Syncretism of Buddhism in Southeast Asia

Buddhism reached China first, then Korea and from there to Japan. This lesson was one that could be directly related to "Geography is Destiny". Japan was the piece of land farthest to the North, and to top that off it was an island, and therefore needed ships or boats to bring trade to it. Until trade became just as proficient across water than across land, Japan would recieve all goods and ideas after China and Korea. In the case of Buddhism Japan already knew about Buddhism's success in other countries such as China, so they were much more willing to try it out. Korea and China however needed missionaries who performed prophecies and magical spells to "wow" (impress) audiences to gain support. Japan, however, had a smoother transition to Buddhism as the idea spread across the land and gained awareness. That smooth transition however, did not mean that Buddhism did not become corrupt. Rulers began using Buddhism to justify power however after the first ruler ruled with Buddhism there was an epidemic and all believed that this epidemic was a cause of Japan's switched beliefs. This is another example of "Geography is Destiny", because epidemics do follow that theory (see "Guns, Germs, and Steel" for more information.) Even though Korea, Japan, and China all had trouble at first with Buddhism, this religion became one of the main religions in all three of these areas.