Across the Silk Road - The Buddhist Expansion - World History - Part 5 - Extra History

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Vajrayana, Mahayana, and Theravada are the most practiced forms of Buddhism today but there were a lot of changes within the Mahayaha practice when the expansion of Buddhism crossed the Silk Road. Buddhism was adopted by the Chinese and adapted to fit their beliefs and pantheons. Creating some of the Buddhist symbols we see today including Shaolin Monks, Guanyin, and the statues used for blessings of wealth.
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Part 3 - • Ashoka the Great - The...
Part 4 - • Stealing Buddha - The ...
Part 5 - • Across the Silk Road -...
Buddha's Wife: • Abandonment to Enlight...
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Artist: Nick DeWitt I Writer: Robert Rath I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Editor: Aidan Strite & Mac Owens
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[@extrahistory]

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[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Loving this series guys! You are the best🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ur_local_nintendo_ds]

Loving this series so far, I've been waiting for this video Love how you guys explain actual extra history, but will there be any series about WW1 or WW2?

[@amakitsukyuuka236]

uh... minor thing, guanyin is actually said to be male, but in china made to be more androgynous, and only considered female relatively close to the present because of lost text after the book burnings, so people just assumed he was female due to the statuettes being not very masculine, but if you asked a older generation chinese buhhaist they'd tell you "it is said that guan yin is male"

[@SuperWindsage]

"peaceful king" ehhhhhhh bit of a reach there.

[@Tresorthas]

Is it intentional that you wrote "Buddhist" without an 'h' in the title of episodes 3, 4, 5, but not in episode 2?

[@sirkylanthered]

Born a Shinto, die a Buddhist, and in between eat KFC and Pizza Hut while celebrating Christmas

[@BarafuAlbino]

"There is nothing wrong in life of peace and prosperity" - Uncle Iroh.

[@hellomoto2084]

Shamfur dispray.

[@yarpen26]

Fitting considering how unzealous East Asians are towards the spiritual. In the West, things are more or less binary: you either believe in Christian stuff and thereby go all in or you don't and consider anybody who does a cuckoo. Make that ten times for Islam. This chilled "part of life" attitude is a unique East Asian invention.

[@fatkitten233]

Mr. Worldwide

[@aokhoinguyenang3992]

Fun fact: The real life monk Tang Sanzang heard about the legend of the Amazon(the Greek legend) while in India. This legend was then adapted into the Journey to the West as the Woman kingdom. This is also the inspiration for the Chinese Amazon village in Ranma 1/2

[@SerenityM16]

I was just like, wait, Sanzang, of Journey to the West?

[@jommzom9715]

Yeah if im not wrong i think at the time some part of India were under greeks

[@SonofSethoitae]

​@@jommzom9715Not at Xuanzang's time, but their influence on the region outlived their kingdoms. By Xuanzang's time, the regions that had been conquered by the Greeks had been conquered again by a series of Persian, Hunnic, and Turkic rulers, and shortly after his journey began the Rashidun Caliphate had begun its conquest of the Sasanian Empire, who held the region at the time.

[@nhokshock94]

@@SerenityM16 Sanzang is a more like a title, not a name. It basically someone who is very knowledgeable about 3 schools of Buddhism (Sutras, Rules, and Debate)

[@SonofSethoitae]

@@nhokshock94 Not the three schools. "Sanzang" is the translation of "Tripitaka", meaning the Buddhist canon, in which there were three divisions: Sutras, Abhidharma, and Vinaya. Or Teachings, Metateachings, and Monastic Discipline.

[@umang3227]

Buddhas of Bamiyan were definitely among the wonders of the world. What a shame we couldn't protect them.

[@joendeo1890]

Good news! Behind the original that was destroyed was another!

[@Ami-jc2oo]

As a muslim I respect your sorrow. I don't agree with the Taliban with this.

[@BarafuAlbino]

@@Ami-jc2oo I am not a muslim, but I've read Quran with great interest and I am pretty sure now that guys like Taliban didn't.

[@ShankarSivarajan]

@@BarafuAlbino Did you somehow miss the part where their prophet (whom they try to emulate) did pretty much the same thing?

[@cupidsnow3885]

@@ShankarSivarajanas an ex Muslim I can confirm this is true

[@Leivve]

For those curious, part of the reason Buddhism lost the rejection of hierarchy is because Confucianism believed in meritocracy. By material merit or divine right (Divine Mandate), you would go up or down the hierarchy. So Buddhism had to pull back on that element of it, and conform as a kind of "spiritual meritocracy."

