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> Monasteries are a Western tradition Where on Earth are you getting that idea? Are you forgetting about India?
by magic_beans 8y ago
> Monasteries are a Western tradition
Where on Earth are you getting that idea? Are you forgetting about India?
- thaumasiotes 8y agoIf you're Korean, India is Western. They share "Buddhism", though generally not the same sect of Buddhism. They don't share a cultural tradition.
- virtualwhys 8y agoJapan and China (in the past) have had a long monastic tradition. I assume it's the same for Korea. Monasteries are most definitely not exclusive to the west.
- kijin 8y agoIMO South Korea has been Westernized much more than Japan or China. Even before South Korea came under U.S. influence, Buddhism in Korea has been weaker than in Japan for a long while because neo-Confucianism took over as the state ideology in the early 15th century. Neo-Confucianism emphasizes going out into the world and contributing to the public good, not withdrawing into a hermitage. Most of the great Buddhist monks that people remember are from before the switch. Buddhism was often actively suppressed, and tolerated at best, for the last 600 years.