Buddhism and islam on the silk road pdf files

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. 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. Buddhism and islam on the silk road johan elverskog. Around the middle of the 1st millennium bc, this region went through a sociolcultural. Buddhism and islam on the silk road encounters with asia johan elverskog on. 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. 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. Many ruins exist in the desert regions where numerous finely decorated caves formed the centre of whole monasteries. 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. Other trade routes allowed travelers on the silk road to trade with merchants from central asia, africa, the middle east and europe. From about the first century bc, buddhism began its spread along the silk road. The impact of the silk road and islam on world history overview. 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. The destruction of giant buddha statues at bamiyan by the taliban government. But it was buddhism, travelling the trade routes of the silk road, which became the common factor uniting the different. Silk road transmission of buddhism encyclopedia of buddhism. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog philadelphia. 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. 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.

Grade 6 the silk road prelesson 1 to be done prior to the. 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. The creation of buddhism originated from northern india. In particular, this lesson will investigate buddhism on the silk road through the.

Pdf buddhism and islam on the silk road dipen barua. The twohumped bactrian camel carried goods for caravans on the roads around the taklamakan desert. Many religions, including christianity, buddhism, hinduism, islam, zoroastrianism and manichaeism, gained new followers. Five college center for east asian studies buddhism along the. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Vocabulary lists and a primary source documents such as when asia was the. Buddhisms universal message had a strong appeal to the cosmopolitan merchant world of inner eurasia. Islam and buddhism still encounter and analyze each other in these regions.

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. The economics, politics and spirituality of the religions along the greatest highways on earth. It was where caravans traded camels for horses, mules, and yaks. Buddhism on the silk routes university of washington. Islam to human society is its teaching of equality and brotherhood. Access students prior knowledge of china, silk, trade, and the spread of religion. Pdf buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog. 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. Buddhism excellently exemplifies the modern implications of the silk road.

Barrett and others published buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog find, read and cite all the. 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. As it travelled and was accepted, whole communities took the message on board and monks lived along the way. Islam and buddhism relations from balkh to bangkok and tokyo. 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 author carefully ignores any evidence that runs contrary to his arguments providing a distorted portrayal of buddhistmuslim interaction. After spreading to china, the chan school of buddhism developed and this later became the zen school of japan. 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. Just as they had no problem slaughtering the teachers and disciples of nalanda. Buddhism the spread of buddhism along the silk road. This very quality in the course of time resulted in the elevation of islam to the status of a cultural and a civilizational religion. 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.

Yet is there really such a contradiction between being both buddhist and wealthy. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog. Buddhism spread along the silk roads, gaining converts among pastoral peoples and in oasis towns. Buddhism and islam on the silk road download ebook pdf. The transmission of buddhism to central asia and china corresponded with the development of the silk routes as channels for intercultural exchanges. Buddhism spread across asia through networks of overland and maritime routes between india, southeast asia, central asia, and china.

Prelesson 1 to be done prior to the usc pacific asia museum field trip warm up activity. As such, people have come to accept as true that buddhists and muslims never enjoyed good relations after coming into contact with each other. Environmental education resources to commemorate earth days 50th anniversary. A history of central eurasia from the bronze age to the present. Since islam condemned the iconography, most of the buddhist statues and wallpaintings were damaged or destroyed. Although today a thriving world religion, buddhism was on the decline around the time of the birth of the silk road. With smaller sites of buddhist worship they had no such problems.

Silk roadsilk, spices, chemicals, leather, metals, glass, gems, and paper are just a few examples. Many monasteries were established that became centers of wisdom and learning, as well as serving economic functions. 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. Buddhism and islam on the silk road demonstrates that the history of buddhist muslim interaction is much richer and more complex than many assume. Steep, dangerous routes of the silk road continued west. But scholars are even more amazed at the religious diversity of silk road oasis communities. While the silk road was a twoway route, most of its movement was eastward, carrying buddhism, zoroastrianism, judaism, and later, islam.

Having drunk the wine, my love, of being one with you, i. 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. Out of all social descriptions recorded in the history of preislamic arabic, the two most outstanding are. If they indeed did read the book, they would of known that buddhism did not cease to exist on the silk road. 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.

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. Of the 18 buddhist schools of interpretation, five existed along the silk road. It spread to many places such as central asia, china, iran, and southeast asia. As mentioned above, the buddha did not believe in gods. Buddhism and islam on the silk road encounters with asia. 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. The second aspect common to the prebuddhist and preislamic society was the worshiping of idols. Export a ris file for endnote, procite, reference manager, zotero, mendeley export a text file for bibtex note. Buddhism along the silk road lesson five college consortium. 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.

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. 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. Buddhism still has a presence in northwest china, mongolia, the peripheries of xinjiang, the tibetan sphere, and more. Buddhism and islam on the silk road by johan elverskog, 2010. The conversion to islam started in the 8th century in central asia. Silk roads spiritual identity a historical overview on. 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. As early as three thousand years ago hebraic and iranian religious ideas and practices traveled eastwards in this way, to be. Buddhism became well established in northern india thanks to the sponsorship of the emperor ashoka.