Buddhism was brought to China in the 1st century C.E. as the religion of merchants from Central Asia. During this period of near-constant political and military strife, Buddhism found a receptive audience in China, while the influence of Confucianism waned. Buddhism was considered the first universal religion; it embraced all people, regardless of their ethnicity or social status. The Buddhist monastic establishment grew rapidly in China. It was a very difficult step for a …showed first 75 words of 1526 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1526 total…the state because monastery land was not taxed. By the end of the 6th century, critics had twice convinced the court to close monasteries and force monks and nuns to return to lay life. These suppressions did not last long, however, and no attempt was made to eliminate private Buddhist belief. To be 100% sure that Chinese responded positively to the spread of Buddhism we will need another document fro the Imperator supporting Buddhism in China.