BuddhA Dharma! Ave Bodhisattva

Overview

This mod builds upon Oriental Empires and the Legacy of Ashoka framework to further expand the depth and historical accuracy of Buddhist and Confucian systems, enriching both religious mechanics and cultural flavor.

While Oriental Empires is a finely crafted mod in many respects, its treatment of religion leaves some room for refinement. In particular, the handling of Confucianism is somewhat awkward—intellectual schools such as Neo-Confucianism, the School of Principle, and Classical Studies are internal doctrinal differences, not sects. Yet they are presented as if they were distinct religious branches, which would be akin to dividing Catholicism into dozens of splinter churches. Conversely, Buddhism—arguably more central to shaping the mental world of the Chinese Empire—is underrepresented in terms of sect diversity.

Moreover, traditions like the Ikkō-shū (Ikkō sect), passed down for generations, are portrayed without any spiritual leadership in-game, contradicting historical reality. This mod aims to correct such inconsistencies.

1. Key Changes

Terminology & Translation Improvements:

“Maitreya’s Descent” is now translated as “Maitreya Sect” (弥勒教).

“Ikkō-shū” has been renamed to “Jōdo Shinshū” (True Pure Land School).

“Mahayana Buddhism” is renamed to “Madhyamaka School” (中观派) for accuracy.

Religious Leadership Titles:

New faith leaders added: “Realm of Potalaka” (王国级别) for Maitreya Sect and “Hongan-ji” (公国级别) for Jōdo Shinshū.

These are designated as secular rulers.

Tibetan Buddhist sub-sects now have proper titles: “Sakya Trizin” (王国级别), and other branches receive ducal-level titles.

Localized Clerical Titles (WIP):
Inspired by Legacy of Ashoka, clerical roles now reflect historical naming conventions such as Fangzhang (abbot), Zhuchi (temple head), Fazhu (Dharma master), Shangren (venerable), etc.

Sect Expansion:

Multiple new Buddhist sects simulate the historical evolution and eastward spread of Buddhism.

Planned updates will revise starting religious setups in certain regions—for instance, correcting Central Asia’s current mislabeling as "Chinese Buddhism."

Introduces a special doctrine: “Vinaya Lineage,” representing the disciplinary codes upheld by early Buddhist schools like the Dharmaguptaka, Sarvāstivāda, and Mūlasarvāstivāda. Sects that defy clear classification will not receive this feature.

2. Full Sinicization & Integration
This mod includes a fully localized Chinese version of all Legacy of Ashoka content. No separate subscription is required.
Special thanks to original creator @Kuro-B for providing rich inspiration and system templates.

3. Known Issues
Because Legacy of Ashoka was not designed with Oriental Empires in mind, some religious province placements may feel inaccurate—particularly in terms of Chinese Buddhist expansion.
Adjusting these province configurations requires substantial effort and is still in progress. (Assistance from experienced CK3 modders is welcome!)

4. Work in Progress (WIP):

Adding dynamic historical events based on sectarian interaction and doctrinal conflict.

Designing cultural interaction bonuses between Confucianism and other religions (e.g., Catholicism – via Tianxue, Islam – via Hui-Ru Syncretism, Buddhism, Daoism), possibly through event chains.

Reworking holy site and faith leader configurations for greater historical plausibility.

5. Compatibility

RICE: Fully compatible and tested.

Other Buddhist mods: May require patching; content overlap likely, as this mod already covers the majority of Buddhist sects.

Narrative or scenario mods: Partial compatibility. May affect immersion—use with discretion.

6. Credits

Oriental Empires team – for creating the vast foundation this mod relies on.

@Kuro-B – creator of Legacy of Ashoka, whose work provided invaluable inspiration and mechanical blueprints.

Original mod: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3256079840