Spread of Buddhism in China free essay sample

Document Based Essay Buddhism is a religion founded in India by Buddha in the sixth century B. C. E. , and was later brought to China. The spread of Buddhism to China was acceptable by most people but not all. The missing document should be written by someone from lower class because one could want to know how Buddhism and the spread of it affected them and most other documents are written by scholars. Even though the documents written by Han Yu and Emperor Wu say that Buddhism is not good for China others seem to disagree. Anonymous Chinese scholar and Zong Mi write that Buddha should be respected and the rest of the documents are written by Buddhists, who like the Chinese scholar and Zong Mi think that the spread of Buddhism in China. The first two documents are mostly about Buddhism and how to practice it. The first document is all about The Four Noble Truths. We will write a custom essay sample on Spread of Buddhism in China or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Four Noble Truths are said to provide a conceptual framework for the entire Buddhist thought. Zhi Dun, Chinese scholar, author, confidant of Chinese aristocrats and high officials, and the writer of he second document talks about reincarnation and reaching Nirvana. Document 1 doesnt speak about Buddhism spreading in China at all, however Dun mentions that whosoever in China serves Buddha and observes the commandments will enter Nirvana. Therefore Dun thinks that practicing Buddhism is worthy for Chinese and with that supports the spread of Buddhism. The documents are both written form a partisans point of view. Documents written by Han Yu and Emperor Wu strongly suggest that Buddhism hurt Tang China. They both think that Buddhism shouldVe never spread to China. Yu, the leading Confucian scholar and official at the Tang imperial court, is saying that if Buddha showed up in China in 9th century he would be dismissed. Buddha didnt speak Chinese and wore clothes ofa different fashion. If he were to show up to Chinese court he would be ushered to the borders of China. Tang Emperor Wu was talking about how Buddhists abandoned their duties to practice Buddhism and others were suffering from it. To quote him Now if even one man fails to work the fields, someone must go hungry; if one woman does not tend her Silkworms, omeone will go cold. The Emperor says that Buddhism drains the peoples strength, pilfers Their wealth, causes people to abandon their lords and parents for the company of teachers, and serves Man and wife with its monastic decrees. They both obviously are not happy with Buddhism in China, even though because of different reasons. In documents 3 and 5 Buddhism is respected, the writers think that the spread of Buddhism to China was gre at. Anonymous Chinese scholar answers requests questioning Buddhism in a way that defends Buddhism. He said that the instructions ot the Contucian classics do not contain eve rything. When the interviewer Judges monks because some dont marry all their lives the scholar answers that monks accumulate goodness and wisdom in exchange for the Joys of having a wife and children. Zong MI, the writer of the fifth document, and also a leading Buddhist scholar, thinks that not only Buddha but also Confucius and Laozi should be respected. They tried to make perfect societies with encouraging people to do good, punishing bad ones, and rewarding good ones. Zong Mi and the anonymous Chinese scholar are both partisans and support the spread of Buddhism in China. Most documents are saying that the spread of Buddhism to China was a great thing; the only two writers who disagreed are Han Yu and Tang Emperor Wu. Like mentioned before one of them thought that Buddha was not dressed appropriately, and the other thought that people leaving their Jobs to practice Buddhism damaged others. Documents 1 and 2 talk about Buddhism overall and documents 4 and 6 are very supportive and respective of Buddhism.