Buddhism In China Dbq Analysis

WHAP
Period 3

The simple idea of introducing a new religion to society always has positive and negative affects. For example, the concept of spreading Buddhism from its origin, India, had developed both criticism and support. The spread of Buddhism happened quite quickly in China and the Chinese responded in one of two ways. They were either interested in Buddhism because of its teachings or they thought it was a barbaric thing. To analyze the overall feelings in China, we must understand and explain why many people were attracted to Buddhism(group 1), and we must understand why some people despised the spread of Buddhism(group 2). The reasons why Buddhism has approximately 362 million followers is because of its teachings and beliefs. In the documents provided, documents one, two, three, and five allow us to analyze the positive response to Buddhism in China. In the
period of the Tang dynasty, Buddhism was gaining many followers. It rapidly spread across central Asia and spread quickly in China. Some of the reasons it gained followers were because of its teachings and beliefs. In document 1, we can see how the four noble truths were some of the popular teachings. They were also accompanied by the teachings of Nirvana(Doc 2). People converted to this religion because they felt that the teachings were perfect. When we analyze how the concept of Nirvana, it shows how one may be at rest. Zhi Dun, a Chinese scholar(doc 2), explains how those in China who served the Buddha properly will undergo an enlightenment and reach Nirvana. People of China knew and believed the title of Nirvana was a peaceful thing. In document 3, the anonymous Chinese scholar answers some of the criticisms towards Buddhism, and he/she shows how it is not flawed. If the people of China read this, it may have attracted them to Buddhism because it did not have very many flaws. This scholar tried to prove wrong and dispose of the errors in Buddhism. In document five, Zong Mi analyzes the teachings of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha. Through his eyes, he saw the teachings of each one was appropriate for its time. He shows how all three led to the creation of an organized society. The people of China responded in a way that they saw Buddhism as the right way to go. Not everyone liked this new religion spreading in China.
In documents four and six, we can see why some people’s responses were negative towards the spread of Buddhism. In document four, we are allowed to see into Han Yu’s mind, a Confucian scholar. He believed that Buddhism was a cult of the barbarian people and that it had several flaws. He criticized it because the Buddha’s teachings did not speak of ancient kings and his clothings did not conform to the laws. Although this may have been a baist opinion coming from a Confucian scholar, it provides some evidence showing that some people did not like the teachings of Buddhism. In document six, we can see how even the emperor thought Buddhism was causing problems. He shows how it requires people to abandon their lords and parents for teachers, and he also shows how workers fail to work. The emperor, emperor Wu, may have not seen the teachings as the issue, but that it was making people go hungry and it made people leave their home and work. Both documents provide an insight on how Buddhism was rejected by some Chinese
people. When we analyze the spread of Buddhism in China, we see two main responses. The first is the appeal of the teachings attracting followers. The second one is that their are some flaws in the teachings of Buddhism. One thing that was noticed is that only the opinions were of Confucians and Buddhists. A document from an unbiased scholar of a different religions may have provided the information needed to understand all aspects of the spread of Buddhism. This scholar may have given his/her unbiased opinion because the main issue was between Confucianism and Buddhism. If we had a third aspect, it could have shown how other religions of the Chinese saw this rapidly spreading religion.