Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t6.1

v1.c7.s10.t6.1

The Upanishads are a collection of classic texts that first proposed a host of brilliant philosophical thoughts in ancient India that were later instrumental in the formation of the key philosophical theories of Brahmanism and Hinduism. The creation of the Upanishads spanned an extremely long period of time, with the first few Upanishad texts emerging as early as 9th century BCE, as followed by a myriad of other related texts over the ensuing centuries. The latest among the Upanishad collection did not come out until well after the start of the Common Era. One of the most important books the world has ever known, the Upanishads exerted considerable influence on the development of Indian culture, especially Indian philosophy, with numerous philosophical schools in ancient India able to trace the roots of their theories to the Upanishad texts and many renowned thinkers of contemporary India also profoundly exposed to the far-reaching sway of the canon. The major ideas and theories contained in the Upanishads spread to China along with Buddhism, where they went on to make a notable impact on the Chinese philosophical scene.