East Asian Religions in Premodern Europe

We tend to discuss Japan or China becoming Christian, but Hideyoshi made an interesting point to the Spanish when discussing his crackdown on missionaries.

"If either religious or secular Japanese proceeded to your kingdoms and preached the law of Shinto therein, disquieting and disturbing the public peace and tranquility thereby, would you, as lord of the soil, be pleased thereat? Certainly not; and therefore by this you can judge what I have done." In OTL there was, of course, Chinoserie, but this was restricted to artistic tastes.

So, how does early modern Europe respond to East Asian Buddhist monks, Chinese scholars, etc. floating around? My guess is that even with a more assertive Ming or Qing, you won't see widespread conversion, but I could certainly see Confucianism influencing European thinkers.*

*And centuries later, movie studios in Fusang will make movies about the Outlaws of the Water Margin, a plucky band of rebels and bandits in British North America who need a Confucian scholar to lead them to victory over the English.
 
They would kill them, no question. Heresy can get you killed in horrible ways. They've fought wars against heresy, heathens preaching?
They're dead no question. No entertaining of foreign missions, just executed.
 
They would kill them, no question. Heresy can get you killed in horrible ways. They've fought wars against heresy, heathens preaching?
They're dead no question. No entertaining of foreign missions, just executed.
Well, I'm not sure it would be quite that drastic, but they'd most certainly be thrown out immediately.
 
I think it depends, actually. A couple of impoverished Buddhist monks who show up in Paris with begging bowls? The church might fret, but they are ultimately too distant to be anything other than exotic. But a bigger influence for Confucianism? That seems pretty plausible. Even in OTL, he gets listed by Paine in the Age of Reason...
 
Could Buddhist preachers (monks?) have reached Europe in pre-Christian or at least before the Roman Empire made it the state religion? Was there ever a chance for such a far distant POD, and Buddhism gaining a foothold in Europe butterflying away Christianity's influence?

Or impossible, the Buddhist teachings would not have appeal to either aristocrats or peasants?
 

Driftless

Donor
Have the Maurya Empire keep coming west after the collapse of Alexander's conquests? Or the Gupta's come west as Rome is undergoing it's decline? Then there would be some muscle to support extension for eastern religions.
 
Have the Maurya Empire keep coming west after the collapse of Alexander's conquests? Or the Gupta's come west as Rome is undergoing it's decline? Then there would be some muscle to support extension for eastern religions.
Are the Sassanids asleep at the switch? I highly doubt the Guptas could expand their religion into Persia, much Rome.
 
It depends a lot from which period we're talking. Pre-Modern Europe can covers easily centuries if not millennias.

Assuming that by pre-modern Europe you mean the era immediately preceding the XVth/XVIIIth period, basically Late Middle Ages, proselytism is not going to happen.
It's a period where heterodoxy was eventually assimilated to lese-majesty, and disturbance of social order by most of population.

Now, a non-proselyte presence? It's slightly more doable, critically if you can make it pass for some weird foreign kind of Christianity (Ethiopian Church was kind of distinct, and Portuguese still went to help it). Eventually, it should either join and adopt the orthodox ways and concepts, but it's not unthinkable to see them living on this way.

You mentioned the example of Buddhist monks, and indeed they could pass easily from minor friars. If you manage to use Saint B̶u̶d̶d̶h̶a̶ Josaphat, it could work.
 
Very much depends on the period and the country.

I don't see there being much problem with Chinese scholars going about and 'preaching' Confucianism- so some ancient Chinese guy said to respect the ruling classes and your parents? Fits perfectly with the standard version of Christianity really.
Buddhism...done smartly it might be able to slip under the radar in less paranoid times. If they tone down the reincarnation angle and instead concentrate on kharma in one lifetime and other issues that don't go against christianity then it could get by...but probably not too likely.
 
It depends a lot from which period we're talking. Pre-Modern Europe can covers easily centuries if not millennias.

I'm basically thinking of a late 17th century and Enlightenment where the Chinese are more active around the world, not Zheng He docking in 15th century Lisbon.
 
They would probably not expect the spanish Inquisition.:D
I´m a horrible person but I had to make that pun because nobody expects the spanisch Inquisiton
 
I'm basically thinking of a late 17th century and Enlightenment where the Chinese are more active around the world, not Zheng He docking in 15th century Lisbon.

(It may be a language thing and certainly is a detail, but doesn't "Modern History" spawns from XVIth to XVIIIth centuries in Anglo-American historiographies as well?)

Oh, then it depends where. Religion was still ingrained in European policies, but some countries would be a bit more relaxed with. Less Western European, I'd say, but Ottoman Empire critically.

For what matters Roman Church, you should take a look at Rites' Controversy : you had an interest on these Far East beliefs, and tentatives to Christianize them (more or less half-assed) that Rome didn't agreed with. Managing to resolve this querrel with Jesuits' belief dominating (it would probably ask for some changes.
 
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