When Buddhism was introduced to China during the Han dynasty, there were mixed responses. Some were completely against the idea and felt threatened by the new belief system, while others gladly embraced the new belief system and even promoted it. Then there were those who thought both Buddhism and Confucianism could coexist. Many people, especially those with a higher rank, looked towards Buddhism negatively.
Following the philosophies of Confucius, Han Yu does not believe that Buddhism should be a part of China. In fact, he claims that the Buddha does not follow laws or agree to the beliefs of
Confucianism (4). He writes, “he would be escorted to the borders of the nation, dismissed, and not allowed to delude the masses.” (4) This
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Dun writes, “whosoever in China, in this era of sensual pleasures serves the
Buddha and correctly observes the commandments.” (2) Those who didn’t accept the idea or deny it, taught others or thought that both belief systems could coexist. Zang Mi, a Buddhist scholar promoted the fact that Confucianism and
Buddhism are both great, stating that, “all three teachings lead to the creation of an orderly society and for this they all must be observed with respect,” (5). This shows that he believes all three systems can be practiced in the same area, one is not better than another; also this proves that he wasn’t really against having Buddhism come to China but also wasn’t embracing it. Then there are the Four Noble Truths, which state the beliefs of Buddhism (1), this document was just simply to state the beliefs of the Buddha, and could be used to teach others about Buddhism. It doesn’t imply that Buddhism is bad or good, it just states facts. All the documents listed are from upper-class scholars and even emperors. If a document was added from the view of a lower-class citizen, we could better understand China’s response to Buddhism, since the lower and middle classes make up most of the population. Also, elites