Buddhism in Japan movement to eradicate Buddhism and bring Shinto to ascendancy arose throughout the country due to the strong connections of Buddhism to the Shōguns. During the Meiji period (1868–1912), after a coup in 1868, Japan abandoned its feudal system and opened up to Western modernism. Shinto became the state religion. Within the Buddhist establishment the Western world was seen as a threat as well as a challenge to stand up to. Buddhist institutions had a simple choice: adapt or perish. Rinzai and Soto Zen chose to adapt, trying to modernize Zen in accord with Western insights, while simultaneously maintaining a Japanese
Buddhism in Myanmar a form of insight meditation believed to lead to enlightenment. The weizza path is an esoteric system of occult practices (such as recitation of spells, samatha and alchemy) believed to lead to life as a "weizza" (also spelt "weikza"), a semi-immortal and supernatural being who awaits the appearance of the future Buddha, Maitreya (Arimeitaya). Buddhism is practiced by approximately 90% of the country. According to Burmese census data dating back to 1891, between 84% to 90% of the population have practiced Buddhism. The history of Buddhism in Myanmar probably extends more than two thousand years. The "Sāsana Vaṃsa" (Burmese "Thathana