DBQ- Spread of Buddhism in Han China

The spread of Buddhism in China Buddhism in China was popular to some, but not to all. Here are many reasons as to why Buddhism spread as far as it did and why it did not spread farther. Even though Buddhism brought some order to China and did provide a little hope, it did not align with Chinese culture, and the Chinese people are very culturally centered. In documents two and five, a more positive light is shone on Buddhism. Buddhism spread in China because it gave a hope to people who only saw the sorrows of life. Also, Buddhism brought along some order in the chaos that China was in during this time. China was in an uproar during the “age of warring states”. This time brought lots of sorrow, and the need for a hope that Buddhism brought. Buddhism gave the people something to work towards. In documents one and three Buddhism is shown in a sort of negative aspect, but also a positive aspect as well. The world is filled with sorrow, as the Buddha came to learn when he was first exposed to the real world. He searched for a life without sorrow, but found no such thing, so he decided to accept the negative aspects of the world. However, Buddhism gives someone a life to work towards- Nirvana. Buddhism didn’t spread farther because of the negative aspect on life. Also, Buddhism isn’t mentioned in the Classics, nor is it mentioned by the great sages of China. The anonymous Chinese scholar who wrote the third document comes back to say that the Classics do not have everything. Buddhism did spread in China because happiness in Chinese culture was the continuation of someone’s family line and Buddhism caused this. All these positive things being said, Buddhism still did not spread farther because the Chinese were all about their culture and Buddhism did not line up with their culture. In documents four and six it is shown that Buddha did not follow their traditions, wore different clothes, and did not mention their histories. The Buddha was referred to as a barbarian who did not speak Chinese. The Chinese looked at the Buddha as an outcast and did not accept his ways. Also, the Tang Emperor Wu found that Buddhism destroyed law. The Emperor’s outlook on Buddhism made sense, because he was the enforcer of the law, so anything that contradicted or destroyed his law was not accepted. Along with all of these documents, and the information contained in them, there needs to be another document that shines a positive look on Buddhism and shows why the Chinese did follow Buddhism, even though it did not align with their culture. This type of document would help because we would be able to see what else about Buddhism drew the Chinese people in and be able to see why Buddhism spread as far as it did. Even though Buddhism brought order to China and did provide a little hope, it did not align with Chinese culture and the Chinese people were very culturally centered.