[@SonofSethoitae]

That's not really true. Buddhism has always had some level of hierarchy that it recognized as legitimate. It merely repudiated the idea that birth into a particular caste had any salvific value. People who build up a lot of merit still get positive rebirths and lifetimes in the deva realms, and bad people still end up in hell for a few eons. This is true in Theravada and Mahayana.

[@verward]

To me this is similar to how early christians were also against wealth and somewhat the authority of the state, but this got removed when christianity got adopted by the romans.

[@Zanedor]

Part of why the Japanese lean into Buddhism, let Buddhist clergy handle their death, and perhaps even why Shinto doesn't have a well defined afterlife, is due to a particular quirk of Shintoism: it's absolutely terrified of death and everything surrounding death. One of the core aspects of Shintoism is the concept of spiritual "purity," which often is also related to physical purity to a degree, and avoiding "impurity." In Shintoism their may be nothing more impure then death and everything surrounding it, a concept that became so ingrained the cultural psyche of Japan that people who had jobs dealing the death and filth, such as undertakers and garbage men, were part of a cast of untouchables. As a result Shintoism as a religion was horribly ineffective in dealing with those who have died or are nearing death, as well as helping those who are left through the morning process. Buddhism on the other hand was quite effective in that regard and even had a afterlife goal the squared quite nicely with Shintoism exaltation of purity.

[@minhtue90]

Vajrayana is actually classified philosophically as Mahayana school. You should cover the fascinating conversation of the Tibetan Empire to Buddhism, including the famous debate of Samye!

[@khayon4364]

I would second this, would love to see a vide on this topic! Guru Rinpoche deserves the recognition!

[@bentoth9555]

Mentioning the Pure Land, I'm reminded of a quote by Nichiren Daishonin (13th century Japanese Buddhist priest and founder of my school of Buddhism:) "Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself; both lie only within one’s own heart. Awakened to this, one is called a Buddha; deluded about it, one is called an ordinary person. The Lotus Sutra reveals this truth, and one who embraces the Lotus Sutra will realize that hell is itself the Land of Tranquil Light."

[@ferretyluv]

Nichiren was a fundamentalist and believed every single other school of Buddhism was heresy and destined for hell.

[@KarmaKraftttt]

Nichiren was a bit extremist 😂 He bashed everyone Not so Buddha like

[@Ecoraptor3339]

On the three vehicles parable: it's from the Lotus Sutra, and the one vehicle is not Mahayana. In fact, Mahayana is one of the three lesser vehicles, alongside enlightenment without teachers/teachings and (roughly) Therevada. The one vehicle is literally the One Vehicle; meaning all Buddhist teachings lead to enlightenment, Mahayana or not.

[@jphiled6554]

Small technicality: Vajrayana Buddhism explicitly appears in two schools in Japan - Shingon and Tendai (Re: Taimitsu). These lineages are unrelated to Tibetan Buddhism but have fully developed esoteric traditions via Indian tantric Buddhists in China. Small: technicality #2, bodhisattvas and past buddhas both exist in the Pāli Canon too, but the scope was much smaller than Mahayana.

[@Googledeservestodie]

My family are Chinese and Vietnamese, the religion of contradictions are pretty obvious because the altar in our house would have, besides the Buddha himself, the goddess of Mercy and Compassion Kuan-Yin on the left, and on the right the God of War Guan Yu. How everyone has worshiped both of them at the same time and not questioned this I'm not sure, but it's literally a Hawk and Dove situation lmao.

[@lethemyrsmith2847]

Guanyu was a bloodthirsty general in life, but as a spirit he converted to Buddhism in front of Master Zhiyi and cast off his resentments and took up the lay precepts, including not killing. Now, he helps protect Buddhist temples. Don't confuse the Buddhist idea of Guanyu with the folk one. There isn't a contradiction.

[@hellomoto2084]

​@@lethemyrsmith2847even in after life he is kind of violent. And east Asians worshiping a god of war is not something which seems akward to me who is a Hindu . We worship Durga , as the mother godess . She was created by all gods to defeat all the rakshas harming swarg lok ( heaven ) the patal lok ( the neither world ( the under world ) and the bhulok ( earthly realm ) She is violent towards demons but her love is infinite .

