Transmission of Buddhism
The Kushan Empire
The Kushan Empire (1st – 3rd centuries CE) was a vast kingdom that grew to encompass much of Northern India and Central Asia. Ruling over the thriving southern routes of the Silk Roads, the empire was a major factor in the transmission of Buddhism from India to Central Asia and to China. The Kushan Empire was established during the 1st century CE, bringing together various peoples living in the area around Bactria (parts of present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and Gandhara (parts of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan).
Kushan transmission of Buddhism
The third king of this dynasty, King Kanishka (144-172 CE), converted to Buddhism and promoted it throughout his realm. During this period, the scale of the Kushana Empire was comparable with those of Rome, Persia and China. As the Chinese Han dynasty began to lose their hold over Central Asia in the 2nd century CE, the Kushan expanded eastward along the southern branch of the Silk Road. At the same time, they conquered much of Northwest India. Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Kushan also occupied large areas of the southern Silk Roads, and presided over major Silk Road cities. The empire owed much of its financial success to the Silk Road trade that passed through its domains. Buddhist monasteries were set up along these routes, and both trade and cultural exchange flourished under the stability provided by the empire.
The Kushan Empire was relatively short-lived. After the death of Emperor Vasudeva, the empire split into eastern and western halves. The west was soon invaded by the Sassanian Empire of Persia (ancient Iran), and in the 4th century the east was conquered by the Gupta empire of ancient India.
The Buddhism of the Kushans
The Buddhism of the Kushans derived from the Buddhism of North India. Whilst Buddhism was patronised by royalty, the empire tolerated the existence of various religions under its rule, including Graeco-Roman, Zoroastrian, and Hindu beliefs. This mixture of faith and culture is evident in art produced during the empire, which shows influences of Indian, Graeco-Roman and Persian styles. This is also demonstrated by artefacts such as Kushan coins, which feature the figures of various deities.
Kushan Buddhist remains from the Silk Road
The documents of the Kushan are written in the Gandhari language, in an ancient script called Kharosthi. The surviving Gandhari Buddhist texts discovered so far, such as this birch-bark scroll from the 1st century CE, are some of the oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts in the world.
Gandharan birch-bark scroll
This is a fragment of a Gandhari birch bark scroll. The collection of 29 bark scroll fragments date back from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE, making them some of the oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts.
Gandhara (now parts of present day Pakistan and Afghanistan) was a major centre for Buddhism and the creation of Buddhist art and literature. It also played an important part in the transmission of Buddhism across Central Asia into China and Tibet.
These manuscripts were stored and preserved for thousands of years in clay jars. The text is written in the ancient Gandhari language in Kharosthi script, scribed in black ink on pieces of birch bark strips glued together. The fragments come from a number of separate scrolls, which were the work of various scribes. They contain a variety of Buddhist sutras, poems, commentaries, hymns and Buddhist scholarly texts. These include Gandhari copies of the ‘Rhinoceros Sutra’, an early text on the benefit of solitary practice, and the Dharmapada, a collection of Buddhist teachings in verse form. They also include Avadanas, which are stories that demonstrate the workings of Karma.
Evidence of Buddhist religious life has been found in administrative documents that mention Buddhist monks and a Buddhist monastic community. Archaeological remains of monasteries and shrines have also been discovered on the southern branch of the Silk Roads.
Gandhari texts from the Kushan Empire seem to have been amongst the first Buddhist texts to reach China in the 1st or 2nd century CE. Scholars have suggested that some of the earliest Chinese translations of Buddhist texts were made from Gandhari originals. On top of this, a large number of the early translators working in China were said to be of Kushan origin.
Although it is not known when Buddhism first came to China, it was the stability that the Kushan empire promoted on the Silk Roads which allowed large numbers of Buddhists and Buddhist texts to travel eastward into China.
