Question

Consider the following statements regarding Buddhism:

1. Buddhism was an organized religion where education was given state patronage
2. Buddhism is/was the state religion of Tibet, China and Japan.

Which of the above statement/s is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2​

Answer 1

Explanation:

option (c) is correct ✅✅✅

Answer 2

Option C - Both 1 and 2

■ Explanation :-

• Buddhism was an organized religion. There were Sanghas for the Buddhist monks. Viharas were made for the monks to live in. Education was given state patronage along with the Sangha as a result of which great universities like Nalanda came up over a period of time. Buddhism spread into many countries of the world.

• Acharya Kamalasheel of Nalanda University was invited by the king of Tibet. After his death, the Tibetans embalmed his body and kept it in a monastery in Lhasa.

》Another distinguished scholar was Jnanabhadra. He went to Tibet with his two sons to preach Dharma. A monastery was founded in Tibet on the model of Odantapuri University in Bihar.

》The head of the Vikramashila University was Acharya Ateesha, also known as Dipankara Shreejnana. He went to Tibet in the eleventh century and gave a strong foundation to Buddhism in Tibet.

》Thonmi Sambhota, a Tibetan minister was a student at Nalanda when the Chinese pilgrim Huien-tsang visited India. Thonmi Sambhota studied there and after going back, he preached Buddhism in Tibet.

》A large number of Tibetans embraced Buddhism. Even the king became a Buddhist. He declared Buddhism as the State religion. Among the noteworthy teachers, Kumarajiva was active in the fifth century.

• In the fourth century AD Wei Dynasty came to power in China. Its first Emperor declared Buddhism as the state religion.

》This gave an impetus to the spread of Buddhism in China. Thousands of Sanskrit books were translated into Chinese.

》Braving the hazards of a long and perilous journey they came to visit the land of the Buddha.

》They stayed in India and collected Buddhist relics and manuscripts related to Buddhism and learnt about it staying at the various educational centres.

• The story of Indian culture in Japan is believed to go back to more than fifteen hundred years. But the earliest historical evidence of Indian culture going to Japan is from AD 552.

》At that time, the Korean Emperor sent a Buddhist statue, sutras, instruments for worship, artists, sculptors, painters and architects as gifts for the Japanese Emperor. Soon, Buddhism was given the status of State Religion.

》Thousands of Japanese became monks and nuns. Sanskrit was accepted as the sacred language in Japan.

》Monks were given special training to write the Sanskrit syllables and mantras. The script in which all these are written is known as ‘Shiťťan’. Shiťťan is believed to be Siddham, the script that gives ‘siddhi’ (accomplishment).

Hope It helps you