Buddhism Dbq Essay

China was affected tremendously by the spread of Buddhism from 300 to 900 C.E. Buddhism itself was spread to China around 100 C.E by Indian missionaries, and after taking hold during the Era of Division (300s-500s), it became a household religion (particularly the Mahayana and Chan variations . Buddhism’s popularity rose consistently from the late Han dynasty through it’s peak during Empress Wu’s rule in the late 600s and early 700s. But, the religion’s popularity fell sharply during Emperor Wuzong’s reign as the persecution of Buddhism grew common (CONTEXT). The spread of Buddhism affected all classes and people of China in different ways; Chinese peasants were able to worship this religion regardless of education or social position (though

Buddhist and Chinese scholars defended Buddhism by attempting to prove that Buddhism was as good as other Chinese philosophies. In document 3, an anonymous Chinese scholar utilizes a question and answer organization to drive off the common attacks on the Buddhist belief. The scholar thinks it would be unrealistic to compare Confucianism and Buddhism because the Confucian Classics do not contain everything. He also defended the monks’ celibacy by saying that they had given up their family for “accumulating goodness and wisdom”. As an anonymous scholar, he probably hid his name to escape punishment because most people were Confucians at the time. Likewise, Zong Mi, a Buddhist scholar, was also trying to defend Buddha as an equal to Laozi and Confucius. He said that all three sages lead to an orderly society, and like doc 3, all three philosophies could exist

China has been the home to various religions. At different times different dynasties endorsed certain religions while repressing others. While Buddhism flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasty, it faced opposition from the government during the Song dynasty. Confucianism lost government endorsement during the Sui and Tang but gained momentum during the Song as Neo-Confucianism. Yuan dynasty promoted Islam and Tibet Buddhism but ignored Confucianism. Different rulers sponsored and protected different religions but Confucianism and some form of Buddhism have always been alive in Chinese society from 600 to 1450.

In China during 406-221 BCE, the battling states between the Zhou and the Han Dynasties? were in a state of governmental disorder. Although the era was in a disruptive state, it ushered in a cultural opening that left a long lasting imprint on the Chinese history. As a result, three major belief systems surfaced Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism in an attempt to achieve a sense of political order in a disorder period. There are distinctions in the way each of the belief systems approached the many problems that plagued the Chinese society. First, all of the founders were contemporaries in China. As well as considered philosophies, who studied the future, and sat out to focus on the present rather than the past. In contrast, Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism established various paths in search of an optimistic future for the success of China. Second, both Legalism and Confucianism developed a social belief system, but are considered a religion. However, both Legalism and Confucianism purpose was to create an orderly society in the hopes of prosperity. In contrast, Daoism does

“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

It is believed that Buddhism spread to China through the Silk Road. When the Silk Road opened in the 2nd century BC, missionaries and pilgrims spread Buddhism to China. Chang Ch’ien was recorded to first bring Buddhism to China when he heard about India and Buddhist beliefs on his way back to China. In about the 1st century BC, a Buddhist community is said to have been living in China. But the most well-known story of the spreading of Buddhism is when Han emperor, Mingdi, had a dream about Buddha in 68 CE and sent Cai Yin, his official to learn more about it. Meanwhile, Mingdi learned from his ministers that he had seen Buddha, “the God of the West” in his dream. After 3 years Cai Yin came back to china with Buddhist teachings and

“…The influence of a scholar who died nearly 3,000 years ago is still felt in the boardrooms, bedrooms, and classrooms of nearly a quarter of humanity” (Worrall, “Why is Confucius Still Relevant Today?”). Today, Confucianism is seen as a world famous East Asian philosophical system; an intricate moral, political, social, and some might also say a religious system that has a monumental influence on the history of the Chinese culture. However, being the founder of a school of philosophy was not Confucius’ original intention. It all began in the sixth century B.C. when the established system of the Zhou Court could no longer meet the society’s demands. The tension between the political center and the regional lords caused the authority of the