[@TheKalihiMan]

I can only speak from personal experience, but I am of partial Japanese descent and most of my family adheres to the Pure Land sect of Jodo Shinshu, which was the same school followed by members of the Ikko-Ikki revolts during the Warring States period. Its founder Shinran taught that the world is so karmically corrupt that no person, no matter how virtuous they are, can achieve enlightenment through their own efforts and that any attempt to do so is rooted in a selfish desire for one’s own salvation. This is partly why the school has no dedicated monastic tradition, and why monks from other schools who later joined it often purposely did things to break their monastic vows like spending time in the company of prostitutes or engaging in acts of aggressive violence. If you’re familiar with the Warring States period of Japan, the Ikko-Ikki eventually ousted the Togashi clan from Kaga province, which became the only province not governed by samurai for nearly a century. I personally think the notion that Buddhism is purely nonviolent or necessarily adheres to it as a strict principle should be dispelled.

[@jrhermosura4600]

balance ☯️

[@PaulGAckerman]

I'm still watching the intro but I'm getting Journey To The West vibes and I'm getting excited!

[@arifhossain9751]

It WAS Journey to the West

[@jamesbackstar8285]

​​@@arifhossain9751well more like that's the real life story journey to the West was based on

[@masterimbecile]

World’s most epic video game escort mission.

[@NevsTechBits]

Beautiful job pulling together this religion in a basic sense. The world need more of this to foster understanding. I learned a LOT here! Thanks EH!

[@SonofSethoitae]

A bunch of it was incorrect, at least in the details about the religion itself, unfortunately

[@numerals8939]

Some errors/clarification on Vietnam: 1, Buddhism came to Vietnam potentially around the 1st to 2nd century CE from China or through delegations from India in 2nd or 3rd century CE. 2,By the end of the 2nd century CE Vietnam has already become a major hub for Mahayana Buddhism not the 9th or 10th century CE. 3,Vietnam at that point was part of a province in China with Luy Lâu (in modern day Bắc Ninh province) being it’s capital, it was an extremely popular destination for Indian Buddhist monks en route to China. 4,Many Mahayana sutras were translated to chinese here and also the agamas including Sutra of forty two chapters,.. 5, Vietnam’s developing Buddhism can be said to reflect the formation of Chinese Buddhism after the Song dynasty and has existed long before Xuanzang return to China. 6,In this video he said that Vietnam was trading partners with China in the 8th to 10th but that isn’t true at all. We were part of China till the early to mid 10th century. 7,The map shown about spread of Mahayana Buddhism to Vietnam was inaccurate as Vietnam is literally in Laos and Cambodian territory which was not Vietnamese during the 8th to 10th century, same goes for Central and parts South Vietnam which wasn’t Vietnam at all but a different kingdom named Champa, the later part of South Vietnam was part of the Khmer Empire. 8,Champa did have a unique branch of Mahayana Buddhism combined with Hinduism that was there since the 9th century. But also follow the Theravada branch potentially as early as the 3rd century CE. Anyways these are just some of the errors/points that need further clarification that I found.

[@xiengyod]

Dear Extra Credits Team, Zen Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana schools. Vajrayana evolve from Mahayana. Also, did you forgot that a version of dharmachakra that represents Mahayana Buddhism used to be depicted the Theravada Buddhism in episode 4 of this serie?

[@fence03]

W-what?

[@__Hanasei__Levinus__]

@@fence03 with the number of likes OP has gotten, i reckon what they're saying must be true....?

[@miinfl7143]

​@@__Hanasei__Levinus__yes.

[@KhukuriGod]

​@__Hanasei__Levinus__ Yes, what he said is true. Zen is Mahayana. And Vajrayana is basically the weird kid that can nevertheless be considered as part of a larger Mahayana gang lol

[@FakeBlocks]

Please do the Greek war of independence of 1821 against the ottoman empire next I've been asking for this since the first episodes of the sengoku Jidai

[@shehansenanayaka3046]

Your vids are brilliant. Short and nice . Love these vids. Your fan from Sri Lanka 🇱🇰🤝🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. We always appreciate your time and hard work to make these videos.

