Buddhism and the Collapse of the Tang Dynasty

Religion has always had an impact on an individual’s perspectives and the government, and this can clearly be seen with Buddhism and the Tang Dynasty. Before Buddhism pervaded China, the traditional religion in China was Confucianism, and the majority of individuals strictly followed the rules and principles of Confucianism. When Buddhism was introduced, every person engendered their own views on Buddhism and the influences the religion would have on the government. The Tang Dynasty generated a prosperous time in China, until the dynasty spiraled down into its demise in c. 750 (Smarr “Tang China”). Many individuals believed that the reason why the collapse of the Tang Dynasty occurred was because of Buddhism and foreign ideas. A Chinese poet, named Han Yu, believed in the concept that Buddhism was the ultimate cause for the destruction of the Tang Dynasty, and his ideas were very influential. Han Yu’s ideas promoted the riddance of Buddhism values and monasteries in China (Smarr “An Lu-shan Rebellion”). Therefore, the question that arises from such observations is was this an accurate portrayal of perspectives during the Tang dynasty and how influential was this portrayal? Although, one portrayal of the Tang Dynasty’s collapse was Emperor Xuanzong’s carelessness, Han Yu persists that the accurate portrayal of the collapse was brought about by Buddhism through monasteries and monks, and selfish values.

Yu declares that before Buddhism was introduced “the empire was at peace,” and the

people were content and happy (Han Yu 111). Han Yu presents a background of China without Buddhism to compare how Buddhism destructed China and left it in ruins. This demonstrates his ambition to rid Buddhism in China, for he depicts how stable ...

... middle of paper ...

...ues and morals of both religions to demonstrate how Buddhism is a parasite and is out to interfere intentionally with Confucianism, the dynasty, and the society. Not only does Han Yu utilize institutional religion to his advantage, he also applies the idea of religion and state with Buddhism and the Tang Dynasty. He uses this theme in the sense that Buddhism and the dynasty can not go hand in hand, for the religion brings nothing but destruction for the bureaucracy and the emperors. By indicating that the religion lead the emperors astray, Han Yu manipulates the people to presume that Buddhism conveys detrimental values and should be eradicated. Even though Han Yu’s portrayal appears to be accurate, he does not consider any factual evidences and simply takes into account the changes that occurred because of Buddhism as being the cause of the demise.