Chinese Buddhism has a unique characteristic in that it has developed many schools. From the standpoint of the schools, the development of Chinese Buddhism can be broadly divided into three eras:
I. The era of propagation and translation of Buddhist sutras and the formation of various schools. This is the “Formation of schools Era“
In this period of 700 years, lasting from the early Eastern Han dynasty when Buddhist sutras initially spread to China, to the completion of the formation of various schools’ in the Sui Tang dynasties. The main contributions include Buddhist sutra translation, dharma teaching, propagation, research study, classification until the formation of schools such as Tien Tai, Avatamsaka, Three Treaties, Consciousness-Only, Zen, Secret, Precept, and Pure Land. Great schools are established.
Originally, Buddhism was a completely foreign culture and faith; therefore, translating sutras had to be the first step to Buddhist propagation. The people of China who were initially in contact with the wondrous dharma, during their process of developing faith and study, used cultural concepts native to the Chinese people to explain Buddhism in order to facilitate better understanding and cultivation. When over time the study and faith deepened, cultivators gradually broke the limitations of understanding Buddhism through the lens of the Chinese , and started to dive into Buddhism using concepts that were directly derived from the sutras themselves.
Buddhism, this wondrous fragrance seeped into the air. Passing through the efforts from one generation after another, sowing deeply profoundly, those great masters who realized in high stages began to surface. Their contributions to Chinese Buddhism made a profound impact. At the same time, more Buddhist sutras are being translated, and differences in various sutra theories needed to be classified and organized in order to expound the fundamental theories of the Buddha’s teaching. Therefore, the rising of the classification movements forward the establishment of the schools.
The establishment of the school based upon the classification generally takes hold in one generation of the Chinese Buddhism. Purely hold dear to its own school to expound solely on its theory into maturity. The profound cultivation deeply into the land of China in Buddhism was firmly completed. Then, it passed along to Japan and Korea. China became the second home of Buddhism.
II. The era of divergence into multiple schools and convergence of the schools into Pure Land, also known as “The Pure Land Convergence Era“
This period lasted for about 1200 years from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the end of the Qing dynasty. Before the myriad schools were established, the masters propagated the dharma according to their own attainment and understanding. After the establishment of the myriad schools, the propagators all followed the teachings of their schools closely, this is called: “Propagating teachings in accordance with schools”. At this point all major schools have developed mature theories and a lineage of cultivation, establishing a powerful platform for the propagation of Dharma.
Of the eight Chinese Mahayana schools, the Three Treaties and Consciousness-Only lineages discontinued after a few generations. The Secret and Precept schools were sidelined in the Han-populated regions. Though popular, the Avatamsaka school was still less popular than the Tian Tai school. Therefore, in terms of historical impact, the Tian Tai, Zen and Pure Land schools were the major players.
During this time, the emperors Tang Wu Zong and Zhou Shi Zong launched a campaign to eliminate Buddhism, and China fell into a prolonged war period of the Five Eras and Ten Kingdom. This had a great impact on Chinese Buddhism, with all the schools in decline and their sutras scattered to the wind. The followers left were far too few to regain the prosperity they enjoyed during the peak of Sui and Tang dynasties. In the end it permanently altered the landscape and progress of Buddhism in accordance with the myriad schools.
Due to its lack of reliance on written texts, and its preference to establish itself amongst the wilderness, the Zen School was largely left unscathed during the Elimination of Buddhism. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it remained relatively prosperous. The Tien Tai School was later reintroduced from Gao Li (Korea), re-establishing itself in the early Song dynasty. The Pure Land School was widespread amongst the common folk due to its simple and easy-to-understand method of cultivation. However, some of the important fundamental texts of the School, such as the Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra by Master Shandao, and the Commentary on the Treatise on the Rebirth in the Pure Land by Master Tanluan have been lost, leading to a long period of time when nobody knew the true teachings and theories of the authentic Pure Land School. The propagators of the Pure Land School had no choice but to borrow teachings from other schools, especially the Tien Tai school. As such, the Pure Land school came to be known as the *Dependent School, and faced many obstructions in its progress. All the other schools never recovered from their decline.
