Early History of Buddhism in China Essay

Introduction

Buddhist in China has encountered persecution and even support under several leaders. The Buddhist religion has stayed strong and China today hosts the largest population of the Buddhist worldwide. At the beginning of the first century A.D., Buddhism was introduced to China by the Buddhist monks and traders from Central Asia. By the fourth and sixth century, it passed into Korea and Japan respectively. The influence of Buddhism on Chinese culture was massive. The attention of Buddhism to the educated elite gained support from Neo-Daoists six dynasties. The situation led to Buddhism becoming a high power in China as an intellectual and religious force than Daoism and Confucianism. According to the history of communist, Buddhism in China was brought by Buddhism ideology adoption by the elite class to serve their interest. The paper critically examines the position of Modern China government in regards to Buddhism. The paper explains Buddhism religion development in modern China. The paper also explains how modern China practice and engage in Buddhism.

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Buddhism and Government in Modern China

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Buddhist religion has made a significant advancement in the People's Republic of China. Buddhism just like other forms of worship has boomed over the past years in China. At the end of the 1970s, the state policy in regards to religion softened. The idea led to china's Buddhist enjoying greater freedom in monasteries restoration, recruitment of novices and organization of ceremonies. The greatest challenges the Buddhism experienced was in the twentieth century when most of the Asian nations were involved in communism.

During the initial stages of the encounter between Buddhism religion and communist practices, there was peaceful coexistence. The reason was because of the comparison between communist policies and Buddhism religion practices. Various conflicting ideologies overshadowed the communist and Buddhist compatibility. Materialism was the basis of communism while Buddhism rejects the material world in nirvana favor. According to communist, the environment determines the consciousness of human being.

In Buddhism, the personal practitioner capacity in overcoming human constraints through spiritual endeavor takes consideration. In Buddhism emphasis on core teachings, compassion and nonviolence are vital. In communism, encourages conflict in regards to different societal classes and use of violence in proletarian support. The reality was faced by the Buddhist when the communist groups won the wars, and the communist nation-states began. The idea of Marxism fundamental antagonism in regards to religion could lack defilement. According to the Marxism philosophy, religion is the opium of the people.

Religion exhibits a superstition and fantasy ordeals that deceive individuals in regards to their social condition. The communism believes doctrine as a tool bourgeoisie use in the exploitation of proletariat leading to proletarian revolution delay. As soon as the communist government established in China, the religious practice opportunities reduced leading to restriction of ordination. The Cultural Revolution outset in the mid-1960s the Buddhist practice was severally affected. The Chinese Communist Party in 1949 declared victory in Tiananmen Square.

The Chinese government under the communist leadership in led to controversies in regards to Buddhism religion. Mao changed the country in terms of land reforms to be similar to a social model. The state seized churches, shrines, and temples (Kiely and Jessup 150). The requisition of land belonging to monasteries, temples, schools churches organisations, and ancestral shrines began. Ju Zan who was a noticeable Buddhist reformer appealed to Mao Zedong in regards to friendly nature between the two parties. The comparison of Buddhism and Marxism was considered sensitive in 1950. The similarity in regards to the strict boundary concluded that the two could not equalize (Kiely and Jessup 180).

The communist doctrines coordinated well with Chan's teachings in Buddhist school. Due to the Communist party official orders, the Buddhist progressives focused on productivity and encouraged secular Buddhism. Mao was generally hostile towards the religion, which led to disagreement on several philosophical points between communism and Buddhism. The Buddhist institutions submitted to the communist authority in China. During the initial years of Mao Zedong, some of the temples and monasteries change to secular use.

The existence of the implementation of communist state governance led to control of Buddhism. In the early 1950s, the communist government was enacting Buddhism institutions control. Most temples became state-operated organisations, and the monks and the priests became state employees. The state-operated monasteries and temples run in large cities, which experienced foreign visitors. Chinese Buddhism in 1953 structured into the Buddhist Association of China.

The idea for the association was to strategize Buddhist under the communist party leadership for them to support the communist party agenda. The approach approves in a situation where the china cruelly suppressed the Tibetan Buddhism the association fully supported the government actions. In the 1966 Cultural Revolution, the red guards of Mao did countless destruction to the Buddhist art and temples and the Chinese Sangha. The freedom of writing about Buddhism lacked permission during the Cultural Revolution. Most of the magazines, which concentrated in Buddhism, closed.

