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Buddhism In China

2349 Words10 Pages

DBQ Buddhism
Adelaida Urrea

The acceptance and spread of Buddhism in China represented the communal transformation into a more open and diverse world. With Buddhism, many Chinese started to demonstrate a new attitude towards the governing values in China, leading the country towards a completely new pathway. With the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the rise of the Tang dynasty between 220 and 907 CE, Chinese society responded diversely to the spread of Buddhism. For some, the Four Noble Truths illustrated a pathway towards the renovation of China’s future with an organized society (Group 1), traditional Confucian Chinese on the other hand, saw Buddhism as a threat to established peace in respect to political and social order in China, with …show more content…

First, Buddhism destroyed the Five Confucian Relationships which had helped maintain political, economic and social order in China. Additionally, many people in the Chinese community did not feel a connection with the Buddha, originated from India due to the difference in cultural backgrounds which represented their identity. Finally, the relationship of Confucius and Heaven was tarnished by Buddha; Confucius was the only one who knew how to lead his community in the most beneficial way because he had the ability of connecting with them through their culture. In 845, Tang Emperor Wu, declared Buddhism as harmful and destructive by changing Chinese beliefs and values which represented their culture and the governing structure which had led China to be one of the leading, powerful empires (Doc 7.) Tang Emperor Wu, the ruler of the most influential empire, is calling for Confucius followers to strengthen their devotion to their values and beliefs linking Confucianism with their identity; Chinese culture. Because of this, conservative Chinese see Buddhism as a threat to social order in their country by reflecting many ideals that oppose to Confucian values which commanded the political and social life in the country for more than a century which had grown China into one of the most powerful empires worldwide, where people believed in understanding their role in life and following the Five Relationships under all circumstances to satisfy Heaven. Therefore, the spread of Buddhism represented a dishonor to the spirits by encouraging social disobedience. Additionally, Buddhism illustrated defiance to the Gods and ancient traditional spirits, seeing Buddhism as an unfavorable

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