Absolutism Under The Influence Of Samgha

The response to the spread of Buddhism in China differed according to one’s social position.

During the Han Dynasty, Buddha’s teachings were introduced to China by Central-Asian traders and received little support from the Han dynasty rulers. However, after the collapse of the Han Dynasty, the country was fragmented. While northern China was dominated by invaders from the borderland and steppes, southern China was ruled by continuous “Chinese” dynasties. As a result, Buddhism appealed to people who felt baffled by the loss of an anticipated and durable society. Subsequently, in 581 CE, Sui emperor Wendi reunified China with this new religion and gained state support, therefore further spreading Buddhism. It was not until the Tang Dynasty did the Chinese rulers realize the threat Buddhism had posed on them. Consequently, during the

It is prevalent that the spread of Buddhism collectively affected the government in 300-900 CE (Doc’s 1,7). Many people working in the government were impacted by Buddhism’s arrival in China such as emperors, aristocrats, and other higher ranking scholars (Doc’s 1, 7). Another way Buddhism was affecting government was Buddhism was skewing the reasoning and view of economy as shown according to Emperor Wu, Buddhism harmed the government by convincing them to give up farming, resulting in reducing tax revenue as an effect of the spread of Buddhism (Doc 7). Because the author is an emperor then they would write the the information to influence people not to be Buddhist which would lead them to state why being a Buddhist is not good and over exaggerate the other information about Buddhism; this helps support the claim that the spread of Buddhism definitely influenced the working of the government. Additionally the most popular religion of China at the time would almost always find

Buddhism was a powerful force in politics and in everyday life. It was a tool of the ruling class to appease the people in times of hardship - such as the political disunity in between dynasties. However, when the times changed, Buddhism was also blamed for much of the trouble, and for edging out the much more strict doctrine of Confucianism. Most of the documents presented indicated a spread nonetheless of Buddhism among the people. Additional documents needed to further evaluate the response to Buddhism should be from a source of a slightly lower class, such as a merchant, or a view from a convert to Buddhism - since most views seem to be from Confucian

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries absolutism became highly prevalent. Absolutism was a type of national monarchy in which the monarch had great power. Many absolute monarchs kept their countries embroiled in war, which led to a feeling of instability and uncertainty that led to a dependence on one strong central power. Monarchs also justified their immense power by referencing the concept of the Divine Right to Rule, which was the belief that God created the monarchy; the monarch was his representative on Earth and thus was only answerable to God himself. The belief that the monarch was appointed by God, the need for a sense of security during a time of uncertainty, and the efficiency that resulted from an absolute monarchy were all factors that led some to believe that absolute monarchies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were

The 1600s and 1700s were times of change. The Reformation of the previous century had shaken the foundations of society in Europe, while the Age of Exploration had introduced Europe to lands, peoples, and resources that brought new wealth to individuals and countries. Building off of this wealth, monarchs in Europe began to centralize their power using methods of taxation and claims of divine right. These monarchs, including Louis XIV of France, Peter the Great of Russia, and James I of England, eventually created a governmental system, known as absolutism, that revolved entirely around themselves and their desires. Because of their claims to such extreme power, absolutism had wide reaching effects on many parts of their countries. The effects of absolutism were the Nobles got treated like servants, the king's power increased a lot, and the military improved.

Being the two most prevalent governments during the 17th and 18th century, absolutism and constitutionalism were similar because in both governments the people gave up their sovereignty to a person or group of people, and both governments were made to protect the people; however, they are different because the power distribution between the people and government, the limits on said power, and the right for people to revolt were completely different.

