The Flower of Chinese Buddhism

Buddhism, which originated and was developed in India, was gradually transmitted to China, a country with a wholly different cultural background. Though the core teachings of Buddhism were preserved, with different culture and languages, it was not received unchanged by the people of China. The process in which new elements and changes were adapted to Buddhism provides a key to understanding some of the characteristics that qualify Buddhism as a world religion. Focusing special attention on the narrative of those Chinese scholars and figures who upheld the Lotus Sutra and established the foundation of Chinese Buddhism, the Tiantai School in particular, Ikeda here offers his intriguing insight into how Chinese Buddhism came into full flower.