Spread of Buddhism-Response to 11/21 Class Discussion

I copied this from my journal, just to get the hang of blogging...

Buddhism had many obstacles to overcome in order to be accepted. It had to adapt to many preexisting traditions in China and SE Asia, such as deities, hierarchies, and respect for family (filial piety). It is ironic that Siddhartha Gautama never wanted to be worshipped, but Buddhist monks allowed the Chinese to worship "the Buddha" along Daoist deities early on. It is also ironic that Buddhism was meant for meditation and enlightenment, but it was sometime appealing because of its attractive economic benefits (ex. Buddhist traders that were very prosperous). Overall from a Buddhist perspective, it was worth going through all these adaptions because they made Buddhism more appealing. Now millions of people practice Buddhism, and it has become a major religion in a world where western religions have dominated for centuries.

First Blog Ever

I'm really excited to start using blogspot to record my responses and reactions to class discussions. I hope I will be able to use this efficiently and effectively.