DBQ: Buddhism in China
Examples 2005
Examples of strong thesis/introductions:
“When Buddhism arrived in China, it was welcomed and accepted by the more individual scholars open to
the new religion, but it was not favored by the high authority figures and the government of the unified
Tang Dynasty later on. Buddhism had most support when it was first introduced to China at around the
1st century and end of the Han Dynasty. Buddhism flourished in a time of disunity and no powerful ruling
family in China, until about the 9thcentury when the Tang Dynasty emerged. It was then viewed as a threat
to the classic Chinese traditions and the local Taoist beliefs according to the government and high ranking
officials.”
“An analysis of primary source documents reveals that Buddhism was readily accepted in China during the
3rd and 4th centuries CE, but subsequently was questioned and criticized as government officials during the
9th century claimed that Buddhism was destructive towards the Chinese culture, economy, and identity.”
“Initially, Buddhism was welcomed in China as an answer to the anarchy, [but it was] questioned when
order was restored by the Sui dynasty in 570 C.E., and finally seen as a doctrine that would destabilize
China.”
Examples of strong analysis of documents:
“…the Tang imperial household had a very negative view on Buddhism. A possible reason that
[Document 5] does not show outright support for Buddhism even though the writer was a Buddhist, was
because that he felt he needed to show support for all of the religions of China in order to stay in a good
position with the imperial household of Tang.”
(Document 1) “These ideas of Buddhism boldly discredit leaders that hold any influence over others due to
the fact that they are the roots of sorrows. The third truth also states that in order to be rid of this affliction
the people must first emancipate their own wants; therefore the rules must also give up their search for
power. When an empire, like china, already has a stable imperial system, then the ideas of Buddhism
would probably not be very appealing. When a domain is already very accomplished in the wealth and
pleasures it has obtained, it does not seem reasonable to let it all go in order to eliminate unhappiness and
anguish. If an area is filled with war and strife then the people are more likely to follow the beliefs of
Buddhism.”
Examples of analyzing point of view:
“Simlarly, Document 3 written circa 500 CE during the same time of political disarray (as Doc. 2) is used
as a form of propaganda. The document portrays Buddhism in a flattering light, clearing up any
misconceptions that the ancient Chinese people might have had about whether or not it was a worthy
religion that was not in conflict with Confucianism. The author of this document was desperate to bring
together China as a whole by lessening the rifts between Confucianism and Buddhism by simply explaining
that they did not really exist. The scholar further adapted Buddhism to help China in a time of need.”
“Lastly, in document six, the Tang emperor, Wuzong, had attacked Buddhism and its monasteries.
However, this document is done unfairly in appoint of view as Wuzong feared the power, wealth and
influence which Buddhism was rapidly developing in China. So naturally, wanting all the power of the
country, he declared that Buddhism be eradicated as it is an ‘evil.’ In his mind, it was destroying laws and
outshining the imperial palace.”
“Wu stated that when people become Buddhist nuns or monks, they abandon their duties as farmers or silkmakers for the nation. Again, Wu used Buddhism as a reason for the decline of the Tang. He feared the
power of the Buddhist establishment, and the wealth and influence of Buddhist monasteries. Wu probably
feared losing authority as emperor, and losing control over his people as they converted to
Buddhism. While China had been weakened by internal and external conflicts, Wu searched for a
scapegoat, and found it in Buddhism.
Examples of additional documentation
“Though these documents provide a good sense of how the spread of Buddhism was accepted in ancient
China, one major piece of the picture is missing. There are no documents written from the point of vie of
peasants, merchants, artisans, or any other middle or low class citizen. To truly understand how Buddhism
was viewed and accepted or rejected by ancient China, the point of view of the largest portion of the
population must be accurately represented.”
“In order to examine the response of the majority of the Chinese people, documents concerning the peasant
and city-dweller opinions would need to be provided. Without them, one can only look at how the upper
class citizens, who are generally more concerned with wealth rather than their spirit, reacted to Buddhism.”