during the Zhou Dynasty, China was experiencing a great deal of political turmoil. A major part of this era was called the Period of the Warring States. It was a time when there were numerous wars that occurred due to the conflict that existed between seven states. (Watkins, 2013) These warring states were the Han, Wu, Zhao, Chu, Qi, Yan and Jin. According to Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler of the book Traditions and Encounters, “This period forced some people to reflect on the nature of society, and the roles of humans beings within society.” The authors continued saying that it forced others to “identify principles that would restore political and social order.” (Bentley & Ziegler, 2011) The principles of Confucianism were established and followed in order to help the citizens of China to live and govern their communities more efficiently. Through Confucianism, Confucius helped legitimize China’s rule and bring about order in the mist of turmoil. The effects of Confucius’ principles are still seen and felt today in many aspects of modern day Chinese society. Veritably, there were points throughout Chinese history where Confucianism affected almost every aspect of life in China. Confucius has impacted the development of Chinese thought and culture in various ways from education to politics, to familial relationships.

The spread of Buddhism in China occurs during a time of great political faction following the collapse of the Han dynasty. Initially, many citizens convert but as time continues people begin to question the belief. Unlike legalism or Confucianism, Buddhism has very little interference with the political climate of a country. When the country is in a state of tyranny or chaos, many people adopt Buddhist beliefs to appease themselves. Other popular belief sets of the time include Confucianism and Daoism, which were commonly practiced during peace times. By 845 C.E the emperor issues a statement in opposition of Buddhism; this would be respected by many of the citizens under him. The resistance to the spread of the religion is emphasized in documents 4 and 6. There are scholars who continue to support Buddhism, as seen in documents 2 and 3. Documents 1 and 5 provide logical and unbiased statements, that can help create compromise and respect between others.

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

Tang Taizong was known to be one of the significant ruler in all of Chinese history. Tang also known as Li- Shimin was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty. One of the reasons in which Tang was considered one of the more greatest rulers of all time is because he impacted the people in a really good way. Tang had new government reforms, different laws, religion and most important is China benefited from these new changes ( Mark, 2016). Tang Taizong in a way was a bit liberal and not controlling with his people. He let them have a variety of different option when it came to religion and let them practice Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and even establish Christianity ( Mark , 2016). It seems strange that Tang would let his people be involved in different religions and not be so strict with controlling people's religions. “In the same way that he welcomed all different faiths, he embraced diverse ethnicities and elevated people of different ethnic groups to positions at the imperial court” ( Mark, 2016). Many other emperors did not let their people pick the types of religions in which they would like to practice. Instead what they do is overthrow the practice because they do not believe in it.

The six harmonies, Buddhist guidelines of life relating to the name of the Liuhe Pagoda, all play a role in the religious and spiritual beliefs of the Buddhist faith. An interesting fact that many people do not know about is that the six harmonies originally came from the six points of the world. “Six Points is originated dependably from Taoism, comprising Heaven, Earth, East, North, South and West…” The idea behind the six points is to be able to harness the energy’s from the six points. People believed that if you were able to harness the energy from the six points then you would be limitless. When you are born you have energy, but by growing older, you loose all the natural energy. By being religious, people thought that they would be able

Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughts, such as Mengzi and Xunzi. Because Confucianism aims at eliminating chaos and maintaining order in a harmonious society , they all agree that the guidance and education of virtuous Confucian pioneers are of extreme importance to achieve this

Chinese history is rich with culture conjointly seasoned with value laden principles from a hybridization of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist schools of thought. Tracing back the lineage of influence or tracking the evolution of culture is at times an arduous task. Retrospective observance has afforded me a certain clarity in interpreting the past. With that being said, this paper is dedicated to the echoes of the past stipulated by the Confucian Scholar Dong Zhongshu. During the length of the paper I will analyze his thoughts on the mandate of heaven, connection between the state & body, and his expectations of rulership. Secondary to all of that is my attempt to demonstrate that Dong Zhongshu was no typical Confucian scholar. It will be