Spread of Buddhism
Buddhism spread from India to China during the Han Dynasty, and since has been practiced in China for over two millennia. From the Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern, and Northern Dynasties, and then Sui and Tang dynasties, Indian Buddhism gradually spread and evolved on Chinese soil, assimilated into the Chinese culture over time, and eventually took hold as Chinese Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism, the dominant form of Chinese Buddhism, peaked in the prosperous and booming Sui and Tang dynasties, which shifted the center of Buddhism from India to China and propelled the spread of Buddhism further to Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore.
With an aim to introduce Buddhism to China, Faxian, Xuanzang, and other Buddhist monks made pilgrimages to India and beyond in seek of Buddhist scriptures and doctrines. The scriptures and books translated by Kumarajiva, a Buddhist monk from the Kingdom of Kucha (present-day Kuqa County, Xinjiang), significantly facilitated the spread of Buddhism and shaped the doctrines of Chinese Buddhism. Large-scale translation of Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese language further boosted the assimilation of Buddhism into Chinese culture. Jianzhen, an eminent Buddhist monk in the Tang Dynasty, was invited by Japan to visit and sailed there to preach about Buddhist scriptures and doctrines. He promoted friendship and cultural exchange between China and Japan and propagated Buddhism in East Asia. Japanese Buddhist monk Kukai once studied in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) and brought many Chinese Buddhist scriptures and classic calligraphy works back to Japan, promoting Buddhism there.
The spread of Buddhism remains living proof of the omni-directional nature of philosophical and cultural dissemination. After its arrival in China, Buddhism exerted a huge impact on traditional Chinese culture and gradually became a world religion.
佛教传播
印度的佛教在两汉之际传入中国，至今已有2000多年的历史。从两汉经魏晋南北朝，再到隋唐，佛教逐步在中华大地上传播发展，并逐渐被中华文化吸收借鉴，成为中国本土化的佛教，即中国佛教。中国佛教以大乘佛教在中国的辉煌实践为标志，并与隋唐盛世交相辉映，使世界佛教的中心转移到了中国，进而影响到日本、韩国、越南、新加坡等国家。
为了将佛教传入中国，法显、玄奘等高僧历尽艰难，前往印度等地取经求法。龟兹（今新疆库车）高僧鸠摩罗什所译的经籍，有力推动了佛教传播和中国佛教思想发展。大规模的佛经汉译促使佛教进一步融入中国本土文化。唐代高僧鉴真受邀东渡日本，讲经诵法，推动了中日两国的友谊和文化交流，促进了佛教在东亚地区的传播。日本僧人空海也曾来到长安（今陕西西安）求学，带回大量中国佛教和书法经典，推进了日本佛教的发展。
佛教的传播体现了思想文化传播的双向特性，在这个过程中，佛教深深影响了中国传统文化，并逐渐发展成为世界性的宗教。
