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Chinese Buddhism

Explorer · ages 7 and underAdapted from Wikipedia
A view of the Longmen Grottoes, ancient Buddhist cave temples carved into cliffs beside the Yi River in China.

What Is Chinese Buddhism?

Chinese Buddhism is a special form of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also called Han Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism. Its teachings come from a big collection of writings called the Chinese Buddhist canon.

Chinese Buddhism is the largest organized religion in mainland China. In 2020, about 42 to 53 million Chinese Buddhists lived in the People's Republic of China. It is also important in Taiwan, Singapore, and among Chinese families living in other countries, called the Chinese diaspora.

How It Came to China

Buddhism first came to China during the Han dynasty. Monks traveled along the Silk Road and over the sea. Many emperors liked Buddhism, especially during the Tang dynasty, when it spread across the country.

Early translators turned Buddhist texts into Chinese. Chinese writers also added new works that mixed in ideas from Taoist and Confucian teachers. Over time, new Chinese traditions grew, including Chan Buddhism.

Beliefs and Practices

Chinese Buddhists chant, pray, and sit quietly in meditation. Many people follow a vegetarian diet, and some visit sacred places like Mount Wutai, Mount Emei, Mount Jiuhua, and Mount Putuo. Many people also worship Guanyin, a bodhisattva of kindness and compassion.

Some schools of thought are Tiantai, Huayan, Chan, and Pure Land. Many people also practice tai chi or qigong.

Holidays and Festivals

Chinese Buddhists celebrate many festivals. Some of the most loved are Buddha's Birthday, Chinese New Year, and the Lantern Festival. On these days, people visit temples, make offerings of flowers and fruit, and join in happy celebrations. The dates follow the Chinese calendar.

Quiz time!

3 questions about Chinese Buddhism

Question 1 of 3

Chinese Buddhism is a special form of which Buddhism?

Pictures

The inner courtyard of Jintai Temple in Doumen District, Zhuhai, China, with some of its monks.
Daxiong Hall, the main hall of Guangde Nunnery in Ningbo, China, a Buddhist temple building.
A statue of the Eleven-faced Guanyin, a Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, at Dule Temple in Jizhou District, Tianjin, China.
The shanmen, or front gate, of White Horse Temple in Luoyang, Henan, China. This temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China.
Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province, China, a sacred mountain and World Heritage Site known for its Buddhist temples.
A dancer spins while musicians play, shown in an ancient painting from the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, China. The large pipa she holds is one of three kinds of lutes shown in the scene.
The front of the main hall of Nanchan Temple, one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in China.
The Wooden Pagoda of Fogong Temple in Ying County, Shanxi, China, a tall wooden tower that has stood for nearly 1,000 years.
An aerial view of Fo Guang Shan, a large Buddhist monastery complex surrounded by green hills.
Buildings of Guangyou Temple in Liaoyang, China.
Monks and nuns praying inside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore, a important place of worship for Buddhists.
Buddha statues inside the Mahavira Hall of Baoning Temple, a Buddhist temple in Wangcheng District of Changsha, China.
Volunteers and officials from the Tzu Chi Foundation and Taipei's Labor Bureau held a free health check-up for foreign workers at Nankou Square near Taipei Station in 2011.
The Great Buddha's Palace (Brahma Palace) at Lingshan in Wuxi, China, a Buddhist temple complex.
Buddhist expansion in Asia: Mahayana Buddhism first entered the Chinese Empire (Han dynasty) through the Silk Road during the Kushan Era. The overland and maritime Silk Roads were interlinked and complementary, forming what scholars have called the "great circle of Buddhism".
Donglin Temple at Mount Lu, considered the birthplace of Pure Land Buddhism
Traditional Buddhist ceremony in Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Keep exploring

China
Taiwan
Singapore
Han dynasty
Silk Road
Tang dynasty

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Chinese Buddhism, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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