Religion in the Tang Dynasty
During the Tang Dynasty in China, several religious and philosophical ideas heavily influenced the government and how it was run. More specifically, there were three major religions that affected country politics: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Each of these three religions had conflicting ideals that were reflected in class distinctions. Buddhism was the religion of the rural folk and it focused on how the good and bad deeds in one’s life affected their afterlife. Taoism asserted that the universe would go on whether one tried to change it or not. Confucianism, preferred by the imperial family and the elites, promoted social hierarchy and familial values. Without these three religions, the Tang dynasty wouldn’t …show more content…
Buddhism had a great deal of support from the lower classes and rural farmers. Despite their general lack of resources, many people made donations to monks and temples to obtain material and spiritual rewards such as art or the promise of a good afterlife. They could get these spiritual benefits through giving to charity, supporting public works (such as a market or a new temple), donating property and land, or the building of artworks such as statues and cave shrines, or the production of the Buddhist texts. Occasionally, even followers of Confucianism seeking office gave funds to Buddhist monks in exchange for prayers. However, people who lived life as buddhist monks or nuns still gained much suspicion from some members of society, especially believers of Confucianism. Disowning their family name, refusing to have children, and embracing poverty was against many ancient beliefs that had survived throughout the ages. As a result, Buddhists were persecuted throughout the Tang dynasty, though discrimination was much more evident during the fall of the dynasty. Due to economic hardships during the bad times, the government stole from thousands of Buddhists temples, melting statues and other religious artifacts into currency. In times of struggle, Buddhists were the first to …show more content…
The major theme of Confucianism is its emphasis on social ties and duties as designated by the "five relationships.” These relationships (emperor to subject, husband-wife, parent-child (more specifically father to son), older brother to younger brother, and friend to friend) established a very simple hierarchy. This Confucian hierarchy was favored among the elites of society as well as all who wanted more order and control in their lives. This preference links most, if not all Chinese aristocracies in history. Confucianism was founded by an ancient Chinese philosopher named Confucius. His philosophy and teachings were constantly developed, reinterpreted, and refined by his followers throughout the course of Chinese history. Neo-Confucianism was an expression of the tendency to seek “harmony” in all things; in this case, to try to synthesize complex religious and philosophical views. What resulted was a highly authoritative philosophy that was often detailed and all knowing in nature. Seemingly opposing ideas were unified by the notion of li, which literally means “pattern”, or to be more specific the “patterned markings of a stone”, but it was often translated to principle. Neo-Confucians sought to uncover the “pattern” of things, and firmly believed that all phenomena including life, nature, destiny, and the entirety of existence, were essentially a pattern that could be figured out if examined closely.
During the Tang Dynasty in China, several religious and philosophical ideas heavily influenced the government and how it was run. More specifically, there were three major religions that affected country politics: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Each of these three religions had conflicting ideals that were reflected in class distinctions. Buddhism was the religion of the rural folk and it focused on how the good and bad deeds in one’s life affected their afterlife. Taoism asserted that the universe would go on whether one tried to change it or not. Confucianism, preferred by the imperial family and the elites, promoted social hierarchy and familial values. Without these three religions, the Tang dynasty wouldn’t …show more content…
Buddhism had a great deal of support from the lower classes and rural farmers. Despite their general lack of resources, many people made donations to monks and temples to obtain material and spiritual rewards such as art or the promise of a good afterlife. They could get these spiritual benefits through giving to charity, supporting public works (such as a market or a new temple), donating property and land, or the building of artworks such as statues and cave shrines, or the production of the Buddhist texts. Occasionally, even followers of Confucianism seeking office gave funds to Buddhist monks in exchange for prayers. However, people who lived life as buddhist monks or nuns still gained much suspicion from some members of society, especially believers of Confucianism. Disowning their family name, refusing to have children, and embracing poverty was against many ancient beliefs that had survived throughout the ages. As a result, Buddhists were persecuted throughout the Tang dynasty, though discrimination was much more evident during the fall of the dynasty. Due to economic hardships during the bad times, the government stole from thousands of Buddhists temples, melting statues and other religious artifacts into currency. In times of struggle, Buddhists were the first to …show more content…
The major theme of Confucianism is its emphasis on social ties and duties as designated by the "five relationships.” These relationships (emperor to subject, husband-wife, parent-child (more specifically father to son), older brother to younger brother, and friend to friend) established a very simple hierarchy. This Confucian hierarchy was favored among the elites of society as well as all who wanted more order and control in their lives. This preference links most, if not all Chinese aristocracies in history. Confucianism was founded by an ancient Chinese philosopher named Confucius. His philosophy and teachings were constantly developed, reinterpreted, and refined by his followers throughout the course of Chinese history. Neo-Confucianism was an expression of the tendency to seek “harmony” in all things; in this case, to try to synthesize complex religious and philosophical views. What resulted was a highly authoritative philosophy that was often detailed and all knowing in nature. Seemingly opposing ideas were unified by the notion of li, which literally means “pattern”, or to be more specific the “patterned markings of a stone”, but it was often translated to principle. Neo-Confucians sought to uncover the “pattern” of things, and firmly believed that all phenomena including life, nature, destiny, and the entirety of existence, were essentially a pattern that could be figured out if examined closely.