[@extrahistory]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@mebrychi6504]

This is one of the best series that extra credits has done

[@godking6504]

Honestly I think this and Sengoku Jidai might just be my favorites

[@Wolfiyeethegranddukecerberus17]

I'm not the biggest fan of it

[@dirkjanrulez23]

This is a good series but doesn’t beat Spanish flu

[@keegandecker4080]

The views saw differently

[@switchhab9413]

Syngoku judai , Justinian and Ned Kelly were the best

[@lethemyrsmith2847]

Some Errors: - The whole video speaks about Theravada and Mahayana as if there were a split between them in ancient times, but that wasn’t the case. Mahayana was a transectarian movement that spread across all of the 18 early schools, including the one that contemporary Theravada derives from. “Theravada” comes from a branch of the Vibhajyavada sect in Sri Lanka that came to reject all of Mahayana, but that sect did not categorically reject Mahayana. So Xuanzang certainly didn't witness a debate between “Theravada” and “Mahayana,” but debates between Mahayana Buddhists still within the ordination lineages of specific early schools and members of those early schools who didn't accept Mahayana and also argued between themselves. Better to just talk about the “early schools” and “Mahayana.” - An example of the last point is where they talk about the Mahayana sutras as ones that "Theravada didn't recognize in its canon," but the Vibhajyavada sect that would become what we know as the Theravada sect in Sri Lanka did not categorically reject Mahayana. There were Mahayana-Vibhajyavada Buddhists. The truth is simply that Theravada was the only lineage identifying with an early school that has survived to the present and it rejects Mahayana, so now there's the incorrect idea that Theravada was the ancient opponent of Mahayana, when that wasn't the situation. - Vajrayana is not the same as Tibetan Buddhism. There are more Vajrayana Buddhists in Japan than there are Tibetan people in the entire world. They say Shingon-shu is a "Vajrayana inspired" sect, but it is fully Vajrayana. - Theravada also believes there have been many past Buddhas, just not specific other ones in the present like Amitabha Buddha. - "Mahayana Buddhists believe there have been many Buddhas, many of them avatars or rebirths of a previous Buddha." That last clause is a very strange thing to say. While Mahayana Buddhists definitely believe Buddhas incarnate in countless bodies to aid beings, I'm not sure I've heard about them birthing themselves as different Buddhas except in the sense that all Buddhas are incarnations of Vairocana Buddha, which is a different concept. - In Mahayana, it is arhats that achieve enlightenment and abandon the world, not Buddhas. Buddhas are portrayed as being the exact opposite, compassionate beings who stick around. Bodhisattvas are just beings who want to become Buddhas, often with some lofty vows before they take the final step to Buddhahood, hence the simplified version that they reject enlightenment to help beings. - If it’s meant to be implied (which maybe it’s not), that the pantheon of Buddhas and bodhisattvas developed in China, then that is not true. It existed in India. - Pure Lands (plural). “The Pure Land” usually refers to Sukhavati, which is the Buddha-field of just one Buddha, Amitabha. Not all Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell in "The Pure Land." - Written sutras were common in China for many centuries before Xuanzang went on his pilgrimage. They did not only become popular in the 6th century. - Guanyin (觀音) is a short form of Guanshiyin Pusa (觀世音菩薩) which is a literal translation of the name Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. “Guanyin” is not a term to denote the female depiction and is used to describe both male and female depictions of the bodhisattva in Chinese. - I'm almost certain that Budai was not a pre-Buddhist folk figure. I mean, he was literally a monk. - The idea that certain practices could make you wealthy, particularly in future lives, already existed in Indian Buddhism and was not invented in China. - The spelling on the caste pyramid is almost entirely wrong. It's brahmin, kshatriya, and vaishya, not bhramin, kshatryia, and viasya. I wish Extra History were more careful about consulting experts before making these Buddhism videos. It's very clear that there was not an adequate amount of research put into them to avoid some pretty misleading claims.

[@ferretyluv]

I noticed that immediately too. I mean, they called Zen a Vajrayana school.

[@hellomoto2084]

​@@ferretyluvhehe they are Europeans foreigners after all Their sources are not orignal ones .

[@geoffreyherrick298]

Maybe they'll cover it in the Lies segment. Also forgot shudra and pariah.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

@@hellomoto2084theyre european americans

[@kyarden7971]

Obviously this video is an oversimplification - it was never meant as an all-encompassing discussion on Buddhism and it’s history. It’s something of a beginner’s guide - for those wanting to know more of Buddhism but not too much. Also, calling Vajrayana a Tibetan Buddhism is not correct but nor is it wrong. It’s sometimes called Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhism not because there are more Tibetan and Mongolian adherents to it, but because it is the ‘traditional’ school that existed in these places - the majority of Buddhist there adhered to it and it shaped the countries’ culture. So it may not be entirely correct to call it Tibetan or Tibeto-Mongolian, it’s not also wrong.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

"You were supposed to destroy hierarchical systems, not join them!"

[@Shadowreaper5]

I would love to see a vide or two covering Shintoism because there's not a lot of common knowledge of this fascinating belief system.

