Northern Wei Period Buddhism Culture Identity Function Research

Wei-Jin period is exceptional in the long historical development of Chinese civilization. Watered in blood and tears and enduring great pain, it took great efforts to develop and thrived finally as the most glorious chapter in ancient China’s history. In the history of China, Wei-Jin period is known as one period of fission and re-integration, which was of great importance to the later Chinese culture. Firstly, as a result of the split-up of the country and the frequent changes of regime, the people were in urgent demand of "the grand reunification"; and secondly, the spread of Buddhism and its conflict with traditional culture, together with the integration of minority nationalities and the Han nationality had a direct influence on promoting the development of Chinese culture. Even though Wei-Jin period was glorious, it manifested a trace of poignant beauty, the sight of which leaves people in deep impression and makes them lost in thought. Not only did it manifest its changeable and unpredictable charm, but also show people’s living conditions and spiritual pursuit in times of turmoil.We conduct the research against the background of the Wei-Jin period and with Northern Wei as the main research period and cultural resources of Buddhism the entry point of study. In the process of analyzing, sorting and elaborating data and culture, based on the Western identification theory, we will endeavor to sweep away the mysterious layers of history to examine the spiritual pursuit, the identity-marker and the choice of identification of individuals, groups, society and even the nation. In other words, in such a society of split-up and turmoil, previous traditions, orders and beliefs were all in a state of chaos. But it was impossible for human beings, as social groups or the nation, to survive the anomic society and therefore, the pursuit of order was the most important thing in that period. However, different ethnic and social groups and their regimes had different understandings of order. During this period, the state power was partitioned between the Han nationality and ethnic minorities, who had distinct cultures and concepts. As a result, it was urgent to solve the following problems:how different groups, nationalities and cultures could integrate with each other to avoid furious conflict and keep peace in specific regimes and regions and how they defined and identified with their own ethnic groups. Buddhism, as a worldwide religion, provided them with more transcendent spiritual resources than traditional beliefs and cultures of ethnic minority and Confucianism of the Han nationality. Moreover, it provided powerful intellectual resources for the formation of an identity marker beyond the limit of nation and state and identification beyond the limit of cultural differences.This thesis lays an emphasis on the following aspects:Firstly, we investigate the feasibility of the identification theory, a product of Western context."Identity" is as well interpreted differently in Eastern and Western countries. We explore its etymology and make a comparative study of the theories concerned, and then we reconstruct it to make it more applicable to Chinese context and conforming to the history in question in order that we can arrive at valuable conclusions.Secondly, we make a summary of the historical background from a macroscopic perspective, which can be summarized as the subversive impact of structural change of society on the identity of individuals, groups and nations and the complete transmutation of people’s identifications of traditions. On the one hand, as for the regime of the Han nationality, the grand unification disappeared. National identification, owing to the regimes of ethnic minorities, was caught in confusion. Therefore, the identification with the Confucian culture, on which was based the state power of the Han nationality, was in crisis among common people and elites; on the other hand, as for ethnic minorities, wars and migration forced them to abandon their familiar mode of production and living and they were consciously or unconsciously thrown into the historical circumstances strange to them. Consequently, it became an urgent task for them to choose their identities again and build the configuration of identification.Thirdly, with cultural resources as the entry point and Northern Wei as the typical period, we make an in-depth analysis of the influence of religions, especially Buddhism, on the construction of identity and identification of individuals, groups and society. The regime of Northern Wei, the longest in Northern Dynasties, was typical in that it witnessed the fullest national integration and the most prosperous development of Buddhism that faced both flattery and destruction. In discussing the function of Buddhist culture in identification, we make a detailed research and analysis from the three levels of individuals, groups and society. In terms of individuals, we cover extensive strata from both royal members to common people, and select among them typical cases. Groups selected include the ruling class, monks, the privileged families, average scholars, farmers, workers, merchants and so forth. Meanwhile, we take women as special research subjects so that we can thoroughly understand the social conditions of that time. We also carry out a research on Buddhist system and the bureaucratic system of the society and the state and indicate that Buddhism played an important role in social construction and the identification of social and cultural structures at that time.Finally, we conclude from the research that Buddhism, as a worldwide religion, is of high cultural quality. It provided the toiling masses and the elite with spiritual resources and making up for the spiritual emptiness and lack of order at that time. The sacred mechanism of Buddhism provided its believers with a divine identity, played a positive role in breaking the barriers and boundaries of national cultures and promoting their integration and contributed to the grand unification.