Background Information
Background Information
An Introduction to Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism was officially transmitted to Japan in 552, when the monarch of the Korean kingdom of Baekje sent a mission to Japan with gifts, including an image of the Buddha, several ritual objects, and sacred texts. Buddhism’s journey from India to China, Korea, and Japan had taken about a thousand years.
Background Information
What is Asia?
“Asia” is a term invented by the Greeks and Romans, and developed by Western geographers to indicate the land mass east of the Ural Mountains and Ural River, together with offshore islands such as Japan and Java.
Background Information
How to Identify a Buddha
The earliest surviving representations of the Buddha date from hundreds of years after his death, so they are not portraits in the usual sense. Buddha images vary greatly from place to place and period to period, but they almost always show these conventional features . . .
Activity
Create Your Own Hanging Scroll and Name Seal
Create your own hanging scroll and name seal.
Background Information
An Introduction to the Zhou Dynasty
A date around 1050 BCE is generally accepted as the date of the defeat of the Shang dynasty (approx. 1500 to 1050 BCE) by Wen Wang and the establishment of the Zhou. The Zhou is divided into Western and Eastern stages, with 771 BCE a critical year, when the Zhou court moved east to Luoyang.
Background Information
An Introduction to the Religion and Philosophy of the Tang (618-906) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties
Background Information
An Introduction to the Geography of China
Much of China, a country slightly larger than the continental United States, is hilly or mountainous. To its east lies the Pacific Ocean; to its south thick jungles. Learn more.
Video
Zen Buddhism
An introduction to Zen, a form of Buddhism that emphasizes seeking one’s own Buddha nature through meditation.
Lesson
The Spiritual Life of the Samurai: Meditation and Brushpainting
Students will discuss the ways in which spiritual belief supported and enhanced the military function and cultural values of the samurai. They will experience this practice through an ink painting activity.