How Did Buddhism Contributed To The Rise Of The Tang Dynasty

Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It originated in ancient India near the kingdom of Magadha, by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha. During the first century, it entered China through traders from the silk road. It is the oldest foreign religion and one of the oldest religions practiced in China. Buddhism was one of the dominant religions practiced in the Tang Dynasty. It offered many benefits to its economy, and people could combine it with Taoism. However, Wuzong tried to suppress it, which led to its decline in China. Buddhism was at its golden period in the Tang Dynasty but also its fall of popularity.

Many reasons from the Tang dynasty caused Buddhism to spread in China. Buddhism already existed before the

Monasteries had their own land to grow crops. Dr. Robert Eno from Indiana University said, “Buddhist institutions were able to accumulate vast stores of wealth to which the states had no access”. Because of this, more people donated to temples, even wealthy families distributed large areas of their land to Monasteries. Since the land did not belong to them anymore they were not taxed and it increased the landowner’s profit. More people wanted to do this which played an important role in spreading Buddhism. Also, Monasteries provided propitious government jobs to ambitious young men and women. They are happy that Buddhism can even offer them a job, so it was likely that people told each other, which spread the

He was a Daoist like many other people who also believe in Buddhism, but he did not trust foreign ideas. When the state’s economy was in financial crisis, he believed Buddhism was causing the problem because they did not have to pay tax. Buddhist monasteries and temples which were once free from tax was then targeted for taxation. One of Wuzong’s ideas were to take hold of all the land that were owned by the monasteries. Finally, in 845CE he closed down nearly 40,000 shrines and temples, 260,000 monks and nuns went back to their normal life, and monastic land was taken away and sold. Later on, towards the end of the Tang Dynasty, Taoism became more popular than Buddhism. This religion lost its power and began its decline in China while the Chinese government also declined. The ban was released few years later but Buddhism was never as popular as it was in the Tang