Buddhism Vs Confucianism

Founded in the first century CE, Buddhism ventured to China, via the Silk Road, after struggling to popularize in India. Buddhism consists of no higher religious figures, rather a solution to the sorrow experienced throughout one’s lifetime. Consequently, it failed in India because there was already an established religion founded on the levels of social class, Hinduism. Similarly in China, Buddhism foundered at first as a result of the popularity of Confucianism. In contrast, Confucianism is a relationship-based philosophy in which there was one person superior over another. Thus, higher classes despise it observing its followers in China have lessened their desires. In addition, Buddhism supports egalitarian beliefs and people of higher

At this time, there was a horrible reality that China was being invaded by Central Asian Nomadic groups and as a result, people started using Buddhism as an escape from the scary truth. Zhi Dun, a Buddhist scholar, claims that the time period is the “era of sensual pleasures”(Zhi Dun). Zhi Dun praised life because Buddhism removes all desire and therefore removes sorrow to ensure one’s life is enjoyable. In this era, life is no form of pleasure because there are Nomads invading the land with horses and a military tactic unseen by the Chinese. Instead of thinking about the fearful events that will knock on their door in the near future, people strive to “enter Nirvana” but only after “he will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit” (Zhi Dun). If a scholar of Confucianism or any other philosophy had written this, then preaching for one to remove their desires would not be the answer. More likely than not, people would have been panicked without a philosophy to calm the nation. Zhi Dun is spreading Buddhism and its values to guide anyone who needs it during this worrying time, consequently people are less afraid of what would be to come. Six centuries later, a leading Buddhist scholar Zong Mi describes how religions and philosophies are important to Chinese society and provide order in places in which they are used. Zong Mi states that all Chinese philosophies “encourage the perfection of good deeds, punish the wicked ones, and reward good ones.” (Zong Mi). Zong Mi is exclaiming that all philosophies set social order and organisation for those who use their philosophy. Being an expert and follower of Buddhism, Zong Mi may certainly feel this way about Buddhism, but what about the other philosophies. Although this is very kind of him to say, other philosophies such as Confucianism have beliefs that are