[@ErikHare]

You didn't get into it, but I think that Chinese Mahayama needs to be understood within the context of the San Jiao or Three Teachings (RuShiDao). The development of various branches such as Pure Land, Chan, TanTai, and Huayan can be distinguished largely by what they absorbed from the existing teachings (not all of which can be considered religious). It's probably not a topic for Extra History but you could tackle it if you want to. There are other resources here on KZbin, particularly in the (now defunct?) channel Cool History Bros.

[@SonofSethoitae]

It's worth noting that both Pure Land and Chan had antecedents in Indian schools. Though they did take on a distinctly Chinese flavour in China.

[@ErikHare]

​@@SonofSethoitaeI didn't know that Chan had origins in India. There's way too much to learn on this topic! Thank you so much

[@aaronthomas8190]

I'm sad you didn't really touch on my personal favorite: Mongolia. Otherwise fascinating summary! Thanks!

[@Roachh2877]

Mongolia Is Vajrayana right? Like Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and Northern India.

[@Ug0tmi1k]

Quick correction: Zen Buddhism comes from Chan Buddhism, which I definitely Mahayana, not Vajrayana

[@cariyaputta]

4:41 this parable is in the beginning of the Lotus Sutra. When I was still a kid, my grandmom would force me to memorize the whole Lotus Sutra as well as other mantras like Prajnacitta, Mahakaruna, etc. Later in life, I came across the Pali Canon, and this time I willingly memorize the suttas without anyone forcing me.

[@BarafuAlbino]

I had the same thing with math.

[@michaelgalloway9362]

Would love to hear more of the historical intertwinings of Buddhism in a future series or two or three.

[@bananapanda9805]

Will you guys cover Japanese Shinto-Buddhist warrior monks during Sengoku Jidai in Japan?

[@andrewphilos]

I imagine, instead of "Greater Vehicle," the English version might be "Big-Tent."

[@WaterShowsProd]

It's definitely vehicle/ferry/craft. The same as India's lunar mission is Chandrayaan which is Sanskrit for Lunar Craft. I'm not sure why they translated Maha as "greater" rather than "great".

[@andrewphilos]

@@WaterShowsProd No, I get that. I as more saying that the English phrase "Big Tent" conveys that idea of several movements unifying under one banner. Rather than saying they're all riding in one craft, we say they're all congregating under one tent. (Y'know, from back when tent revivals were more of a thing.)

[@WaterShowsProd]

@@andrewphilos Oh, I see.

[@eliplayz22]

First off, fantastic series. Getting to the point, I commend that monk from the intro (I forgot his name lmao) for translating all those important texts in the two thousand or so years before Google Translate was invented

[@ianbrewster8934]

Great stuff..... I would love for you guys to do an episode on the Shaolin Monks

[@lkzhang820]

7:01 To be honesty，the formulation of Shinto theology is a product of Buddhist influence. But anyway the video is as amazing as usual.

[@seancasey910]

I figure the main point of this series was to show how Buddhism spread to the regions where it's most commonly practiced today, but I still wish they could have spent more time talking about the Indo-Greek kingdoms in Bactria that converted to Buddhism. Not only is it a cool place and time in history, it was also crucial in spreading Buddhism along the Silk Road to places like China.

[@thehistorybard6333]

I really enjoyed this series, its something Ive really wanted to learn about because Buddhism is so widespread and important. I think this series would be worth seven episode

[@SonofSethoitae]

This video has some fairly fundamental errors about Buddhism in it, unfortunately

[@riopratamamartin7870]

Finally the origin of kera sakti (journey to the west)

[@mariaeduardav.s.4201]

Great series! Loved learning about it

[@StarLightNow]

This has been one of the most fascinating stories you have told. Love this.

[@user-ji7kn3ul3v]

5:23 that pronunciation was so smooth

[@philtkaswahl2124]

Always love vids and publications studying how religions syncretize with other local religions and customs as they spread.

[@TheCreepypro]

props to this series for explaining this religion so well

[@user-mp8bo9cs6b]

Love the Dàmíng palace and the historically accurate cloths and animation

[@zhonghuaxiansheng]

Lu Zhishen my beloved 😍

[@ThinksFarToMuch]

Huge shout out to the Extra History team for helping to outline some of the key characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism. 2 years ago when I was a seminary student I took an introductory class on Buddhism from an ordained Buddhist teacher who was also a professor at the seminary. Your lesson and hers are almost the same. 😊

[@SonofSethoitae]

...but a bunch of the details in this video are patently wrong

[@altang884884]

Awesome!

