Buddhism’s Impact on Classical China Essay

The popularity of Buddhism in China c. 220 CE was due to its positive reaction in the large peasant class. However emperor butterflys and aristocrats found themselves threatened by the relaxed Buddhist teachings that undermined the authority of the pro-Confucian administration and weakened peasant trifle ethic. Although the anti-Buddhist opinions of superior officials in the 3rd-6th centuries of China should be taken into consideration, a peasant-written document foreground the benefits of Buddhism in contrast to the defensive viewpoints taken by emperors and aristocrats would be right-hand in analyzing the true extent of Buddhisms popularity in China.Around 350 CE, a time of instability in China, peasants found reliever in the teachings of Buddhism, which unalike Confucianism offered an afterlife the threatened peasants could look forward to. This led to many conversions from Confucianism to Buddhism, which mad rulers a loss of popular belief in the state-backed religion cou ld potentially undermine the government and result in a loss of ability for many bureaucrats. Han Yu, a court official in 819 CE, refers to the spread of this marked-up cult from India and repeatedly presses that Buddhism be eradicated in China (Doc 4). The Tang emperor Wu, writing during roughly the same period, (845 CE), mirrors the opinion of Han Yu.He speaks of Buddhism prejudiciously, citing the lax work ethic of Buddhists, and like Han Yu, he calls for the uprooting of Buddhism from China (Doc 6). However behind both(prenominal) these officials vehement words is a fear that the popularization of Buddhism would alter the government structure, which would cause loss of their status. They wrote their edicts to change the minds of peasants who were considering converting to this cult because perhaps if they convinced nice to remain Confucian, they would keep their high-ranking positions.Buddhism gained much of its popularity during the tumultuous era from 350-570 CE. This is when pro-Buddhist scholars began coming into court in greater numbers. One such scholar, Zhi Dun, identified Buddhism as a means of getting through trying times. Around 350 CE, the beginning of the hazardousperiod, Zhi wrote a letter describing the wonder of the afterlife promised by Buddha. He wrote this to comfort the thousands of fearful and spiritually deprived Confucian Chinese, who lacked belief in an afterlife.Their ending was a growing possibility, because they were being slaughtered by invading Mongols. Zhi wished to inform them of the resource afterlife promised through Buddhism Nirvana (Doc 2). The same teachings Zhi was addressing to the Chinese peasantry had already been r by the Buddha himself to the Indian people many centuries before c. 563 BCE. The first utterance Buddha gave spoke of Noble Truths, which could stop sorrow and craving (Doc 1). One dope see why these ideas, embodied by Buddhism would be popular among a poor Chinese peasantry, just as they had be en in India.Although the general pestle from Chinese officials and scholars towards Buddhism is negative, there were a few discrepancies Chinese scholars who favored Buddhas teachings. A Chinese scholar wrote positively in 500 CE of the Buddha in comparison to Confucius, stating To compare the sages to the Buddha would be like comparing a white deer to a unicorn (Doc 3). Moreover, around 800 CE, after the period of instability, a scholar favored by the Tang imperial household wrote an move on the nature of man, stating boldly that Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha were all perfect sages, (Doc 5). This document highlights that formerly the era of instability had passed and Confucianism was again the dominant religion, rulers and their court scholars could evaluate Buddhism as a religion without fearful prejudice.In conclusion, historically, the spread of Buddhism into China was regarded negatively by the ruling, high-ranking, and aristocratic class. China was inundated with anti-Bu ddhist propaganda (shown by the documents) in rejoinder to the popularity among the majority of the peasantry, which made up the bulk of the Chinese population. This propaganda was typically anti-Buddhist because it was the upper berth/literate class who was writing it consequently it was slanted towards their own negative views on Buddhism. A document written by a real poor or peasant scholar regarding their view of Buddhism would create a more complete picture of how it was really received in China.