1. Buddhism
A long time ago a prince was born called Siddhartha Gautama, who would change India forever. ... At this time Siddhartha began taking little day trips outside of the palace gates. On each of these visits Siddhartha saw a little piece of life, or suffering. ...
The Soga in Japan then appointed the throne to his niece, which then appointed the throne to her nephew, Prince Shotoku, which created a "Seventeen Article Constitution" that made reverence for Buddhism by all Japanese necessary (Murphey, 197). ... In conclusion, many social and political circumstances allowed for Buddhism to remain a dominant religion and defining feature of Japan, while it did not last long in China and had little influence in the long run....
Siddhārtha Gautama was a prince from the north Indian tribe of the Shākyas (hence his name, Shākyamuni, or sage of the Shākyas), located in present-day Nepāl. ... And so he formulated one of the major lessons he would impart as an enlightened soul, that one must always tread the madhyam path (middle path), avoiding extremes of too much or too little. ...
They started performing sacrifices to make it rain or to bring out the sun and little by little every aspect of Mother Nature became a god with super powers. ... On the other hand, we have Buddhism that was founded in the fourth or fifth century B.C. in northern India by a man known traditionally as Siddhartha (meaning "he who has reached the goal-) Gautama, the son of a warrior prince. ...
Confucianism in Japan and China The Japanese people had little civilization of their own until, during the fourth century AD, they began to have contact with the Chinese. ... Every man who served the state should make his ideal the Confucian loyalty to the prince, and this prince must be none other than the Emperor himself.? ...