The Buddhism Of Chang’an During Sui And Early Tang Dynasty China

During Sui and early Tang dynasty,Chinese Buddhism quickly revive and flourish after suffering from the Persecution of Buddhism of Northern Zhou dynasty.With the momentum of the great revival of Buddhism,Buddhist resources were imported from all parts of the country to Chang’an,the capital of the empire.This kind of input is an orderly process guided by the national religion policy.But on account of different emperors had different attitudes and policies towards Buddhism,the pace and degree of Buddhism development in Chang ’an varied under each emperor.Generally speaking,Sui Wen di made the greatest contribution to the restoration and development of Buddhism in Chang ’an,which was unsurpassed by all the emperors in the late Sui and the early Tang dynasty.The number of temples and the influx of monks of Chang ’an during Sui Wen di period is the real evidence.In this huge buddhist community,monks groups formed close ties through a variety of ways,such as mentoring,personal communication and so on.The sangha formed by the relationship between teachers and successors have their own "original temples" or fixed monasteries in the city.After several generations of inheritance,the power of the sangha over the monasteries should not be underestimated.The influence of the development of Buddhism in Chang ’an on the development of Buddhism in Zhongnan mountain cannot be ignored,but as a relatively independent buddhist community,Zhongnan mountain Buddhism has its unique development stage and characteristics.Temples are not only provided monks living spaces,but also provided material and the identity of belonging.The monks of Chang ’an,a city of mixed social interaction and rich material conditions,strive to maintain a simple lifestyle that is not incompatible with buddhist practice.Most of the eminent monks in Chang ’an were buried in the open air in forest,which in the way of Buddhism,and chose Zhongnan mountain as the burial place.The funerals of some eminent monks are elaborate,pompous and filled with dignitaries.People of all social strata in Chang ’an also participated in the buddhist activities in the temples,and even some grand political and social activities were also mixed with buddhist elements.Through private contact and buddhist activities,buddhist monks and monasteries interact with the urban society of Chang ’an.As a valuable first-hand historical record of monks’ lives during this period,Xu gaoseng zhuan(Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks)provides abundant material for the study of above problems.