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古代東南亞佛教，大乘和小乘彼此興廢交替不定，但以南傳上座部勢力最大，影響最深。最後緬甸、泰國、柬埔寨、寮國，完全變成以錫蘭為傳承的上座部佛教。越南則因古承中國文化，故所傳的是大乘佛法。另外如西里伯、北婆羅、菲律賓，古代也曾受到佛法的薰沐，不過未長久盛行及鞏固基礎。至於爪哇、蘇門答臘、馬來亞，佛教雖曾廣為流布，不過在阿拉伯的回教及其文化的傳入後，也都式微了。
佛法傳入中國
根據周朝《異記》的記載，佛在印度誕生時，剛好是中國周昭王二十四年（甲寅），那時江河都漲溢到外邊去了，又有五色祥光貫天上的大微星。當時有一位太史（管理天文算數的官）蘇曲，用《易經》占卦，占到乾卦九五––「飛龍在天」，因此知道西方印度有大聖人出世，而他的教法將在一千年後傳到中國來。當時周昭王就令人將此事刻於石碑上，埋於城南，以驗千年後佛教是否傳到中國來。
周穆王時，佛在印度入滅了。遠在東方的中國則天地震動，天上同時出現十二道白虹，貫著太陽，表舉世同哀。此亦由當時的太史扈多，用《易經》占算得知：西方的大聖人入滅了。所以佛出世不是偶然的。
雖然佛法傳入中國，據史書記載始自後漢，其實後漢以前，中國已有佛法了。列子曾引述孔子的話：「丘聞西方有聖人焉，不治而不亂，不言而自信，不化而自行，蕩蕩乎民無能名焉。」可知孔子已經知道有佛了。又秦始皇時，天竺阿育王派遣沙門室利房等十八人，齎持佛經到中國宣傳佛教。
秦始皇怪他們異狀，所以將他們囚在監獄。當時夜間有丈六金神，破戶出之，秦始皇大驚，叩頭懺悔謝罪，以後就用厚禮把他們送出國境外。還有《魏書》〈釋老志〉也記載：「前漢武帝元狩中，霍去病獲昆邪王所獻金人，長丈餘，帝以為大神，列於甘泉宮，焚香禮拜。」可知漢武帝時，佛像已到中國。不過上述事實，只能算是佛教到中國的肇端，並沒有正式宏傳。
直到東漢永平年間，離周昭王約一千年的時間，漢明帝做了一個夢，夢見一位相好莊嚴，頭頂上有一圓光，金光爍耀的金人，由空中飛到皇帝所住的殿內。第二天，明帝以夢境問大臣，當時的太史傅毅，就將周朝《異記》記載佛誕時中國所現的瑞相等稟告明帝。明帝就命蔡愔、秦景、王遵等十八人到印度去求請佛法。到了月氏國，剛好遇到攝摩騰、竺法蘭二位尊者，以白馬載著佛經等，要來中國弘法，所以就一同來到中國。
漢明帝以最隆重的禮，將二位尊者暫時迎接到洛陽鴻臚寺，後又為他們建規模宏偉的寺院，因他們用白馬馱經到中國來，所以命名為白馬寺，這是中國有佛寺的開始。又相傳二位尊者譯出的經典共有五部，但其中四部失傳了，只存《佛說四十二章經》，所以這是中國最早的一部法寶。
→待續
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Reminder from last issue:
Buddhism in Sanskrit and Pali
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The Buddhadharma Is Transmitted to China
In the book Records of Strange Events from the Zhou Dynasty, it records that the Buddha was born in India during the 24th year of Emperor Zhao of Zhou Dynasty in China. At that time the rivers overflowed their banks and a five-colored auspicious light connected the major stars. An astrologer and diviner named Su Qu consulted the Book of Changes and got the first hexagram qian, nine in the fifth place, "flying dragon in the sky." From this he ascertained that a great sage had been born in the West, in India, and that his teachings would come to China a thousand years later. Emperor Zhao ordered that the event be engraved on a stone tablet and buried at a certain spot south of the city, to see if a thousand years hence the Buddhadharma would actually be transmitted to China.
At the time of Emperor Mu of Zhou, the Buddha entered Nirvana in India. In the distant east, there was a massive earthquake in China, and twelve white rainbows simultaneously arched from the sun, a sign that the whole world was mourning. At that time another astrologer named Hu Duo used the Book of Changes to consult the hexagrams. He concluded, "There is a great sage in the West who has entered Nirvana." Therefore, the Buddha's coming to the world is no chance event.
Although historical records say that Buddhism first entered China in the Latter Han Dynasty, the Buddhadharma actually existed in China before then. Liezi once quoted Confucius as saying, "Qiu has heard of a sage in the West, who did not have to rule, and yet there was no disorder. He did not have to speak, yet people believed in him. He did not have to teach, yet people would practice. It was beyond the people's ability to describe his greatness." From this we know that Confucius had already heard of the Buddha. During the reign of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, King Asoka of India sent the monk Shi Lifang and seventeen others to take the Buddhist Sutras to China and propagate Buddhism there.
The First Emperor of Qin thought they were strange-looking, and imprisoned them. At night a sixteen-foot-high golden spirit broke down the prison door and released them, startling the Emperor so much that he bowed and repented of his fault. Later he lavished many presents upon them and escorted them to the country's border. The Chapter of Shi Laozhi in the Book of Wei says, "When Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty was on an imperial tour of inspection, Huo Qubing received a golden image over ten feet tall from King Kunxie. Thinking it was a great god, the Emperor placed it in Sweet Springs Palace, lit incense and bowed to it." This indicates there were Buddha images in China as early as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. However, this can only be considered the very beginnings of Buddhism in China; there was no formal propagation.
During the Yungping Reign of the Eastern Han (Latter Han), about a thousand years after Emperor Zhao of Zhou, Emperor Ming dreamed that a golden person with adorned features and a halo around his head flew into the Emperor's palace. The next day Emperor Ming asked his ministers about the dream and an astrologer named Fu Yi told the Emperor about the auspicious portents which had appeared in China when the Buddha was born, as recorded in the book Records of Strange Events. Emperor Ming then sent eighteen people, including Cai Yin, Qin Jing and Wang Zun, to India to request the Buddhadharma. When they reached Kusana, they met the Venerables Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana, who were going to China to propagate the Dharma, bringing Buddhist Sutras on a white horse. Therefore, they all went to China together.
Emperor Ming welcomed the two Venerable Ones with solemn ceremony, and led them to Honglu Villa in Loyang. Later, he built them a magnificent temple and named it White Horse Monastery because they had carried the sutras to China on a white horse. This marked the advent of Buddhist temples in China. It is said that the two Venerables translated five Sutras. However, four have been lost and only the Sutra in Forty-two Sections Spoken by the Buddha remains. This was China's earliest Dharma treasure.
→To be continued
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