The Importance Of Buddhism In Japanese Society

Buddhism was spread to China through the trade routes that went through Central Asia and Southeast Asia. A large portion of the Indian merchants were Buddhists. The Buddhist bodhisattva was portrayed as an enlightened saint for the merchants. The bodhisattva would be there for the merchants to protect them from danger and would give them courage for their long voyages. Since the Buddhists monks were not there with the Buddhist merchants on their voyages the bodhisattva was there to protect them. The bodhisattva the merchants worshipped was named Avalowitesvara. The Guanyin was first familiarized in the 5th century by a ruler after a miracle cure had occurred. At that time statues of the bodhisattva started to appear and the statues
During the late Heian period, there were at least three deities that were important to the religious life in Japan. These three deities that were worshipped were the Kannon (Aualokiteshvara), Fudo (Achaca), and Jizo ( Ch: Dicang). The Kannon statues were located at different special religious sites in Japan. In Japan, a temple called the “33,333 Kannons” was built during the 17th century. According to WM. Theodore De Bary, “Statues of Kannon were erected at thirty- three sites of remarkable beauty in Japan, and pilgrimages to the different shrines were popular with all classes, from the imperial family downward” (710). The individuals in Japan prayed and worshipped to the Kannon at the temple sites. Even individuals from the lower class of Japan prayed and worshipped at the temple sites. The woman in the myth had a horrible feeling about what the future would hold for her so she went to the Kannon to pray hoping that her future would somehow end up better for her. According to the 11:27 myth, “Deeply concerned for her future, the woman had decided to make a monthly pilgrimage to the Hasedera and pray to the Kannon for her future welfare” (132). The woman in the 11:27 myth is described as being “poor” which means she is probably in Japan’s lower class. This shows that during the late Heian period in Japan praying and worshipping to the Kannon was important to all of the social classes
The Buddhist merchants believed that the Bodhisattva; an enlightened saint was there to protect them through their long voyages on the trade routes. The 11:27 and 11:31 myths both reflect the importance of Buddhism in the Japanese society. The 11:27 myth shows how praying and worshipping to the Kannon was important to the individuals in the Japanese society during the late Heian period. In the 11:27 myth, the women prayed and worshipped the Kannon constantly so that she could pray for a better future for herself. The 11:31 myth describes the importance of sutras and how the women would pray to the Guanyin for a son. In the 11:31 myth, the parents were given a sutra by the priest so they could have the child that they wished to have. The sutra was later on given to their daughter so the daughter could have protection when she was sold to the merchants. The 11:31 myth also mentions in the beginning that before the family received the sutra, the mother would go to the Guanyin and would pray for a