[@Lmfao_shut_up]

Yoo a new vid 🎉🎉🎉

[@paulcalixte2223]

Thank you so much for this series! I went into it thinking of Buddhism as a more selfish religion, but have now come to understand that I, at best, had a caricature of the faith in mind

[@charanawijesiri1128]

Loved the series. Wish you had done a separate video analyzing Theravada schools as well.

[@handdrawnmemes]

love the searies

[@Stejers]

I must say there are some super cool stories from buddhism that it makes me more confused why no blickbuster movie has been made of it yet

[@GaldirEonai]

There have been. In India, China, Japan and all over southeast asia. Just not in "the west".

[@aleksythehorse5984]

What was always more interesting to me is why we don't have a neat movie about life of Mohammad yet.

[@aceflaviuskaizokuaugustusc8427]

@@aleksythehorse5984 Pretty sure it’s because Islam prohibits images of their prophets

[@aleksythehorse5984]

@@aceflaviuskaizokuaugustusc8427 Yes but who said it it has to be Muslims making the movie? Holy Quran is public domain for everyone.

[@scorpioninpink]

​@@aleksythehorse5984There is a movie about Prophet Mohammed. Multiple actually. But he was never depicted in those movies. He is literally the camera man in those movies.

[@thyhighcomrade2180]

It would be wonderful if your channel could create a series or perhaps a pair of episodes detailing the exploits of Bodhidharma, who according to legend founded the concept of martial arts as a means to strengthen one's body in order to practice deep meditations for extended periods of time. Trust me, you need to think about making this.

[@DavidChipman]

Any thought's about doing a video/series on Shintoism?

[@smisipawer]

We definitely need a follow-up series for this one! Focusing more specifically on the evolution and development of Buddhism in a specific area or period, like you did with early Christianity

[@fungalchime5669]

It's a common misconception that the monkey King is the main character of Journey to the West. Though he is the most famous, it's actually Xuanzang/ Tripitaka that is the "main character". People kind of just took to Monkey more because he was more fun to write about.

[@Xalerdane]

And, y’know, he’s the one that actually does everything.

[@akaneh1989]

I mean, Tripitaka is already at a point where he himself already learnt all the moral lessons he needs - he is humble, kind, trusting and helpful. It's part of why he is picked to bring the scriptures. Sun Wukong (and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing too, but mostly Wukong) has A LOT to learn. He is the one with the character development, and half the work is setting up how he got under that mountain Tripitaka meets him at due to his personality flaws.

[@sanhcman666]

Please. A series about the origin of the silk road. Specially the diplomat that made it possible

[@mylesjude233]

That would be a awesome video series on Zhang Qian

[@BenWatton92]

Great series

[@ritheshofficial]

Love you guys and your content but disappointed you didn't mention Bodhidharma, the prince monk from south India who literally laid the foundation of the Shaolin Kung Fu.

[@thewizardinblue]

I still smile every time I hear the Act Raiser music in the intro. 🥰

[@WaterShowsProd]

From my room in Bangkok I can see a temple to Guan-Im which looks very much like the illustration at 6:45. Despite Thailand being Theravada Guan-Im is a commonly revered figure, and can be found in Theravada temples as well as Mahayana ones. Of course Thailand and China have had strong ties going back centuries and in particular in Late 18th and Eartly 19th Centuries Chinese commerce was vital to restoring the kingdom following the fall of Ayutthaya, and from gratitiude and admiration a lot of Chinese influence was incorporated. The pendulum later swung the other way with strong anti-Chinese sentiment, until King Ananda Mahidol began bringing the communities back together. As such the main road through Chinatown is Yaowarat "The Youthful King".

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You guys always make my day with your videos! Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication! We truly appreciate it! Huge fan🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤😊😊😊😊

[@extrahistory]

Thank you!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

@@extrahistory Always!

[@dummynodepanda]

You should do another video about Bodhidharma and Buddhabhadra founding the Shaolin temple, its quite a fun piece of history. East Asian Mahayana is definitely where buddhism became very very different. As was mentioned previously too, one of the biggest ones being okay to consuming meat again, which is wild.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

I expected more you would speak of what happened to Buddhism in India after the first episodes.

[@AzraNoxx]

"Shinto marriages and Buddhist funerals" is how I always heard it. Having a rebirth at all, especially a Pure Land rebirth is a lot better than going to Yomi. Who wants to rot in the dark and have a body full of maggots and worms forever? Creepy stuff.

[@GeneralLuigiTBC]

0:22 I'm guessing those are the statues that used to be in Bamyan.

