Modern China and South Asian Buddhism: Developing Communication Networks and the Introduction of the Concept of “Original Buddhism”

With Buddhism as the spiritual bond, cultural exchanges between China and South Asian countries such as India have a long and fruitful history. But after the Tang Dynasty, this kind of communication gradually declined until the late Qing Dynasty, when exchanges between the Chinese Buddhist community and countries such as Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and India became active, and a relatively stable communication mechanism gradually formed between China and South Asia in the Buddhist community. Moreover, in the formation and operation of this communication mechanism, Japanese Buddhism is also a crucial factor. Centered around China, Japan, and Ceylon, a network of Asian Buddhist exchanges has been formed in modern times, and the community consciousness of “Asian Buddhism” or “Buddhist Asia” has gradually awakened.