After the Song Dynasty, the schools have become increasingly less differentiated from each other compared to the Sui Tang dynasties, and were in a state of inter-mingling. As a whole, the schools have adopted the theories from Tien Tai, the cultivation practice from Zen, and the final refuge in the Pure Land. That is to say, the theories and teachings of Tien Tai no longer belong exclusively to the Tien Tai school, but instead were relied upon by the entire Buddhist community. For example, the original Pure Land teaching of “Rebirth of Commoners” has been buried and supplanted with Tien Tai’s concept of the “Four Stages of Rebirth”.
As long as one cultivates the way of the Buddha, one would face influence from the Zen school. Even a cultivation practice as simple as Amitabha recitation has been imprinted with the mark of Zen, such as using Amitabha recitation as a tool to reach enlightenment, or for developing skill in meditation. As time goes on, the affinities of the common people become increasingly unsuited to cultivation, and no matter the school, the practitioners have increasingly opted to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha as a last refuge.
Thus, Buddhism in this period was characterised by increased intermingling, and in the end converging to Pure Land. This trend has been foreseen during the early days of many schools, as many of those founding masters have written commentaries on the Pure Land, encouraging rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land. For example, Master Zhi Zhe of the Tien Tai, Master Jizang of Three Treaties, and Master Kuiji of Only-Consciousness. A representative master during the Song dynasty would be Master Yong Ming Yan Shou. He clearly advocated that the good practitioners of all schools seek refuge together, and wish for rebirth in the Pure Land. The pace of convergence into Pure Land accelerated during the Ming dynasty, firmly establishing itself in the minds of the masses. Finally when the Qing dynasty arrived, the outcome was set in stone, and the phrase “Namo Amituofo” came to represent the entirety of Chinese Buddhism.
III. Multicultural faiths and the Revival of the Pure Land School: The“Pure Land Renaissance Era”
From the end of the Qing dynasty up till the current era, humanity has made great strides in technological progress. The geopolitical landscape as well as governing structures have changed tremendously, directly impacting the evolution of Chinese Buddhism. Our modern-day transportation, communications, media, and the internet, etc. have caused the world to become a single body day by day. It is now very convenient to gather various kinds of information, and get exposed to various kinds of faiths and culture; On the other hand, modern people are much less patient, we treat our faith and culture the same way we treat our fast food, we are seldom interested in vigorous and theoretically organized belief systems.
Following the opening up of China to the world, and the increasing influence of Western political and economic power, Christianity has enjoyed a rapid rise in China. Within Buddhism, the influence of Tibetan and Theravada Buddhism increases daily. The idea of “Humanistic Buddhism” has become the trend of the day. There are also various pseudo-Buddhist ideas being spread around. Traditional folk beliefs are flourishing again, gaining widespread following. In a nutshell, under a wave of global democratic trends and a democratic government, faith has become multicultural. The traditional schools of Buddhism have been greatly impacted. The people no longer care or try to preserve the character of the various lineages of Buddhism, and some even openly criticise them. In actuality, people are no longer able to stomach the vigorous theories of lineage Buddhism, much less practice in cultivation.
In an awkward state of fitting with the Dharma but unable to fit in with the times, traditional Buddhism has languished. The schools are trying to scrape by by using “Humanistic Buddhism” as a last stretch. The only exception is the expansion of the Pure Land Dharma Door and the revival of the Pure Land School.
During the late Qing period and early Republic of China, many long-lost Buddhist sutras have been reintroduced from Japan. Schools like Only-Consciousness, Avatamsaka, Precept, and Secret have gained new wind from this reintroduction, but ultimately unable to build enough momentum. The fundamental scriptures of the Pure Land School, such as Master Shandao’s Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra, Master Tanluan’s Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land have been recovered during this period, and thus fulfilling the Buddha’s fundamental condition of the Dharma-Ending Age where the masses of sentient beings are unable to deliver themselves, and have to rely on the Amitabha’s power to do so. After centuries of development, the Pure Land school is currently in an unstoppable rise.
