Buddha in Bhutan (Michael Foley Photography)
Brenda Smage reads Prof. Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II's scholarship on Taoism, Buddhism, and medieval China. Buddhism spread "hippie-like" from Dharma bum wandering ascetic scholars on the Silk Road. They settled in Loyang, hanging around with the Taoists/Daoists. Before long they have taken over the spiritual-philosophical landscape. Confucianists came to the rescue: T'ang Dynasty persecution put an end to Theravada Buddhism. (It eradicated Sarvastivada Buddhism, the original and much maligned "Hinayana" school). As the original teachings from India and Central Asia were driven out of China, only the overly wooden Ch'an (Zen) and overly devotional "Pure Land" traditions survived.(Open Source Buddhism)