhist architecture and art along the Silk Road and their relationship with the development of local society and culture. These immortal cultural and artistic heritages of all mankind are serving us to actively explore, research, develop, utilize, and then use them to serve mankind. (To be continued......)