BLOG 36/4/12

BLOG 3

6/4/12

CHAPT 8-10

After reading these chapters I was very impressed on how important was trade and commerce during the Common Era between the 500 and 1500. Commerce was the key element to dictate which society was more productive and successful. In order to maintain order and safety to the merchants and the luxury goods that were being moved, security was provided on the roads. Eurasia was thriving in trade good between other city-states and silk was the most valued goods. The roads that were used to transfer these goods were called Silk Road. It was the most frequented road for this purpose.  It became the new way of life moving not just silk, but supplies that were not available in certain areas. It was food, clothing, tools, agriculture and livestock. There was a negative side to the trade business as well. Since the Silk Road was known to be the road that merchants frequented tor the transportation of these good, crimes began to erupt. People were being robbed of their merchandise, diseases were being transmitted and spread all across the city-states, in which many perished as the result. Some of the illnesses were the smallpox, the measles and the bubonic Plague. Some of the illnesses spread from the animals that were infected. At the end it caused the end of the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire.  Many lives were lost as the result of these illnesses in which drastically affected the trade and exchange among city-states.

In Chapter 9, China and Buddhism by far was the most valued gift that China had ever received from India. China adapted to this religion from India just as Europeans adapted to Christianity. Buddhism was the largest cultural assimilation in China in the twentieth century. Buddhism faded away in it’s place of origin and became a solid part of the culture in most of East Asia. China’s reunification under the Sui and Tang dynasty enforced a mayor support for Buddhism. Strayer, ‘With a hundred victories in a hundred battles we promote the practice of the ten Buddhist virtues”.  With the strong support from Sui and Tang and a larger acceptance from the Chinese people monasteries became centers of great wealth and power. They avoided paying taxes, they owned large properties, states, and they were in charge of powerful businesses, water mills, and pawnshops. Collected gems and gold and began to employ slaves. Buddhism became very powerful but never became independent from state authorities like the Catholic Church did.

After so many years of Buddhism being on top, it also became a source for criticism. The dissatisfaction began due to the amount of wealth that the monasteries had. At one point the state treasure was short on funds, and government official became suspicious of the wealthy monasteries that were tax-exempt. For the Confucian followers the fact that the whole establishment of the Buddha religion was foreign religion it violated the Chinese ideal of family-system as the Confucian theory.  Many decades later Buddhism was under attack. Thousand monasteries, temples, shrines where destroyed. They were forbidden to using high-end metals to build their religious images. Considering all the controversy Buddhism still continue to exist.