In the Axial Age,
in Greece, the Pre-socratics;
600 -500 B.C.E.,
in Israel, the later Hebrew prophets & the Babylonian Exile;
in India, the Buddha;
in China, Confucius /Lao Tzu;
in Japan, just a little before this time, the myth says that a
great-grandson of a grandson (Ninigi) of the Sun Goddess
becomes the first Emperor of Japan (Japan in mythic time)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
550 BCE
550 CE
India: the Buddha
Bodhidharma brings early Zen to China
China: Confucius & Lao Tzu
China on brink of one of its greatest
dynasties: the T'ang dynasty (600-900CE)
Japan: still in myth time
Standard Buddhism enters Japan via Korea
Japan is just developing written form of
their language
400
400
300 300
200 --------HAN Dynasty ----------200
(China)
the Mahayana
strand Buddhism
develops in India; 100
100
Buddhism enters
China during Han
0
Dynasty in China
***********************************************************************
ADD another 700 years ( from say 500 - 1200 CE)
500 C.E.
1000 C.E.
1200 C.E.
Buddhism
enters Japan
China:
600 --------T’ANG ----------900
Zen enters Japan
and takes hold
Japan:
700 -------- 800 NARA
c.1200
800---------HEIAN KYO (KYOTO) ----------1200
**********************************************************************
A Second Way to think of Development:
THREE KINDS OF BUDDHISM -- THERAVADA, MAHAYANA, AND ZEN
in India in China in Japan
ACT I:
600-500 The Awakening
of
Confucius (K'ung Tzu) Time
of legendary
BCE
Gautama Siddhartha and
Lao Tzu
first Emperor
The Buddha's
Confucian
Teachings
and
becomes TB
Taoist
Theravada
Thought
Buddhism
develop in
China
ACT II:
A couple of New form Buddhism
Think Han Dynasty
Japan still in time of
hundred yrs MB -- Mahayana
(200 BCE -200 CE)
moving chieftains
both sides
Buddhism --born
TB & MB enter
0 point
both TB & MB
China
find their way
into China.
ACT III
c. 500 CE
We leave the story "Bodhidarma (Zen)
Buddhism (TB)
of India
Comes to China"
enters Japan
ZB cooking in China
from Korea.
(soon the T'ang
Soon unification
dynasty and
of Japan
Golden Age Zen)
under one rule
ACT IV:
c.1000 CE
Golden Age of Zen
MB is in Japan
In China is over.
(Zen implicit)
C. 1200 CE
Zen comes to Japan
-- in Rinzai and
Soto forms
Return to Zen Enrichment Page
Return to Zen Menu Page
Return to John G. Sullivan Homepage