A Study On The Influence Of Geographical Factors On The Formation Of Buddhism Pattern In Yun Nan Province

Since it was originally formed 2500 years ago in the Indian Subcontinent,the world Buddhist system has achieved continuous development and evolution.It is comprised of three language branches including Han,Tibetan and Baali based on the popular languages and the classical transcription.Yunnan should be home to the whole three branches by chance,which is rare.Buddhist geographical study emerges as a new branch in the whole filed and the studies on Yunnan Buddhist geography are few.The thesis conducts its investigation and analysis based on the theme concerned with the close relation between the formation of the traditional pattern of the Buddhist distribution and the geographical factors.As an important part of Yunnan local culture,Yunnan Buddhism is directly affected by Yunnan’s unique geographical environment during the key processes such as production,development and evolution.Due to the fact that Buddhism can positively adapt to the local environment especially the geographical environment,as a foreign religious culture,Buddhism can achieve a long-standing existence and development and turn into Yunnan Buddhist system with unique features.The formation of the distribution pattern of Yunnan Buddhism features regional identity which is closely connected with the nature and the cultural and geographical environment of Yunnan Province.The opening of the thesis aims to introduce the uniqueness of Yunnan geography as it provides an environmental foundation for the formation of Yunnan Buddhist pattern.The second part of the thesis discusses the geographical spatial distribution of Han Buddhism,Tibetan Buddhism and Nan Buddhism and investigates their features of the geographical spatial distribution.The culture of a region is always a product under the influence of geographical environment(including natural geographic environment and cultural geographic environment).Yunnan Buddhism has been directly affected by Yunnan’s unique geographical environment during its processes of emergence,development and evolution,and the geographical environment of Yunnan Buddhism is almost everywhere.The third part specifies the influence of geographical factors on the formation of Yunnan Buddhist pattern and makes a detailed analysis of the important role played by the seven factors including topography,climate,settlement,economy,politics,language and the cultural relations that the geographical region bears.A region forms its own unique combination of natural and cultural elements under the influence of nature and chance,which makes the foreign cultural introduced into the region either takes root by adapting to the local or eliminated in the cultural competition.In the complex combination of geographical elements,changes in one element may play a decisive role in the spread,consolidation and development of a school of Buddhism.However,both natural and cultural factors are closely interwoven,difficult to separate and cause causal relationship.The continuous interaction of these factors contributes to the unique geographical distribution pattern of Yunnan Buddhism.