[@justanotherguy3215]

Yeah, it's a shame what happened to them

[@hellomoto2084]

India asked Taliban government back then that it will provide aid and money in return of sparing those statues and so did Japan . Both offers were rejected. As for today india still provides food aid via iran and techincal help to taliban after re opening it's embassy . Those afgans still come there to seek medical treatment but still ... What they did was unfortunate although the school of Islam followed by Taliban is deobandi Islam . Deobandi sect originated in india and it's seminary or madarsah in deoband in northern India is the largest one In the world with thousands of students. And they dislike barelvis whose school of thought also originated in india . Today also that seminary enjoys substantial government fundings and thousands of students come there and graduate after learning about islam the deoband way . Actually india has Sunnis who then subdivided in deobandi and Barelvi. So yes taliban too got it's ideals from a Islamic religious school in india . Although it's fighters studied in pakistan but the school of thought is well established even today where the ideology of Taliban originated in india It's India's answer to Arab Sunni Wahabism.

[@harshdhoka3005]

Please do a series on Jainism also.

[@Redemptorchapter]

Nice Phurba from "The Shadow".

[@bendi3768]

Kinda sad you guys didn't mention Avatar the last airbenders but the series was great

[@willallen3606]

I feel like this channel gets a lot of crossover from OSP and I’m so here for it

[@Toonrick12]

Well, they did collab once.

[@willallen3606]

Very true, but I enjoy watching the two overlap either way

[@ajaylokare5384]

The greatest of all

[@luigiaguilera3444]

Having watched the osp videos on the journey to the west, I jumped when I saw Xuanxang

[@tommysimpson6662]

2:57 very very very good visual gag!

[@SonofSethoitae]

Chan/Zen is _not_ an esoteric school. It's pure Mahayana. Edit: ALL schools of Buddhism recognize that there have been many Buddhas. The difference between Mahayana and Theravada, in this regard anyway, is whether or not more than on Buddha can exist at a time. Theravada says no, Mahayana says yes. And no, Buddhas cannot be reincarnations of previous Buddhas. Fully enlightened Buddhas have left the cycle of death and rebirth. They cannot be reborn, that's what makes them Buddhas. Edit again: No, the theravada doesn’t seek becoming a Buddha. The distinction is between the Theravada, which places becoming an Arahant as the highest goal, and Mahayana, which places becoming a Buddha as the highest goal. That's why bodhisattvas are the primary supernatural beings appealed to in Mahayana; "bodhisattva" is a term applied to any being that will eventually become a Buddha. Mahayana bodhisattvas simply vow to take the long way there. Also, Nirvana is not "peaceful nonexistence." It's referred to in the canon as being "beyond existence and nonexistence." Buddhism rejects both eternalism and nihilism. Third edit: _no_ , the goal of Mahayana is to become a Buddha like Shakyamuni. The Mahayana simply teaches that adherance to the Bodhisattva path is a necessary component of that goal. Fourth edit: all forms of Buddhism have a pantheon. The idea that Buddhism is atheistic is and has always been fundamentally wrong. Theravada doesn't recognize most of the Bodhisattvas (except Maitreya, whom they share, and a form of Avalokiteshvara in Sri Lanka), but they have all the Devas, Ashuras, demons, etc that Mahayana does. Indra and Brahma appear in both, for example. Fifth edit: Mahayana caught on primarily in central Asia and northern India, not in China. It was already the primary form in India at the time (along with Vajrayana). Sixth edit: Buddhism has always contained worldly teachings. The Buddha of the Pali Canon was quite happy to give practical advice on how to live a secular life. It's also always been possible to pray to supernatural beings to get rich. Buddhism doesn’t deny anything other than the salvific power of these supernatural beings. Seventh edit: Buddhism always recognized certain forms of hierarchy as legitimate. It only ever denied the salvific power of one's birth caste; i.e. conduct alone makes one a Brahman. However, filial piety and duty of one's social superiors and inferiors were always a part of the teachings, such as those of the Sigalovada Sutra. That isn't a Chinese innovation. Final edit: the research was pretty bad on this one, sorry guys. It may behoove you to consult with more Buddhists in the making of these videos.

[@greensteve9307]

Why should we trust your word?

[@l4l01234]

@@greensteve9307because he’s correct. You are free to consult with scholarly sources and do your own research, and you absolutely should. Because this video is riddled with errors, misrepresentations and inaccuracies

[@jrhermosura4600]

thank you for imparting your knowledge, for bringing a ray of light into our minds

[@jaredbaker7230]

You need another episode. One that explains how Buddhism spread to North America through anti-establishmentism and misunderstanding to the b point that karma is a byword sung on the radio and the Nirvana/rebirth cycles keep showing up in pop culture, particularly fantasy (like Branden Sanderson) and sci-fi (like Star Wars).