During 1650-1750, a new political system known as absolutism emerged and became popular amongst many countries in central and Eastern Europe. Absolutism is a political system in which a divine-right monarch enjoys absolute power over all affairs of state. Supposedly, the “divine-right monarch” receives his power directly from God, meaning that he is only responsible to God and that no one can question his authority. In the 1600’s, taxes and famine began to rise in many European states, which resulted in dangerous and uncontrolled riots. Many countries began to adopt absolutism as a political system that could be a solution to these issues. As absolutism became a solution to these issues and gained popularity in France, Prussia, and Russia,

Absolutism started in the seventeenth century. The absolute monarchs main goal was to control every aspect of society. Usually the absolute monarchs ruled without any limitations to their authority. The most effective form of government in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is absolutism because men are selfish, the kings and princes were chosen by god, and the king has certain rights that no other person has.

On top of being advantageous for the justification of Wu’s throne, the adoption of Buddhism also benefitted the Chinese government. Wu’s openhanded policies towards Buddhism and her proclamation of an era of peace brought the empire economic stability and prosperity (Smarr Feb. 17 2012). The reciprocated correlation between religion and state is clearly identified by Wu’s unambiguous relationship with Buddhism: Wu accepts the previously rejected religion and becomes its primary fiscal source, which ultimately leads to the wide-spread of Buddhism throughout the country, while Buddhism, in return, legitimizes her reign and facilitates the trade routes on the silk roads to the western world, bringing countless advantages to China and significantly boosting the Chinese economy during a peaceful period.

In the cultural setting, religion played an important political role. It was a legitimate device used in protests and as a channel that the different classes can air their suffering. However, community rituals during the era were seen as superstitious and pointless. The role of religion was not appreciated in the society. Some of the roles include maintaining autonomy, integrating communities, and forging local authorities. Buddhism captured the interconnections of all living beings similar to the Chinese geomancy and Daoism. These religious practices were lost after the Chinese indulged in industrial production. Other aspects that were lost are immortality, ritual cultivation procedures of the body, health practices, and

This week’s readings are focused on how Buddhist monasteries in China and India play an important role in producing merit. Both Lopez and Gethin explain the differences each region played in producing merit through devotional practices. Lopez explains in chapter 27, how monasteries in China implemented acts of merit into their daily practice. In addition Gethin illustrates how monks in India lived their lives practicing merit. Even though Buddhist monasteries play a significant role in producing meritorious acts, the lay community is significant. All four assemblies’ of monks, nuns, male lay followers and female lay followers played a role in producing merit.

Moral absolutism is an ethical theory which believes that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are either right or wrong. Moral absolutists might, for example, judge slavery, war, dictatorship, the death penalty, or child abuse to be absolutely immoral regardless of the situations or beliefs of a culture that engages in these practices. Moral absolutism adopts the theory that certain actions are moral or immoral regardless of the circumstances in which they occur.

Its market reforms still aren’t complete and its per capita income is still much lower than any advanced country, which has led to China’s high inequality. Along with economic issues, the rapid economic growth has caused multiple other issues. China’s main focus has been solely on its economic aspects for so long that it almost seems as if they have been blind to the environmental degradation, increasing rural crisis, growing unemployment and poverty, government corruption, deteriorating public services, as well as escalating social unrests that is and has been occurring for a while now. Although all of these issues at hand are important, the issue that I will be focusing on is the massive environmental degradation and how it has been affected by the increases in Buddhist religious freedom and ecotourism.

The effect of Buddhism in China was one of the most profound changes China ever had, as it affected their economy. This time, economy brought about religion; Buddhism came into China through international trade. As South Asian countries came into China, they spread their religion which at that time was majorly Buddhism. To gain favor from the foreign traders, the emperors showed frivolities towards them. “Tang emperors spent huge sums of money on Buddhism” (Dubois, 2011, p. 34). They constructed Buddhist monasteries, excluded monks from taxes and lavished them with other benefits. In one sentence, the emperors at that time, sought to seek the face of Buddhist he monks at the expense of the economy. On a lighter note however, the spread of Buddhism increased the economy of China as it created revenue in trade. “Up till the twentieth century, Tang dynasty was the most cosmopolitan period of China’s history. Politically, emperors had conflicts of interest and so alternatively chose Buddhism or Daoism in succession” (Dubois, p. 34).