Response To Buddhism In China Dbq

DBQ 2004: Responses to Buddhism in China

In Tang China, Buddhism was seen by some as a peaceful and honorable religion that would improve China, while others met it with scorn, denouncing it as an evil faith that threatened traditional Chinese or Confucianism values. Some Chinese scholars and officials praised Buddhism for its focus on peace, enlightenment and the curbing of the desires in an effort to reduce suffering in the world. Zhi Dun, a scholar, author and confidant of high-ranking Chinese aristocrats and officials, firmly asserted this view in Document 2, going as far as to say that the Chinese who rigorously practice the Buddhist faith will enter Nirvana and meet the Buddha face-to-face. This suggests that many were firm believers

In Doc. 4, Han Yu, a Confucian scholar, discussed the idea of having a procession into the palace in which the finger bone of Buddha, retrieved from India, was to be displayed to the people. He saw this as ludicrous and disgusting, recalling that The Buddha was foreign, did not mention Chinese thinkers or kings and did not honor the central Confucian concept of the hierarchy and the family. Han Yu believed that, if The Buddha were alive, he would be sent away and unable to “delude”, or trick and deceive, the Chinese people. This account is hateful, calling Buddhism an “evil”. This shows that some scholars felt threatened by the foreign ideas flowing from India and believed that Buddhism was in no way beneficial to China. It also shows, since the writer is a Confucianist, that some did not believe that the ideologies could coexist or be mutually accepted. The notion that anything foreign isn’t trustworthy or applicable to Chinese life suggests that China believed it was the center of the universe and was superior to surrounding nations. The author’s point of view must be taken into account, however; Han Yu, being a Confucian scholar, likely spent long hours examining Confucian text and was unfamiliar to ideas that contradicted those beliefs. Therefore, he might not be open to receiving new ideas. The next document, given by Tang Emperor Wu, is an edict that was sent out concerning Buddhism, likely the same one that resulted in the destruction of numerous Buddhist temples and that mandated that many monks and nuns to reenter the workforce. Using a furious tone, the account again cites the fact that Buddhism was not completely aligned with Confucianism and Chinese tradition as a reason for eliminating the faith. Wu called Buddhism a bane on society, reasoning that it weakened families and caused