The Three Teachings and Chinese Buddhism

Buddhism arrived in China along the Silk Roads in the 1st century CE and gradually became one of China's major traditions. It faced resistance at first: critics called it foreign, and its monastic celibacy seemed to violate filial duties to produce heirs. Translators such as Kumarajiva (344–413) rendered Indian texts into fluent Chinese, sometimes using Daoist vocabulary, and pilgrims such as Xuanzang traveled to India for scriptures.

Under the Tang, Buddhism flourished, though in 845 Emperor Wuzong ordered the closure of thousands of monasteries, partly to seize their wealth. Over time Chinese people spoke of the 'Three Teachings', Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, as complementary: a saying described them as three streams flowing into one river. Popular religion mixed them freely, so a family might honor ancestors in Confucian style, consult a Daoist priest and hire Buddhist monks for funerals. This blending contrasts with traditions that require exclusive membership.