Buddhism was first introduced in China during the first centuries A.D., during the time when the Han Dynasty was falling apart. Many people lost confidence in the native Confucian ideals and decided to turn to the new Buddhist principles. As Buddhism became popular gradually, it was also later under much influence by indigenous Chinese society and belief. The interaction between Buddhist and indigenous Chinese beliefs could be readily seen in some popular Chinese conceptions …
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showed last 75 words of 689 total
…number of sins she committed. The process of dying and being brought to the netherworld for questioning was similar to the Chinese judicial system, where one is being arrested then being questioned. The understanding of Buddhist concept of retribution, the parallels made between Buddhist modes of existence and the Chinese class structure, and the connections that existed between Buddhist hells and the Chinese governing system, indicates that Buddhism was greatly influenced by indigenous Chinese belief.