Jaleen Carroll
A1
11/17/17
Free Response Essay There are many major religions in the world, one of them being Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion founded in India around the fifth century C.E. Throughout time, it made its way to China. While in China, Buddhism was viewed by the people in many ways, both positive and negative.
Buddhism influenced the people, majority of them changing their lifestyles of the monks. Although most of the people converted to Buddhism, some resented it. China had gone through a tough struggle in both politics and the people. In Document 6 an emperor talks about how Buddhism is posing the people of China by making them forsake their lords and steal their wealth. The emperor goes farther by saying how monks rob people from food and clothes by not working. He has a negative view on Buddha itself.
Another person that felt negative about Buddhism was a Confucian scholar named Han Yu. In Document 4 he says that Buddhism came from the barbarian people. Since the religion has no history of China, he believes that it should not be apart of China. The barbarians acted different, talked different, and looked different. That is why he believes that a religion
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Document 5, written by Zong Mi (Buddhist scholar), talks about how people should respect the religion of Buddhism. Buddha was another leader giving his teachings to the world just like Confucius and Laozi. Even a Chinese scholar had a positive input on Buddhism, by saying not to judge the religion because there is no knowledge of it. Also he talks about how their religion involve their own sacrifice, not for anyone else but their belief in their Way. In Document 1 it also talks about their beliefs in the Four Noble Truths. The Noble Truths are the aspect of sorrow. They are Truth of Sorrow, Arising of Sorrow, the Stopping of Sorrow, and Way that Leads to the Stopping of