Throughout history, Buddhism was a central component of the development of Chinese and Japanese societies. Although Buddhism was a defining characteristic in both societies, it did not endure the same experiences in China as it did Japan due to differences in social and political aspects. In China, Buddhism underwent a short period of popularity during the Tang dynasty and later a vast decline. In Japan, however, Buddhism seeped into their society, became very popular and remained a flourishing feature.
There are many social and political implications that allowed for the rise of Buddhism in China. The first came about because of the unrest over social inequality. Buddhism was a salvation religion and was a refusal of the caste and hierarchal system (Murphey, 77). During the Sui/Tang dynasty, politically there was a great deal of turbulence in the government. Also there were not any strong leaders that emerged and controlled the society. These two factors permitted an opening in which Buddhism appealed to the people of China and became a prevalent factor of Chinese culture. .
Another political aspect during the Tang dynasty, which more fully opened the doors for Buddhism, was the fact that they had the first women empress, Wu Zao (Murphey, 83). She was a self appointed ruler who did away with the ways of Confucianism and instated the practice of Buddhism. The reason for this shift in institutions was due the fact that Buddhism did not sexually discriminate as Confucianism did. Buddhism in China then became very widespread and started to gain political power and wealth. This became known as the "Golden Age" of Buddhism.
However, the prosperous times for Buddhism did not last long in China. In 705, Wu Zao was thrown out of office and this took a huge toll on the Buddhist faith (Murphey, 84). This as well as the fact that the state was not pleased with the Buddhist monasteries because of the financial status, power, and popularity began the downfall of Buddhism in China (Murphey, 92).
