Preview

Spread Of Buddhism In China Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
944 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Spread Of Buddhism In China Essay
Sarah Hutchinson
AP World History
Mrs. Rice
14 Jan. 2012
Spread of Buddhism and Its Appeal in China Buddhism is a well-known major religion in today’s society. It originated in India, after Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), left his palace and finally achieved enlightenment. It reached China around the 1st century C.E and continued to spread throughout Asia. Buddhism was at its highest point after the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 C. E. The spread of Buddhism in China sparked several religious, ethical, and controversial issues; however it was accept by a large majority of the Chinese people and scholars. Buddhism was more prominent in times of upheaval, but it slowly declined in the 9th century C.E. Attitudes toward Buddhism were negative in the eyes of many Confucian scholars and those who were higher on the social latter (4, 6). Han Yu, a Confucian scholar and official in the Tang imperial court did not approve of
…show more content…
(4, 5, 6). Han Yu strongly opposed Buddhism. He believed it was barbaric and amcient, and stated that people in the crowd of the coming of Buddha’s finger will mutilate themselves and cut off arms in Buddha’s honor. He believed it should be eradicated and that they should spare the youth the delusion of Buddha (4). The Emperor Wu used the excuse that if Buddhism continued to grow, an economic downfall would follow. He said the nuns and monks simply waited for the farmers to feed them and clothe them. He exaggerated numbers by saying the temples had grown to numbers larger than the palace. One scholar, Zong Mi, still accepted Buddhism at this time and believed that Buddhists and Confucianists were not that different and worked towards the same goals. Confucianism rose again because this was a time of peace and the original values of China became important again. Also, because of the peace, officials again became concerned with keeping their power and place in

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Buddhism, founded in India in the sixth century BCE, was rising in popularity among many peoples and eventually spread to China by the first century BCE. In China, Buddhism was faced with many mixed opinions. Some looked to it as truth and comfort and thought it was a good impact on society, others attacked the religion and accused it of being barbaric and a disturbance, and others tried to blend the new uprising religion with China’s existing philosophies.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Buddhism started in India around the 16th century B.C.E., and after a while diffused to China in the first century of C.E.. People slowly converted to it. Many chinese people felt differently about the new religion, and others felt it was better than the one existing, and better for China as a whole. They then began to encourage conversion of religions. Then there were those guys. They didn't like Buddhism, they thought it was bad and tried to stop the diffusion.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    After analyzing the documents I was given, I believe there is both a positive and negative response to the spread of Buddhism in China. Over time the response became more and more negative than positive. People were getting used to the spread of Buddhism because they knew that it wasn’t going away anytime soon. The background information I was given explains that since China was unstable at this time Confucianism was on the decline which made Buddhism easier to rise.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism in China DBQ

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Buddhism was first introduced to China in the first century C.E., a few centuries after it was first introduced in India. As expected, it was met with mixed results; some criticized it to the point of blaming it for the country’s social and political problems, some defended its beliefs and followed it without hesitation, and yet others remained pretty indifferent and wished to meld Buddhism with other religions and create a unique culture.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism, originally from India, was widely accepted at first because of it power to diminish the caste system. Buddhism gained most of its popularity during 220 CE and 570 CE after the downfall of the Han Dynasty. Once power was regained though it can easily be understood why people in the upper class began to disapprove of the new religion. While the Chinese initially accepted Buddhism into their culture during a down fall of the dynastic rule, once power was regained many began to point out the lack of Buddhism in historical text and supposed negative effect it was having on the Chinese people. An additional document from the perspective of an underclass citizen who converted to Buddhism would be more helpful in understanding the overall appeal that people had to Buddhism.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ Buddhism in China

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When Buddhism spread from India to China many different opinions were voiced. Although many people began to gradually convert to it, others felt differently about the new religion. Opinions fluctuated often with some people feeling that Buddhism would be good for the society, to bring the people together in a time of suffering, and others demanding that it be shunned for corrupting the people with foreign ways.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    dbq buddhism in china

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When Buddhism which was spreaded by southernization in the first century, was gaining popularity in China during about 220 CE to 570 CE, which was when China experienced a period of instability and disunity or the war and rebellion state. After the spread of Buddhism, the imperial structure was finally restored. It’s clearly shown that Buddhism actually brought good things to happen which caused China to restore, however, the Tang dynasty especially the confucians didn’t appreciate it.…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality. It is a religion that was founded in India in the sixth century BCE and was brought to China by the first century CE. When Buddhism was brought to China and it gradually won over converts, expanded throughout China, and influenced Chinese culture as we know it. In spite of Buddhism’s dissemination throughout China there were still Chinese people who didn’t convert to Buddhism due to their strong Confucian beliefs. The Chinese had two vastly different points of views about Buddhism.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Han Wudi actually established an Imperial University in 124 BCE that adopted Confucianism as official course of study. The reason why he created this university was because there was a huge demand for government officials because of the many persecutions of them during the Qin administration. However, Han Wudi wasn’t a lover of scholarship but demanded educated class for bureaucracy. But in conclusion, Han Wudi promoted Confucianism for educational purposes. In direct comparison, Ancient India had belief systems of their own including Buddhism. Buddhism is based off the Four Noble Truths which are: all life is pain, there is an end to suffering, removing desire removes suffering, and this is done through the eight-fold path. After the violent war with Kalinga, Ashoka converted to Buddhism most likely of a guilty conscience. He then banned animal sacrifices, gave up hunting expeditions, and eliminated meat dishes from his court. Ashoka spread Buddhism throughout India by monasteries and stupas. Comparing Ashoka and Han Wudi, both spread and furthered belief systems in their emperors. Han Wudi did it by creating the imperial university and from…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While there were many positive reactions to the spread of Buddhism, such as Zong Mi, A Buddhist scholar, discussing the perfect society created Buddhism, there were also many negative responses (Doc. 5). Han Yu, for example, was a Confucian scholar who believed Buddhism would weaken the government (Doc. 4).…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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).…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In response to the spread of Buddhism in China, these documents reveal how some people preached about it in their sermons and spoke publicly about it. They reveal how people wrote articles explaining how Confucius was wiser than Buddha. Some people even praised it along with other religions to show how together they helped mend society and government.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tang Dynasty Dbq

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Buddhism is known to be the oldest religion to ever exist in China. It gained most of its popularity in the East Asian countries of Korea, Japan, and India where it began to decline in China. The acceptance of Buddhism altered where it was first seen as a method to establish order, and then was recognized by the Tangy Dynasty to be a threat against their rule.…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays