the individual ego loses its identity in the cosmos, much as a single drop of water loses its identity in the vastness of the ocean.
Such a pessimistic attitude toward life had little appeal for the Chinese and other East Asiatic peoples, who have always tended to regard human life as essentially good. When Buddhism first came to China, the beautiful art, sacred literature, colorful ceremonies, broad learning, and peaceful monastic life, which had all become integral parts of the Buddhist religion, recommended it to the Chinese as much, if not more, than the type of philosophy embodied in original Buddhism. In fact, Buddhism could have had no broad philosophic appeal to the masses in China and Japan until a philosophic reemphasis and reorientation had taken place.
Perhaps the most startling development in this reorientation was the change in the concept of nirvana itself. For the common believer it became a Paradise where the individual soul went for an after-life of bliss, while innumerable hells, rivaling Dante’s creations, became the deserts of the wicked. Arguing that the degenerate age in which they lived made enlightenment and salvation by one’s own efforts impossible, popular preachers of the time put forth the doctrine that salvation now was possible by the grace of another—through the intervention of one of the host of gods and demi-gods with which the Buddhist pantheon had become peopled. Belief, not philosophic enlightenment or exemplary conduct, became the chief emphasis, and calling on the name of Buddha became the most meaningful act of faith.
These doctrines found vigorous expression in Japan