Mrs. N
Spread of Buddhism- AP World History
China had a period of political disunity and instability when Buddhism was brought over to China from India in the first century c.e. Over time, Buddhism was won over the previous religions that were already in play. During the unstable times, Buddhism was accepted by the Chinese lower class, which gave them a beacon of hope. As Buddhism became increasingly popular, the upper class and government felt threatened by its rising religious and political power. Overtime, the influence of Buddhism expanded for several more centuries. During this time of instability, many of the aristocratic people and people of the lower classes had different views and ways they wanted to spread and or discourage Buddhism. As seen in documents 3 and 2, the people explain how they support the spread of Buddhism in China. Document 3 speaks about how people during this time are used to their old ways of living which are counter-acted when the acts of Buddhism come into play. The questions are always defied by simple answers that explain how you cannot compare Confucian ways to Buddhism ways because they both run separate ways. Also, since he is a Chinese scholar almost implies that he/she could in fact be a slight upper class bias to the point. In Document 2, this partiality is also seen when Zhi Dun, another Chinese scholar portrays Buddhism shown as a joyful, light that will bring happiness to one who is interested in joining the religion. Zhi Dun, being a scholar also explains to the reader that his word does not tell how the lower classes felt during this time. During this time when China was being invaded by the early Asian steppe nomads, could have turned his back on Buddhism and declared it a distraction to the people, but that was not the case. During the time, Buddhism was a growing popular religion and was tested against Confucianism on multiple occasions. During this time, some people