Compare The Responses To The Spread Of Buddhism In China Dbq

Confucian scholars and the emperor attacked Buddhism as an outlandish, barbaric belief. “The Memorial of Buddhism” written by Han Yu, a Confucian scholar, opposes Buddhism when the emperor decides to bring “the finger bone of Buddha” into the Chinese palace. He shows the unjust actions of the emperor by referring back to Confucian teachings such as keeping “[ghosts and spirits] at a distance”. The scholar also describes how Buddhism is barbaric because it does not conform to any Chinese laws or Confucian teachings (Doc. 4). As a Confucian scholar, he favored the relationship between “sovereign and subject” and traditional dress. He did not want

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

Han Yu's memorial (Document 4) and the Emperor's edict in Document 6 both blame Buddhism for tainting the people of China. Document 4 addresses growing feelings of nationalism in China; which resulted in a growing stand for Confucianism, since it was a belief system founded in China. Document 6, on the other hand, revealed not a strengthening of the state, but a weakening. The beginning of the decline of Tang was all blamed on the spread of Buddhism by the imperial court. It expresses bigoted views that the elimination of Buddhism will purify Chinese society.

The statement made by Han Yu in document 4 demoralizes Buddhism as a cult for barbarians. He is a leading Confucian scholar that would be powerful and upper-class; the reader is unable to know if the lower-class share the views, but it can be assumed that the words of himself and Tang Wu carry weight. Document 6 paints Buddhism as the cause of the problems China is facing during the time, including poverty and the size of worship temples. Buddhism is being used as the scapegoat by the dynasty to explain the unpopular political climate. The Emperor displays worry that the Buddhist monks are becoming too powerful stating the larger number and vicinity of many

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

when the imperial structure was restored and the Tang dynasty was established, the responses towards Buddhism turned negative and harsh. Han Yu, an official at the Tang imperial court, shamed the teachings of Buddhism and Buddhism’s rejection of social hierarchies, while favoring Confucianism and its government policies to provide an explanation for class structures. He viewed Buddhism as a wicked religion and claimed that Buddha was a barbarian. As a Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, Han Yu depended on Confucianism remaining the most significant ideology in China. His response towards Buddhism was hostile, because he would have been curtailed from his high social position if Buddhism became the prominent ideology in China considering that Buddhism denounces class systems. For the same reason, Tang Emperor Wu brutally chastised the Buddhist

In document 4, Han Yu, who was a Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, referred to the Buddhist religion as an “evil” and “no more than a cult of the barbarian peoples”. The author also felt that the religion should be rooted out of the society. In document 6, the author, Tang Emperor Wu, also believed the religion was evil and should be eradicated. He felt this way because the author was a Tang Emperor; he was bound to be against

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).

There are multiple reasons why and how Buddhism spread in China. I feel that factors like, religion, politics, and social, played a major part in spreading Buddhism throughout China. The factors mentioned are usually a contributor in global changes and has definitely played its part in China’s adapting a new belief. Of course there were other reasons, like economic, that caused the people of China to gravitate to the Buddhist ways. People reconsidering their faith, due to many of life downfalls or the weight of participants in something that’s new, gained recognition and spread due to popular demand. During the political chaos from 221 to 589 that came with the collapse of the Han Dynasty, Buddhism started to become a strong existence in

including Buddhism is in both India and Chinas culture. The effects of China and India’s

Although Buddhism was introduced to the Chinese people early in the Han Dynasty in the first century B.C., a couple of historical events in Tang Dynasty truly mark the prosperousness of Buddhism in China. During the early Tang dynasty, along with many other pilgrims, the monk Xuanzang traveled to India and returned to Chang’an (Place 1) with a large collection of Buddhist texts, relics, and statues. With the support of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Xuanzang set up a large translation bureau in Chang'an, attracting students from

What is Buddhism? Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han Dynasty. It became popular when the Han and Tang dynasties were struggling with each other. They were looking for a way to find peace and end suffering. Buddhist believe that life is going to have suffering. Buddhist also believe that to calm suffering, you have to give up worldly desires

Between 220 and 570 C.E., China experienced a political instability and disunity, which opened the way to the spread of Buddhism. Before this new way of life could take hold, however, the Chinese people had to learn the teachings of Buddha, such as the first sermon preached by Buddha in the fifth century B.C.E., known as “The Four Noble Truths.” Although Buddhism eventually became popular throughout China, there was opposition to the new beliefs and Chinese people struggled with replacing their old beliefs, such as Confucianism and Taoism, with this new, strange belief system. In response, Chinese scholars, including Zhi Dun and Zong Mi, published writings acknowledging these struggles, and attempting to put the Chinese people at ease. By explaining that Buddhism was similar to Confucianism, in that it promoted good winning over evil, and that Buddhism would lead to a state of enlightenment known as Nirvana, Chinese scholars played an important role in the spread of Buddhism. However, after 570 C.E., the imperial structure was restored, creating a renewed sense of patriotism and loyalty to the old Chinese customs and beliefs. This renewal led to a backlash against Buddhism. During this time, instead of praising Buddhism, scholars and emperors alike were declaring Buddhism evil and calling for its extermination. The shift in the Chinese peoples’ embracing of Buddhism and their condemnation of it is best seen by comparing the writings dated before 570 C.E. to those

In the first century China, a new ideology called Buddhism, originally in India, was introduced during the Han Dynasty through merchants from South and Central Asia. However Buddhism started becoming more popular after the fall of the Han Dynasty. Eventually leading into the Tang Dynasty, which started in 618 and ended in 907, Buddhism started to experience some problems. It had to compete with well-established philosophical and religious traditions such as Confucianism and Taoism. The influence Confucianism had on the government in China during the Tang proved to detrimental to the position of Buddhists. Nevertheless, Buddhism was already embedded into China and attracted followers. In China, the spread of Buddhism had evoked both positive

By the end of the sixth century, Buddhism was a firmly engrained religion in China.