The new Buddhist magazine was also banned. The death of Mao Zedong in 1976 led to the government relaxation in regards to religious oppression. Buddhism slowly came back although the government controls most of the Buddhist institutions. For the past years, the China government has made several peacemaking efforts towards Buddhism in China. In 2006, the World Buddhist Forum was hosted in China. Buddhist monks and scholars from different countries deliberated on world harmony.

The Chinese government has continuously shown real freedom and tolerance in regards to Buddhism. The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee held its plenary session in 1950 to deliberate on government and Buddhism cooperation by seeking political unity rather than an ideological one. Call for Chinese Communist Party acceptance by religious believers exhibited.

The situation manifested the beginning of Buddhism and political collaboration. The idea of Buddhist working hard for the peoples benefit existed. Marxism and Maoism use as a guide spiritually exists following bodhisattva's path (Xue 192). Buddhism current fate is hugely affected by modern state formation. Due to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Buddhist nationalization was essential and open policy. China society modernization embraced effective social change in regards to military, diplomatic, and economic effects in the nineteenth century.

The situation led to an intentional break in China traditions including religion. During the period of the republican, the intellectual and political elites considered Chinese religious beliefs as spiritual modernization obstacles. The situation led to the policy of anti-religion in modern China. The period when the Chinese Communist Party came into power, traditional beliefs political hostility increased (Zhe 237). Due to the abolishing of the monarchy, Buddhism was able to remain more intact. The founding of the Republican government in 1912 enhanced elimination of aspects of Confucianism religion from its national education and political institutions.

Due to Buddhism institutional separation and differentiation from traditional politics, it had better survival chances in Chinese modernization first phase. The Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist recognized Buddhism as being the best of a kind although it had sophisticated theology, international influence, and monastic institution (Zhe 238). Buddhism suffered state political control, which lacked protection in regards to the private sphere in the totalitarian regime. The Chinese Communist Party recognized Buddhism as one of the permitted religions due to its differentiation from politics. Buddhism experienced remolding and constricting from the Chinese Communist Party and did not suppress it.

Communist China Buddhism experienced politicization meaning that the religion material, spiritual, and human resources were appropriated, used and controlled by secular party-state following its philosophy. The communist state of China impacted the Buddhism interrelations and performance and the structure of its organisations. Buddhist institution experienced official monopoly from the modern Chinese state in transforming and control (Zhe 240).

The 1930s persistent wartime era delayed the Association of Chinese Buddhist to play its anticipated part. On the contrary, attainment of peace in 1949 worsened the Buddhist situation. Complete socialist change in regards to the economy, culture, social relations, and politics existed due to power attainment by the Chinese Communist Party. Unparalleled Chinese history power began. State-society connections exact change led to re-organization of Buddhist and appropriation of monastic property. The political power utilized the symbolic resources of Buddhist

During the years 1949 to 1953, the official Buddhist reorganization persisted locally. The situation led to the emergence of the Buddhist Association of China. The Buddhist organizational mobilization had become routine (Zhe 245). Following the Chamdo battle, the Chinese People's Republic annexed Tibet in 1950. The revolution also led to the destruction of many monasteries and temples in Tibet and imprisonment of many lamas and monks. The expression of private religion and the cultural traditions of Tibet experienced suppression. There were destroy of textual heritage of Tibet and the nuns and the monks were required to disrobe. Renewed interests in terms of Tibetan Buddhism in Bhutan and Nepal emerged. Western world Tibetan Buddhism spread was accomplished by Tibetan Lamas refugee who escaped Tibet. During the 1980 china liberalization policies, the monasteries and temples construction began. Since religion is an important and distinctive aspect of the unique culture of Tibet, the government of China considers it as a security and political issue. Control on the way the Tibetan practice their religion forms the central point in the elimination of Tibetan resistance. The government and monks organize the Tibet monasteries. The Chinese government favors the monasteries that are profitable tourist attractions

Restrict of Religion From Modern China Government

In modern China, the mid-twentieth century formed the basis of communal religion, which organized, around the temples. In the twenty-first century, China communal religion exhibited a new vigor as the temples rebuilt enlarged in several Chinese world regions. The rebuilding of the temples wave started in Taiwan and consequently extended to mainland China coastal provinces. The ideas that help in understanding the reconstruction of the temples include state intervention lessening and relaxation of controls on communal religion, which led to temples participation on reformation of sociopolitical relations locally.

The globalization dynamics, which permitted temples building, ensured local communities linkages and identities to global flows of people and capital. The Chinese world growing prosperity generated wealth that mitigated temple building to an unparalleled degree. Due to the globalized market economy expansion and grand ideologies end, adaptation and growth of temples increased. Buddhist and Taoist registered temples offi...