DBQ 1 Spread of Buddhism in China 
Nicole Wang
AP World History
Period 2
Mr. Husband
25 November 2013
DBQ -Spread of Buddhism in China As Buddhism spread from India to China beginning in the first century C.E., it was met with mixed results. Many Chinese accepted Buddhism and defended its policies while others rejected Buddhism as a religion and solution to political and social problems. Still others remained indifferent, wishing they could meld the aspects of belief systems in China in order to create a unique Chinese culture. The people of China responded in different ways to the spread of Buddhism. Documents 2 and 3 defend and support Buddhism in China, while documents 4 and 6 scrutinize it and discourage its spread. Documents 1 and 5 neither encourage nor discourage the religions spread, but provide a third perspective on how it should be dealt with. An additional document that shows the actual numbers of converts to Buddhism during this time would be useful. Documents 2 and 3 defend and support the spread of Buddhism in China during first century C.E. Document 2 speaks of the many joys of joining the Buddhist religion. It describes how if you follow the customs of this religion, then when your “soul passes away” your spirit will become enlightened and you will enter Nirvana. However, the author, Zhi Dun, is from the upper class of China’s social structure and as such, his experiences and feelings do not tell how the lower classes citizens felt. Yet, in a time when Asian steppe nomads were invading
northern China, Zhi Dun could have easily targeted Buddhism as a means of foreign corruption, but he does not. Document 3 counters the scrutiny of anti-Buddhists with logic. There have been disputes over how Buddhism eliminates the joy of having children and wives, when it comes to monks. But monks serve a very important purpose, that make them happy. A monk accumulates goodness and wisdom in exchange for having kids and a wife . With Buddhism, there are people that have children, and
AP World History
Period 2
Mr. Husband
25 November 2013
DBQ -Spread of Buddhism in China As Buddhism spread from India to China beginning in the first century C.E., it was met with mixed results. Many Chinese accepted Buddhism and defended its policies while others rejected Buddhism as a religion and solution to political and social problems. Still others remained indifferent, wishing they could meld the aspects of belief systems in China in order to create a unique Chinese culture. The people of China responded in different ways to the spread of Buddhism. Documents 2 and 3 defend and support Buddhism in China, while documents 4 and 6 scrutinize it and discourage its spread. Documents 1 and 5 neither encourage nor discourage the religions spread, but provide a third perspective on how it should be dealt with. An additional document that shows the actual numbers of converts to Buddhism during this time would be useful. Documents 2 and 3 defend and support the spread of Buddhism in China during first century C.E. Document 2 speaks of the many joys of joining the Buddhist religion. It describes how if you follow the customs of this religion, then when your “soul passes away” your spirit will become enlightened and you will enter Nirvana. However, the author, Zhi Dun, is from the upper class of China’s social structure and as such, his experiences and feelings do not tell how the lower classes citizens felt. Yet, in a time when Asian steppe nomads were invading
northern China, Zhi Dun could have easily targeted Buddhism as a means of foreign corruption, but he does not. Document 3 counters the scrutiny of anti-Buddhists with logic. There have been disputes over how Buddhism eliminates the joy of having children and wives, when it comes to monks. But monks serve a very important purpose, that make them happy. A monk accumulates goodness and wisdom in exchange for having kids and a wife . With Buddhism, there are people that have children, and