Primary Source 3: Buddhism and Confucianism

Yan Zhitui argued that a Confucian scholar could also be a devoted Buddhist because

Buddhism and Confucianism are fundamentally the same. Although the two religions may seem

different on the outside, they share the same core values and virtues. The inner merits of

Buddhism are outwardly shown in Confucianism. To prove this, Yan explains how the five

prohibitions of Buddhism correspond with the “outer scriptures” of Confucianism. “Humanity is

to the prohibition of taking life, justice is to prohibition against stealing, proprietary is to

prohibition against depravity, wisdom is to prohibition against lust, and sincerity is to prohibition

against falsehood” (p185). If you believed in one, you believe in the other by default.

Even though there are striking similarities between the two religions, Buddhism still gets

criticized. Yan went on to explain the flawed logic of the five common slanders against

Buddhism. One in particular was the slander against karma. Believers of Confucianism thought

karma was a lie. Karma is the belief that “good or evil acts brings disastrous or fortunate

consequences.” They witnessed bad things happening to good people and good things happening

to bad people so they thought it to be untrue. However, both religions are similar in the sense that

if you live a virtuous and moral life, it will come back to benefit you.

Yu argued that Buddhism was a “cult of barbarians” and he feared that it would harm

China since it “did not exist in ancient times.” It was new to him and he was scared that the old

ways would be corrupted and overtaken. He thought that people would quit their occupations to

follow Buddhism. He believed that Buddha would not respect their laws and Buddhism would

take over as the ultimate form of law. Buddhism ultimately didn’t fit with the traditional way of

life back then, and Han Yu feared that it would cause obstruction. China viewed its own culture
as “unparalleled in divine glory from countless ages past,” meaning that their society held the

same traditions from past generations, which has resulted in a greatness.

When Buddhism was first introduced to Japan by Korea in 552AD, it some liked it right

away, while it took some time for others to follow. The Soga family, a powerful family back

then, was an early adapter to the religion. However, other powerful families weren’t on board yet

and hesitated start worshiping Buddhism because it was foreign to them. Buddhism quickly

became popular among the elite after it was endorsed by Empress Suiko. Once the elite classes

were on board, it was quickly spread throughout Japan. Resources became available to

encourage the religion to be spread throughout the country. The ruling class was very excited

about Buddhism and what it had to offer, and the rest of the society mirrored the same response.

Buddhism seems to be the foreign alien throughout history. It seems it was the new

religion and people were either excited to become faithful in the religion, or scared of the

changes it would cause to their societies. With its critics and its followers, it eventually made its

way through Asia.