Buddhism And Political Power

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

In classical India, the religion of Buddhism was formed in reaction to the strict ways of Hinduism. Many people, mainly lower class, converted to seek a better life and be enlightened more efficiently. This new religion made its way to China where much of its population converted through trade and missionaries. The conversion of Buddhism in China caused many effects of the spread of Buddhism because of its influential impacts from 300 to 900 CE which are influencing the government, caused some people to reject it, and mainly was a unifying force for China. An effect the spread of Buddhism is the influence of its morals on China’s government in 300-900 CE (Doc’s 1, 7). On some occasions Chinese people vehemently rejected Buddhism and rather practice more Chinese driven religion (Doc’s 5, 7). The most impactful effect of the spread of Buddhism is its ability to unite the Chinese in the way of

Compare the problem, solution, and technique in Buddhism with those of another eastern religion of your choice.

The emperor Taizong gave money to monasteries, sent for more Buddhist books, and created art and statues honoring the Buddhist religion. The empress Wu compose the ultimate dedication to the new faith. She not only created more Buddhist artifacts, but she gave monk more political and social power and requested different scholars to come and teach more of this religion. Wu also injected a law which made Buddhism supersede any other beliefs. So based on the information presented in this paragraph, you can clearly see the political influence on Buddhism and China. Now let’s go over some social effects that helped with the continuous spread of Buddhism through China and central Asia.

A great example of this is Buddhism in the region of china according to Richard Foltz, “The first clear mention of it is Buddhism in a Chinese source is a reference in the Hou Han shh” (49). The earlier mention of Buddhism in the Hou Han Shh show how “Buddhism had begun to blend with and adapt itself to local religion “(Foltz 49). One of the main regions that helped make the spread of Buddhism possible to China was Sogdiana. In the academic article A Silk Road Legacy:The Spread of Buddhism and Islam the author xinru liu states, “Although the archives of India are of little help, records from other countries, especially China, clearly indicate that from the second to the fourth century c.e. many of the Sogdian traders in China were Buddhists.”(4). The Sogdian traders, who were like “cultural bees” (Foltz 13), were responsible for the introduction of the religion to the Chinese and the translation of the Buddhist texts in china. The Sogdian made it possible for the Chinese to convert to Buddhism breaking down the cultural boundaries of the religion. The spread of the Islamic Religion was different from the spread of Buddhism because it involved a combination of Arab conquest and trade. One of the main conquests of the Arabs was of the Sogdian people. After the Arabian empire had taking control of the Sogdian people they were and “ willing to abandon their previous religions and convert to Islam, provided that their Arab rulers granted them the usual benefits of conversion”(Lui 12). With the Sogdian people converting religions Islam was able to spread out to the eastern Sogdian trading partners. Both Islam and Buddhism enjoyed great success on the Silk Road. Both religions “redirected human aspiration to an external world, transcendental world”( McNeil 106). The idea of an external world was popular among the peasants and they

Buddhism is a religion that focuses more on the individual and the actions of that individual, which was prevalent to me when I made my way into Portland and set foot in a Buddhist temple. The man I met within the walls of this temple was far from my stereotypical thoughts of Buddhist monks. The man I met looked like your plain old, average Joe, American man. Before I delve into the depths of my visit to this inspiring place, I need to sum up the Buddhist religion and why I chose to study this particular group of people.

At first glance the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear very different from each other. One centers around a God that was at one time physically manifest on earth in the human form of his "son" Jesus Christ, the other primarily worships a historical figure that gained divine status through enlightenment. This assessment is broad at best, especially in the case of Buddhism where the Theravada and Mahayana traditions differ significantly. Christianity also has division within itself, the most prominent being between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems. There are however, despite obvious differences, some very interesting similarities between Buddhism and

Lastly, in this study under the title“Power and Ideology: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Buddhist Goes Bad in Times Magazine Article” aims to describe the writer of the article’s power in describing the monk’s power that makes news reader reconstructing their knowledge and updating their beliefs. By describing, interpreting, and explaining the ideology and the power between texts in each paragraph in the article.

While there are numerous significant characteristics of Buddhism, Nirvana would definitely hold a place at the top of the list. Nirvana is described as a sanctified and blissful state where those who achieve Nirvana are freed from temptation, misfortune, and secular egotism; Buddhists who obtain Nirvana also no longer die or undergo reincarnation, and they are liberated from

Buddhism for centuries, has long been influencing the population all over the world, specifically in China . Buddhism first came to China as a result of merchant traders from India. From there it spread within the merchant community. It mainly expanded because it gave people a sense of hope and faith with the chaos they were experiencing from the collapse of the Han Dynasty. It also spread because it covered what Confucianism lacked; a more spiritual and emotional approach that appealed to many people of different classes. It is because of this that Buddhism spread and was able to influence and greatly affect China during the period of 300-900 CE. Buddhism influenced philosophy and moral teachings, kept the Chinese society peaceful and orderly, as well as affecting the overall economy. Buddhism had strong religious teachings that appealed to the lower class with the idea of afterlife and nirvana as well as an emphasis on following your own path that transformed Chinese beliefs causing a large portion of the population to convert (doc’s 1,4). Buddhism kept the Chinese society orderly by reminding all of Buddha’s life and teachings with statues and the influence it had on monks to spread charity and missionary work (doc’s 2,3,6). Buddhism also had an effect on the economy of China. As it spread from other regions, it caused more farmers and silk producers to convert and spread the religion as monks and nuns. (doc 7,5).

Looking at Buddhism, the religion is very beautiful in nature. The concept of loving others and being kind to everyone on the Earth is a very simplistic ideology to follow. To many buddhists,

I believe that Buddhism is a very open religion. Within my own beliefs about the ultimate truths of life I believe that Buddhism is a religion that I could really relate to. I like the fact the one’s salvation is determined solely on individual efforts, and that is something that I truly believe. I grew up Christian, but I do not agree with the views of the church any longer. I believe that someone is able to live a morally righteous life without having to follow the conduct of someone else’s teachings. I believe that humans possess the ability to use their own moral reasoning and judgement in order to live a morally conducive lifestyle.

Christians also believe in such polarities as good and evil, God and Devil, Heaven and Hell -- none of which form an important part of any Buddhist teachings. Christianity is likewise authoritarian and dictatorial -- "you must believe this or you will be condemned" -- whereas Buddhism tends to be more liberal and allows people to believe more or less whatever they like. Christians ban certain teachings as heretical, evil and harmful, but

“It is often said that, aside from the impact of Marxism on twentieth-century China, the only other time when the Chinese looked beyond their own borders for intellectual sustenance was during the period when Buddhism was absorbed from India” (LaFleur 23). Why did this religion appeal to the Chinese when they disregarded so many other external influences? After all, being tied to the rest of the world by the Silk Road meant they were constantly inundated with novel concepts from far and wide. The answer must lie in how Buddhism interacted with the other faiths already established in the country, namely Confucianism and Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism). While at first glance it may appear that Confucian China would be the last place

The authority of a religious belief has been stuck to humanity since there was something to believe in, grafted into the politics of whatever society its taken hold of and injected into it’s citizens heads through the law. The belief in any religion is a core part of a humans morals so the act of linking political power to religious authority is automatic when it comes to major religions like Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. Every ruler in every society has a moral code, and a large part of their moral code is based on their religious beliefs- so it wouldn’t be too hard to pick out the morals they’ve been putting into their laws and regulations. The opposite, however, would also be true. As leaders give their followers morals through laws, most of those followers will follow those laws because it’s based on their similar beliefs.