China diary-Part1: The silk road of knowledge exchange
Recently I made my first ever trip to China. There has been a lot of curiosity and interest amongst my friends and family to know what my experiences were like there. So I thought I would share some of my observations and insights in a few blog posts. There is much talk around the world about the idea of "Chindia" these days but the exchange of ideas, goods, and people across China and India has a very long history. Traveling scholars such as Hsuan Tsang, Fa Hein, and Boganathar served as cultural ambassadors and bridges across the two ancient revered civilizations. Of course, the silk road symbolizes this flow in a very visible, concrete manner. Buddhism serves as a spiritual connection between both lands that have coexisted peacefully across thousands of years. However, the influence of Hindu scholars such as Bhoga who laid the foundation for Zen meditation, taichi, the idea of yin-yang, and Shaolin martial arts traditions is also undeniable. By the early third c...

Comments
Post a Comment