Dbq Chinese Buddhism

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Buddhism originated in India, but after the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E., it gained many converts in China. The people responded rather positively to the spread of Buddhism in China, because after their kingdom fell into turmoil, it was also torn apart by power hungry warlords. They responded this way, because not only did China have to deal with nomadic invaders from the north, but they also had feudal warlords fighting over the land. Because of this, people needed something to have faith in, so they turned and found it in Buddhism. People also tried to turn away from all the sorrow, so they accepted this new foreign religion coming in, regardless of the political situation in China at the time. It is clear that many people in China met Buddhism with admiration (Doc. 1, 2), tolerance (Doc. 3, 5) and disapproval (Doc. 4, 6). An additional document that would further help analyze the reactions to the spread of Buddhism in China would be hearing to what a peasant has to say, because peasants did not have a say in anything, and they were always looked down on. They had to follow the rules and religions, no matter the circumstances. Hearing his reaction of Buddhism can help determine how the religion impacted not only the nobles and common people, but also the peasants who had little faith in anything, especially government and religion. Many converts of China looked upon Buddhism with admiration. They also accepted Buddhism with an open mind. Buddhism tried easing people’s sorrows by explaining how to stop the miseries of their lives through the Four Noble Truths. (Doc. 1) Buddha informs others that even though life was filled with suffering, it was possible to stop sorrow if one did not crave anything. Zhi Dun, a Chinese scholar states in Document 2, “He will behold the Buddha and be enlightened in his spirit, and then he will enter Nirvana.” Zhi Dun must
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