From what we can see, the revival of the Pure Land school is only the first step. To mark it as one of the great eras of Buddhist development will require future generations to bear witness to its historicity. However, we believe that the Pure Land School with its clear and simple teaching, easy to practice cultivation method, high level of attainment (rebirth), being in accordance to the fundamental vow of Amitabha Buddha, as well as being a good fit for the current abilities of the masses, will have unlimited growth and a bright future. As stated in the Sutras: “Though Dharma may have ended for ten thousand years, Amitabha recitation alone would endure”, “In the Dharma Ending Age, only Amitabha recitation is able to deliver us from life and death”. The revival and future development of the Pure Land school has been long prophesied.
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* nianfo——reciting or chanting Amitabha Buddha’s name. “ Namo Amituofo”
- Dependent School
- During that time, although each generation many practitioners wished rebirth to the Western Pure Land but all leaned on other schools’ mixed practices then made dedication known as the “Dependent School”. Notedly, each school based upon its own theory to classify Amitabha’s Pure Land. This modified the fundamental teachings in the theory of “the being and environmental reward of Pure Land” also “Primary cause of rebirth”.淨土依正及往生正因，forced the various Pure Land theories being presented according to each school.
雖然當時願生西方淨土的行者，代不乏人，但都依附在各宗門下，雜行雜修，然後迴向，謂之”寓宗”，並且以其各宗之教理來判別彌陀的淨土，因而淨土依正及往生正因，隨各宗的宗義而轉。
Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra and Commentary on the Treaties on the Rebirth in the Pure Land lost for a long period of time, causing the “Dependent School “as the label of Pure Land Buddhism. Boarding under other schools and losing its independence.
淨土宗之《往生論註》《觀經疏》等典籍久已失傳，致使千年以來淨土成為”寓宗”，寓寄他宗門下，失去獨立性。
The situation of Pure Land Buddhism was particularly noted:
Iis known to all that all schools return to Pure Land, the dharma door of Pure Land
Gradually influenced substantially. On the other hand, Pure Land Buddhism lost its own
theories of establishment which could not stand solid to all other schools’ developmental changes and being forced to combine with the “Communion School” and known as the “Dependent”. Became the least known of its character yet the most known “School “.
但其中淨土宗的情形最為特別：一方面諸宗匯歸淨土，淨土法門的影響日益壯大；另一方面，淨土失去本來的創宗理論，無法面對諸宗進行本宗化的改造吸收，以致淨土一法成為”共宗”的同時，也成為”寓宗”，成為最不具宗派特色的最大”宗派”。
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Please attach the Chinese version 佛教發展的三個時期 _ 簡輯版 3_21_21 copy
Bullet point paragraph:
Why did Pure Land Buddhism lose its own theory of establishment?
The establishment of each school has its complete matured theories of classifications. Pure Land Buddhism has master Shandao’s Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra together with master Tanluan’s
Commentary on the Treaties on the Rebirth in the Pure Land etc. But all of the work was lost. All other school’s theories, cultivations and concepts combined with Pure Land brought in their own cultures. Pure Land Buddhism however, had lost its complete theoretical teachings to digest and absorb them. Without the changes of modification and absorption, the characteristics of the Pure Land Buddhism faded away and became the “Communion School”. Since all schools returned to Pure Land, Tian Tai practitioners would seek rebirth to Pure Land, Avatamsaka followers seek rebirth to Pure Land as well, Many of Zen Buddhists follow the Pure Land rebirth, would this not be the same school to all others?
School has its characteristics and unique nature, but Buddhism had become the common school which was not only without its character and led it to be known later as the “Dependent School “. Particularly being succumbed to the schools of Tien Tai and Zen Buddhism.