During the spread of Buddhism into China starting in first century C.E up to the ninth century C.E, responses to the spread of Buddhism varied. Many believed in the faith while some, Confucianists, argued that buddhism was outlandish. Considering that all the documents were written from the perspective of high class scholars, the plea from the majority of the population, the lower class, remains unclear. Documents 2 and 3 discuss the inner workings of the religion while bearing a positive outlook on Buddhism. Document 3 shines a light on both sides of the spectrum; the author makes a supportive stance by giving reasonable explanations to the common counter arguments on Buddhism during first century C.E.…
Several centuries after Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, died, Buddhism made its emergence into China in the first century CE. Initially, the spread of Buddhism was responded to positively by the people of China and they adopted its ideals. However, as Buddhism continued to expand, the government, specifically of the Tang Dynasty, started to turn against Buddhists and even went as far as to blame them for problems within the state. As a result, the people felt compelled to diverge from Buddhist beliefs and became xenophobic to those who did not abandon those beliefs.…
Displeasure from the chinese government, Buddhism still stands very strong today.…
As Buddhism spread from India to China beginning the first century C.E., it was met with many mixed responses. Many Chinese accepted Buddhism and defended it’s policies while others scrutinized its absence from past texts for political and social problems. However, others remained neutral wishing to meld the aspects of the belief system in china to create a unique Chinese culture. Documents 4 and 6 scrutinize and discourage the spread of Buddhism throughout china while documents 2 and 3 defend and support it. Documents 1 and 5 neither encourage nor discourage the religion’s spread but provide a 3rd perspective on how it should be handled.…
In the year 517 B.C, a man named Laozi (Lao Tzu), a contributor of Taoism (Daoism), was born. Not a lot was known about his life, but it was known that he worked at the royal court during the Zhou dynasty. Because of the growing corruption in the palace, Laozi decided to leave, but before he left, Laozi left behind his will, widely recognized today as the Tao Te Ching. Throughout history, there has been a battle for China’s most dominant religion. The two contenders were Taoism and Confucianism.…
Within the Tang and Song era, different sects of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism were practiced. The pure land sect of Mahayana Buddhism which provided a refuge from an age of war and turmoil was favorable among the masses. The Chan or Zen Buddhism was prominent among the elite classes due to its emphasis on meditation and appreciation of the arts. Buddhism flourished after the fall of the Han and was greatly supported by early Tang rulers. Consequently, the popularity of Buddhism led to the backlash from Confucian and Daoist.…
In addition, the Chinese and the Romans absorbed foreign religions into their regions. Buddhism was introduced to China by Central Asian traders, and though it provided people with the stability that they desired, it was only practiced modestly. When Christianity began in Rome, it spread slowly until it gained support from the emperors, which boosted the spread into the rest of the region. The view of gods differed between the Chinese and the Romans. Though the Chinese believed that their emperors ruled by the Mandate of Heaven, there was no emphasis on a higher power that was thought to be revolved…
The Qin dynasty followed Legalist laws, this helped them maintain a functioning bureaucracy. The possible members of the bureaucracy had to be educated with Confucian values. Failing to pass the exam on Confucianism mean that that man could not be apart of the bureaucracy. Buddhism was a threat to imperial government because it encouraged anti-social stratification. This rebelling feature made many rulers and wealthy people afraid of being overthrown.…
Buddhism was a very controversial philosophy in ancient China; many philosophers and scholars had strong views and arguments for or against Buddhism’s principles. Buddhism was founded in India and brought to China around the first century C.E. Buddhism’s influences spread throughout China slowly but gained more followers after the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E and continued to spread many centuries afterwards, during the empire’s political instability. China’s broken government and loss of unity allowed Buddhism to thrive. The philosophy promised that those who followed the ways of Buddha would rid themselves of their sorrows (doc. 1) and after death would be allowed to enter Nirvana; a state of being in which there is no suffering nor sense of desire for one's self (doc. 2).…
Laws will end civil war and restore harmony Rewards to good subjects and punish disobedient Rulers must control ideas and actions of people Favored by Shi Huangdi duirng Qin dynasty All in all, Confucian, Buddhist, and Legalist sought to answer societal problems and improve living conditions during a time of disorder and conflict. Although Confucianism promoted education and social relationships through their bureaucratic form of government while Buddhism emphasized living in harmony with nature by letting go of desires that caused suffering, all three traditions arose in times of disorder and corruption to return stability and peace.…
While, some Chinese scholars praised and defended the belief because it offered comfort and justified sorrow (Doc 1 & 2). Confucian scholars sided with the emperor in rejecting the belief and saw it as barbarian cult that would hurt the Chinese society (Doc 4 & 6). Others tried to place Buddhism on the same level as Chinese philosophers in the hopes that all three could exist equally in China (Doc 3 & 5). The…
After the fall of the Han Dynasty, China was in a state of political fragmentation. Several centuries later, a new, short-lived dynasty called the Sui took power before it fell leading to the more successful Tang Dynasty. From the fall of the Han Dynasty, 200 CE, to the formalization of the Tang Dynasty, 900 CE, the acceptance of Buddhism varied greatly over time. The Han Dynasty was in favor of a Confucian government and society, while the Sui Dynasty fostered both Confucianism and Buddhism. Like the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty approved and encouraged Buddhism in the early stages of their rule, however, Buddhism was soon alienated because of the disapproval of anything foreign and soon turned back to Confucianism.…
In 100 C.E, the main religions were confucism, Daoism and Legalism. During that time period, Buddhism was introduced 50 years before, but no one really looked into it. About 300 years later, Buddhism started to expand. This resulted as the primary religion for the Chinese society.…
Confucianism: The Gateway to Communism in China China is a country of many cultures and religions dating back centuries. There have been numerous religions and in those religions have been many varieties. In addition to the plethora of religious ideologies, China has been governed in various ways throughout history too. Family dynasties controlled China for most of its history up until modern times.…
Taoism contrary to Confucianism, my Interpretation with Smart’s Seven Dimensions of Religion The comparisons between these two religions are analogous at best, similar in many aspects, yet, different in many facets of history, rituals, and even the creators of each religion. Even though, Confucianism does not believe in a God, per se, but rather, philosophical beliefs in the person themselves and what one makes of their life, through the unifying interactions of yin and yang. Taoism, also known as Daoism, does not have a fully recognized God, similar to Lao Tzu, who is revered by some, others, a majority, believes in the many differing Gods that serve a specific purpose, essentially, prayers are offered to specific deities based on circumstance.…