[@Ld7snake]

that bit about the japanese emperor and the smallpox is kinda hilarious when you think about it. piss off one god and try to appease them by pissing off another just to get double whammied

[@thrandompug2254]

You guys need to do more series on Imperial Japan! People dont know kuch about them, but they are EXTREMELY important to know about if you want to understand modern relations between Japan China and Korea

[@postapocalypticnewsradio]

PANR has tuned in.

[@-jeff-]

That title makes it sound like a DLC... oh wait. Maybe it was! 😂

[@Pikashockdragon]

9:27 Vikings: *singing* SPAMMITY SPAM! WONDERFUL SPAM!!!!

[@kucimaka8092]

I just realized that this series is something I didn't know I needed 😮😮😮

[@Akimittsun]

I have to make a correction: Prince Shōtoku was never a monarch - at the peak of his influence, he served as regent (sesshō) on behalf of his aunt, Empress Suiko, but he never actually reigned as emperor

[@bawesome4527]

This just gets me thinking about how religions interact with one another. I wonder how Buddhism has interacted with the abrahamic faiths?

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

Nice

[@pseudonym6387]

...Where did Shikoku go on that map of Japan? (also I think "get married a Christian" ended up in the middle of that "Born Shinto, die Buddhist" saying at some point.)

[@YourFunkiness]

Which of the schools do I join to learn the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique?

[@Grimmtoof]

When I was watching the intro I suddenly thought 'hang on, that sounds very familiar'. Glad to hear i was right!

[@SuperHGB]

Can you do a video on the 6 day war please?

[@ferretyluv]

Even Extra History won’t even touch that with a ten foot pole.

[@geoffreyherrick298]

Might I suggest Showtime 112?

[@Petruhafication]

Two corrections for the Lies portion of this series. The robes on the Vajrayana monk are the wrong color. Also the phurba/kila is not a dagger, it's a nail/peg

[@yj9032]

For all the Indian viewers, Xuanzang is Huien Tsang.

[@bhuh100]

Could we have a series about the third branch

[@Nostripe361]

I can understand why an afterlife would entice the Japanese. From what I know from a mix of College japanese, Japanese pop culture, and researching for fun during my free time, Shinto beliefs about what happens after death don't seem appealing. Granted I am no expert and only know the very basics of Shinto beliefs. So anyone who actually knows more about this is welcome to explain it to me further.

[@ObliviAce]

Honestly, you guys should just start a new genre in the channel called "extra religion" where you talk about religious history. I'd be thrilled to learn more about christian, islamic and jewish history. I think jewish history would be especially interesting as it is truly mind boggling how an ethno-religious group could survive almost 2000 years of living without a proper homeland and constant persecution

[@kokuinomusume]

There's a channel called "Religion For Breakfast" about religions from an academic perspective, give it a look.

[@OldieBugger]

I have this one problem wit Incogni (or any other company); to get them remove my personal data I have to give them _MY PERSONAL DATA._

[@ferretyluv]

I mean, how are they going to ask someone to remove your name from a database unless they know your name?

[@austinaugustus1755]

You should try vaishnavism

[@chayanika8155]

Any suggested reading material for more on this topic? (Not too heavy)

[@aidanjackson5084]

8:24 - There's an additional line to that phrase of "Born a Shinto, die a Buddhist" in Japan. That line is between the other two, "Married Christian." So that means that modern Japanese are born and live the Shinto lifestyle, marry in semi-traditional Christian weddings, and then die with Buddhist traditions.

[@aze94]

The full quote that you mentioned at the end is: "Born Shinto, married Christian, die Buddhist."

[@ferretyluv]

Uh, Zen is just the Japanese version of Chinese Chan and is very much Mahayana. Shingon is Vajrayana.

[@PixelPower0615]

4:04 When are we going to see Journey to the West being covered?

[@Finnv893]

I feel like the series ended quite abruptly, not sure about how others feel.

[@WaterShowsProd]

Absolutely.

[@razorka1293]

cool

[@Smallgamer20]

Fun Fact: Narrator Mat had to say that as many times as there are letters in the name to say: Avalokiteshvara

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

7:27 😂 this reminds me of that time some Japanese baseball fans threw a statue of Colonel Sanders into a river.