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Buddhism arrived in China during the first century CE. It met with mixed response, but slowly won
converts becoming entrenched in the fabric of Chinese life by the 6 th century. The documents provided
indicate that the Chinese scholarly class welcomed Buddhism in these early years; however by the 10 th
century, the attitude toward Buddhism had changed and the response had become a more negative one. The
early reaction was probably a response to the turbulent times following the collapse of the Han dynasty. A
document expressing the view of the merchant or peasant class would be helpful in assessing the reaction to
Buddhism since all of the ones provided come from religious scholars or government officials, both
representative of the upper class.
The response to Buddhism in China in the first 5 centuries after its arrival in China appears to be quite
positive. Zi Dun, a Chinese scholar and important advisor who lived around 350 CE (Doc 2) believed that
serving Buddha and following Buddhist Scriptures was a good thing during a time when the Chinese
people enjoyed too many sensual pleasures. Advocating the following of Buddhist teaching would seem
highly unusual for a high ranking official, as they tended to be Confucian scholars. However, Zhi wrote
this during times of disturbance and upheaval and he believes that Buddhism is the answer at that time. An
anonymous Chinese scholar writing in 500 CE (Doc 3) defended Buddhist practices such as practices such
as monasticism and rejection of wealth as viable alternatives to traditional Chinese belief systems. The first
sermon Buddha preached in India in the 5th century BCE (Doc 1), while it sheds no light on Chinese
reaction it does help to explain why the religion might receive a positive reaction. The sermon was
designed to aid the individual in ending his pain and sorrow. Buddha identified the desire for earthly
pleasures as the source of pain and sorrow. China, plagued by invasions and natural disasters that the
government could not forestall, was the scene of terrible pain and sorrow for the Chinese people. The
words of the Buddha must have been comforting for them.
By the 9th century the attitude clearly had changed. Han Yu, a Confucian scholar and Tang official in 819
CE (Doc 4) condemns the practice of Buddhism. He identifies Buddhism as a foreign religion that
undermines the traditional Chinese beliefs and even suggests that a precious relic of the Buddha be
destroyed. Han was a trained Confucian scholar that would explain in part his antagonism. The need for
the mystical kind of faith for Buddhism, however, had declined by this time and the Tang dynasty had
reestablished strong governmental leadership. Buddhist monasteries had become centers of social
assistance during the turbulent years, but they were now seen as a threat since they had become extremely
wealthy and government officials like Han would view that wealth and independence as a threat to the
strong Tang government. In 845 CE a Emperor Wu of the Tang dynasty (Doc 6) issued an official edict
condemning the practice of Buddhism. He specifically notes that the religion has drained the wealth and
the desire to work from the Chinese people. He further calls for the total eradication of the religion in
China. He was most likely trying to strengthen his government and reinstitute the traditional Chinese
principals of Confucianism and filial loyalty since he was the emperor and respect and obedience to one’s
ruler was a basic relationship of Confucian teaching. The essay by Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar in
the Tang court in the early 9th century (Doc 5), was far less critical. But even Zong, a monk trained in
Buddhism does not argue that Buddhism and its practices should supplant traditional Chinese beliefs. He
states instead that Buddha’s teachings should be considered as equal to those of the traditional Chinese
teachers. Since he was a member of the Tang court, he was probably not free to express deep devotion to
Buddhism alone since by this time it had fallen from royal favor.
In conclusion, there is a clear shift in the reaction of the Chinese to Buddhism. This occurs after the Tang
rulers’ reestablishment of strong central rule in China. To better assess the full reaction, it would be helpful
to have a document expressing the view of the merchant class or the peasant class. Their attitudes could be
different from the upper classes and the scholars. All of the documents presented are clearly from the
upper classes despite the fact that they comprise only a small part of the population