Buddhism and islam on the silk road pdf files

But scholars are even more amazed at the religious diversity of silk road oasis communities. Pdf buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog philadelphia. In particular, this lesson will investigate buddhism on the silk road through the. Buddhism on the silk routes university of washington. Islam to human society is its teaching of equality and brotherhood. Of course foltz points out that trade goods moved along the many routes of the silk road in relays, transferred from one carrier to another until journeys end. Yet is there really such a contradiction between being both buddhist and wealthy. Since islam condemned the iconography, most of the buddhist statues and wallpaintings were damaged or destroyed. Other trade routes allowed travelers on the silk road to trade with merchants from central asia, africa, the middle east and europe. Buddhism and islam on the silk road encounters with asia. From about the first century bc, buddhism began its spread along the silk road. Decline of buddhism the decline of buddhism along the silk road was due to the collapse of the tang dynasty in the east and the invasion of arabs in the west. Environmental education resources to commemorate earth days 50th anniversary.

Silk road transmission of buddhism encyclopedia of buddhism. Johan elverskog buddhism and islam on the silk road. Barrett and others published buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog find, read and cite all the. A historical overview on buddhism and islam indian society before the birth of buddhism and arab society before the birth of islam share several characteristics, such as polytheism, the worshipping of idols and the existence of great social inequalities. Around the middle of the 1st millennium bc, this region went through a sociolcultural.

The muslim destruction of buddhist culture was recorded by a persian historian, minhajisiraj in the eth century. The spread of islam along the silk route uw departments web. Buddhism excellently exemplifies the modern implications of the silk road. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog. Five college center for east asian studies buddhism along the. It spread to many places such as central asia, china, iran, and southeast asia. Islam and buddhism still encounter and analyze each other in these regions. Prelesson 1 to be done prior to the usc pacific asia museum field trip warm up activity. The silk road transmission between eastern and indian buddhism thus came to an end in the 8th century, on one hand because islam in central asia repressed buddhism along the silk road itself, but also because buddhism in both india and china were in decline by that time. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. The widespread adoption of islam beyond the arab peninsula is recorded in some older histories as starting as early as the midseventh century, but in fact, this probably did not occur until at least a century later. The cradle of buddhism is to be found in iron age india. This paper seeks to initiate dialogue between islam and buddhism through the islamic concept of ummatan wasaan middle nation and the buddhist concept of majjhimapatipada middle way as a.

There is a myth that has the end of buddhism in india a result of the destruction of the buddhist monastery of nalanda by muslim raiders in 1202. By the fifth century silk was no longer shipped out of china across the silk road, and the silk road was past its prime by the 1400 s c. The destruction of giant buddha statues at bamiyan by the taliban government. The transmission of buddhism to central asia and china corresponded with the development of the silk routes as channels for intercultural exchanges. As such, people have come to accept as true that buddhists and muslims never enjoyed good relations after coming into contact with each other.

Although today a thriving world religion, buddhism was on the decline around the time of the birth of the silk road. Sep 28, 2010 religions of the silk road looks behind the romantic notions of the colonial era and tells the story of how cultural traditions, especially in the form of religious ideas, accompanied merchants and their goods along the overland asian trade routes in premodern times. Just as they had no problem slaughtering the teachers and disciples of nalanda. This very quality in the course of time resulted in the elevation of islam to the status of a cultural and a civilizational religion. Buddhism spread along the silk roads, gaining converts among pastoral peoples and in oasis towns. After spreading to china, the chan school of buddhism developed and this later became the zen school of japan. Drawing on the latest research and scholarship, this newly revised and updated edition of religions of the silk road explores the majestically fabled cities and exotic peoples that make up the romantic notions of the colonial era while examining how cultural traditions also travelled to the people encounted on the silk road. Silk roadsilk, spices, chemicals, leather, metals, glass, gems, and paper are just a few examples. As it travelled and was accepted, whole communities took the message on board and monks lived along the way. Of the 18 buddhist schools of interpretation, five existed along the silk road. Buddhism still has a presence in northwest china, mongolia, the peripheries of xinjiang, the tibetan sphere, and more.

