A Historical Comparison: The rise of Buddhism and Christianity in China
Buddhism and Christianity, both originally foreign to China, rose to prominence in their own right during times of change in Chinese history. While Buddhism established a close bond to Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty, Christianity was unable to co-inhabit as a main religion due to several factors after its initial success in the 1600s. The efforts of these vastly different religions to seamlessly assimilate into a Chinese lifestyle can be compared and contrasted, to clarify the defining successes and failures of each. The success of Buddhism can be attributed to the work of the Buddhist missionaries, its reception among Chinese gentry, and the invention of the printing …show more content…
This period was a time of “innovation and development” for Chinese Buddhism , Innovations such as the invention of the printing press in the Tang dynasty helped maintain the influence of Buddhism. Chinese Buddhist monks seized the opportunity to use the printing press to raise the esteem of their religion, in the same fashion previous Buddhist monks utilized calligraphy to spread Buddhist themes. The earliest printed material, printed between 704 and 751, is a Buddhist charm scroll. Charms, scriptures and literature of the Buddhist faith were produced by monasteries, which were spread throughout China’s many villages and ethnic tribes. This led to the first printed scroll reaching Korea. Beginning with scholars who admired the scripture and artwork, Buddhism had captured the interest of Chinese officials. Buddhist monks noticed China’s great esteem for literature and the popularity of calligraphy and poetry when they first arrived in China. Gaining the attention of scholars and teachers, Buddhist themes appeared in work produced outside of monasteries. Famous artist Wang Wei (701-761) drew on Buddhist themes and symbols in his poetry, and gradually Buddhist beliefs such as karmic energy and reincarnation became accepted as universal truths for all Chinese citizens. With the spread of artwork and esteem …show more content…
Christianity failed to convert many officials who could promote their cause and lost the Kangxi emperor’s favour, who instilled strict regulations on missionary numbers. Christianity had maintained a religious presence in China for only a little more than one hundred years. Buddhism rose over several centuries, aided by Buddhist Emperor Wu and support of the Buddhist clergy. After the Jesuits lost the support of the Catholic Church and confidence of the Emperor, they began to lose growth in their Christian communities. While both religious missionaries had inspired Chinese scholars, Buddhism’s religious identity appeared stronger over time, appearing in artwork and mass printed scripture. Aspects of Buddhist teachings were close enough to merge with native Confucianism, as seen by the writings of monk Ouyi Zhixu (1599–1655) which stated, “Nurture the mind with true Buddhism to carry out true Confucian endeavors.” In ways such as this Buddhism bonded to Chinese culture, acculturating similarly to Jesuit policy. This was an effective strategy for Buddhism, allowing the failures of Christianity’s accommodation in the 1700s to stand out clearly. Before the Rites Controversy drew a definite line between Chine culture and Christian beliefs, it was believed Chinese Christians would be unable to perform
Buddhism and Christianity, both originally foreign to China, rose to prominence in their own right during times of change in Chinese history. While Buddhism established a close bond to Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty, Christianity was unable to co-inhabit as a main religion due to several factors after its initial success in the 1600s. The efforts of these vastly different religions to seamlessly assimilate into a Chinese lifestyle can be compared and contrasted, to clarify the defining successes and failures of each. The success of Buddhism can be attributed to the work of the Buddhist missionaries, its reception among Chinese gentry, and the invention of the printing …show more content…
This period was a time of “innovation and development” for Chinese Buddhism , Innovations such as the invention of the printing press in the Tang dynasty helped maintain the influence of Buddhism. Chinese Buddhist monks seized the opportunity to use the printing press to raise the esteem of their religion, in the same fashion previous Buddhist monks utilized calligraphy to spread Buddhist themes. The earliest printed material, printed between 704 and 751, is a Buddhist charm scroll. Charms, scriptures and literature of the Buddhist faith were produced by monasteries, which were spread throughout China’s many villages and ethnic tribes. This led to the first printed scroll reaching Korea. Beginning with scholars who admired the scripture and artwork, Buddhism had captured the interest of Chinese officials. Buddhist monks noticed China’s great esteem for literature and the popularity of calligraphy and poetry when they first arrived in China. Gaining the attention of scholars and teachers, Buddhist themes appeared in work produced outside of monasteries. Famous artist Wang Wei (701-761) drew on Buddhist themes and symbols in his poetry, and gradually Buddhist beliefs such as karmic energy and reincarnation became accepted as universal truths for all Chinese citizens. With the spread of artwork and esteem …show more content…
Christianity failed to convert many officials who could promote their cause and lost the Kangxi emperor’s favour, who instilled strict regulations on missionary numbers. Christianity had maintained a religious presence in China for only a little more than one hundred years. Buddhism rose over several centuries, aided by Buddhist Emperor Wu and support of the Buddhist clergy. After the Jesuits lost the support of the Catholic Church and confidence of the Emperor, they began to lose growth in their Christian communities. While both religious missionaries had inspired Chinese scholars, Buddhism’s religious identity appeared stronger over time, appearing in artwork and mass printed scripture. Aspects of Buddhist teachings were close enough to merge with native Confucianism, as seen by the writings of monk Ouyi Zhixu (1599–1655) which stated, “Nurture the mind with true Buddhism to carry out true Confucian endeavors.” In ways such as this Buddhism bonded to Chinese culture, acculturating similarly to Jesuit policy. This was an effective strategy for Buddhism, allowing the failures of Christianity’s accommodation in the 1700s to stand out clearly. Before the Rites Controversy drew a definite line between Chine culture and Christian beliefs, it was believed Chinese Christians would be unable to perform