Reflective Reading Journal Entry in Question

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Reflective reading journal entry in question
It is interesting to learn how Buddhism became one of the most powerful religions in the world. Buddha’s advice to his people to accumulate wealth encouraged the Kushans to build a vast empire, crossing central Asia and south Asia to control strategic parts of the Silk Road (Liu 43). Being wealthy, Buddhist modified their theology, expanding their religion. The Kushans spread their beliefs and social structures as they interacted with other cultures with sedentary life of Bactria (Beckwith 31).
The Kushans traversed many parts, reaching Hindu Kush Mountains, embracing Indian beliefs and practices like the Brahmanism, Hindu, and Jains. However, the Kushans kings maintained their traditional attires wearing steppe-style robes and trousers sustaining their prestige of horse riding archers (Liu 45). These features distinguished them from their subjects. The Kushans were not the first foreign ruler in Bactria; the Persian Empire had already established strong religious beliefs. The Greek gods like Hercules an Aphrodite were already popular (Foltz 29).
Even though the Indo Greek states in the east of the Hindu Kush Mountains practiced the southern Asian tradition of Buddhism, the Kushan did not interfere with cities of Hellenistic lands who worshiped city gods. They paid homage to these gods to win the local support (Liu 47). The Kushans established stronger administrative system used by the Persian Empire and built temples of the divine family, the statutes of great king Kanishka in Surkh Kotal symbolized the divine nature of the ruling lineage (Liu 48).
The Silk Road became a strategic channel for international trade that passed through the Kushan territory. To stamp their authority, the Kushans use inscribed coins during trade as a mark of their territory, making them influential (Liu 49). The Kushans e...