This groundbreaking book covers inner asia from the eighth century through the mongol empire and to the end of the qing dynasty in the late nineteenth century. But it was buddhism, travelling the trade routes of the silk road, which became the common factor uniting the different. Having drunk the wine, my love, of being one with you, i. With the spread of islam into the regions around the silk road, many of the stupas and temples were destroyed or left abandoned in the desert. Steep, dangerous routes of the silk road continued west. While the silk road was a twoway route, most of its movement was eastward, carrying buddhism, zoroastrianism, judaism, and later, islam. Pdf buddhism and islam on the silk road dipen barua. Export a ris file for endnote, procite, reference manager, zotero, mendeley export a text file for bibtex note. Students will use technology to explore the social, cultural, religious, and economic impact of the silk road and other transcontinental trade routes between the classical era and gunpowder empires of world history. The silk road was a vital route not just for physical goods but ideas as well, and it had a significant impact on the spread of buddhism through central asia. Buddhisms universal message had a strong appeal to the cosmopolitan merchant world of inner eurasia.

Buddhism spread across asia through networks of overland and maritime routes between india, southeast asia, central asia, and china. Buddhism and islam on the silk road demonstrates that the history of buddhist muslim interaction is much richer and more complex than many assume. Buddhism became well established in northern india thanks to the sponsorship of the emperor ashoka. In her book the silk road journey with xuanzang, sally hovey wriggins writes, it was from monasteries that the teachings of buddhism radiated from india as far as china, a country that was enlightened by the new religion in much. The creation of buddhism originated from northern india. The impact of the silk road and islam on world history overview. This paper seeks to initiate dialogue between islam and buddhism through the islamic concept of ummatan wasaan middle nation and the buddhist. A history of central eurasia from the bronze age to the present. Many monasteries were established that became centers of wisdom and learning, as well as serving economic functions. With smaller sites of buddhist worship they had no such problems. Buddhism and islam on the silk road download ebook pdf. Access students prior knowledge of china, silk, trade, and the spread of religion.

Buddhism and islam on the silk road demonstrates that the history of buddhistmuslim interaction is much richer and more complex than many assume. The second aspect common to the prebuddhist and preislamic society was the worshiping of idols. Out of all social descriptions recorded in the history of preislamic arabic, the two most outstanding are. How did the establishment of the silk road increase trade, the spread of buddhism, and the connections between china and other regions of afro eurasia. As early as three thousand years ago hebraic and iranian religious ideas and practices traveled eastwards in this way, to be. The conversion to islam started in the 8th century in central asia. The silk road provided a network for the spread of the teachings of the buddha, enabling buddhism to become a world religion and to develop into a sophisticated and diverse system of belief and practice. Islam and buddhism relations from balkh to bangkok and tokyo. Buddhism and islam on the silk road johan elverskog. The economics, politics and spirituality of the religions along the greatest highways on earth.

Grade 6 the silk road prelesson 1 to be done prior to the. The persian church became the church of the east in 424 and adopted nestorianism. The civilizations which flourished along the silk road in the first millennium ce were open to cultural and religious influences from both east and west. Buddhism and islam on the silk road is a scholarly work, but one that provides enough background to be accessible to those without specialist knowledge, of the region or of either religion. Silk roads spiritual identity a historical overview on. Dec 19, 2019 for much of this time, most silk road traders coming from western eurasia were muslim, and they brought their beliefs and rich culture to millions of people. Johan elverskogs book, buddhism and islam on the silk road, challenges this perception by giving us a new perspective on buddhist and islamic interaction along this extensive trade route. The twohumped bactrian camel carried goods for caravans on the roads around the taklamakan desert. Many ruins exist in the desert regions where numerous finely decorated caves formed the centre of whole monasteries. The spread of buddhism and islam xinru liu the college of new jersey since andre gunder frank published the centrality of central asia1 in 1992, world historians have paid more attention to the dynamic forces radiating from central asia during the last few thousand years. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog, 2010. If they indeed did read the book, they would of known that buddhism did not cease to exist on the silk road.