What do I make of The Silk Road; my thoughts on this topic!

 

China's new Silk Road

Today, I discuss my thoughts and views on The Silk Road. As interesting as I find it, I will admit I was taken aback by the mention of Venice in the video; "The Silk Road: Where East Met West." I was floored to learn of the presence of many Arabian artifacts present in Europe, especially Venice!! Yes, you read correct....Venice!! "Wherever he looked, he saw the orient; windows everywhere that belonged to the Arab world. Venice is full of traces of the trade on which its wealth was based; memories of a network of business connections known today as The Silk Road, that once stretched across the Mediterranean sea into the very heart of Asia." (Silk 3:43-4:07) 

The book mentions Tiantai Buddhism in China which the video fails to highlight. Exploring the origination and purpose of Tiantai Buddhism is intriguing  while also complex and confusing. Reading about the monk, Zhiyi (Chih-i) who founded Gouqing monastery and initiated the teaching of "Tiantai" Buddhism is enlightening. "Although Zhiyi is recognized as the founder of Tiantai, he was (as is so often the case) largely responsible for pulling together and giving a coherent form to currents that had been developing for centuries before his time. Zhiyi played the role of a peacemaker, a compromise maker, who brought together the disparate and often feuding members of the family of Buddhist teaching in China." (Bresnan 382-383) 

Transportation and Expansion- The Silk Road Camels

As I watched the video and made my notes on  my read from Chapter 16: Early Buddhism in China by Patrick Bresnan, I could find myself wondering why there was no mention of the rich presence of Muslims in China in the book. The video, on the other hand, describes the impact of the Muslim traders in Chinese community and how religion came with them. "Hmmm, lamb kabobs, which I'm pretty sure was a Turkish dish. Everywhere I look, there are people wearing Islamic prayer hats and this is nothing new. It's not some recent wave of immigration. I think you'll agree I could be forgiven if I became confused. And the fact there has been a Muslim community here since the eighth century is entirely due to The Silk Road; to the lines of trade and communication it established. The Muslims who came here weren't tourists or captives; they were traders." (Silk 8:05-8:43) 

"Trade brought these people here and religion came with them inevitably as naturally as their luggage." (Silk 10:49-10:56) This passage right here gives me a better understanding of how religion flows with people through their travels, trades, commodities and despite language barriers, it somehow still manages to flourish and leave a legacy behind for future generations to come.

Also learning of Zhiyi's emphasis on the nurturing of compassion in all things is enlightening. "The mortal enemy of acceptance is hatred. The strength of hatred (and its fellow traveler, anger) is the perfect gauge of the strength of ego. And the ego, the illusion of a private self, is what Buddha held to be the greatest obstacle to liberation. It was for this reason that Zhiyi emphasized the nurturing of compassion in all things. Compassion and hatred cannot dwell together under the same roof." (Bresnan 384)

 

Citations

National Geographic Society. “The Silk Road.” National Geographic Society, 22 July 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/silk-road/.

“R/Videos - India, China, and the Maritime Silk Road: More than Just a Trade Route.” Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/ngaqsd/india_china_and_the_maritime_silk_road_more_than/.

“The+Silk+Road.” Yahoo!, Yahoo!, https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=Awr9Ds2bn19i.O8AXEpXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZANMT0NVSTAzOEJfMQRzZWMDcGl2cw--?p=the%2Bsilk%2Broad&fr2=piv-web&type=E211US714G0&fr=mcafee#id=127&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsilkroadcamels.weebly.com%2Fuploads%2F2%2F8%2F6%2F3%2F28636585%2F7642240.jpg%3F890&action=click.