Buddhism was prevalent for a lengthy period of time after the fall of the Han dynasty. Document 1 shows that it entered China in the first century, meaning that it was already integrated into Chinese society by the time the Han fell. Because it was introduced in China early on and appealed to people of lower classes as the faith was against worldly values, it became widespread amongst the general populace. Still, it was far from being the uniting …show more content…
Document 5 takes a biased perspective against Buddhism as written by a Confucian scholar. As the piece was directed towards officials and nobles, it contributed to the government’s growing anti-Buddhist sentiment. Much like the exclusion of Roman Catholicism from Kievan Russia as a result of Orthodox Christianity being accepted by the ruling class and the two religions’ opposing beliefs, Confucianism contributed to the decline of Buddhism. In both scenarios, the one that was supported by the ruling class became more prevalent while the other, Buddhism and Roman Catholicism, was treated with distaste. Buddhism’s deterioration in extent was finalized when Emperor Wu finally declared Buddhism as being against the government, since its followers did not pay taxes and participated in activities that did not follow older Chinese