During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many regime changes in China, and various dynasties competed to unify the world. This period of chaos saw widespread influence on Chinese culture, with the introduction of Buddhism, Taoism, and foreign Persian and Greek cultures. Of these influences, however, the influence of Buddhism on Chinese society and the state is particularly important.
The scale of Buddhism during the Northern and Southern Dynasties was not entirely a good thing, and it posed a certain threat to the development of the country. The prosperity of the monastic economy allowed the monastery to control a large amount of land, and to get involved in commerce, even lending money to the people. The people fled to the monks, further contributing to the growth of the monastery.
Monasteries controlled most of the nation's wealth without paying taxes, shaking the foundations of the state. As a result, successive rulers took several actions to exterminate Buddha, the most famous of which was the "Three Martial Annihilation of Buddha" carried out by Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei Tuoba Tao, Emperor Yuwen Yong of Northern Zhou, and Li Yan of Tang Wuzong.
The Northern Zhou Wudi Yuwen Yong's campaign to exterminate Buddha was particularly eye-catching. He ordered the destruction of Buddha statues and temples, and the distribution of monastic property to ministers and princes and nobles. This action won the support of some people and also contributed to the process of reunification between the North and the South. However, the eradication of Buddhism was not an easy task, because Buddhism was already deeply rooted in society during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were many believers, and the monastic economy involved many interests. But Yuwen Yong withstood the pressure and firmly implemented the policy of exterminating Buddha.
Subsequently, the Sui Emperor Yang Jian came to power, and he embraced Buddhism and supported the development of Buddhism. The Sui and Tang dynasties became a period of prosperity for Buddhism, and the famous monk Jian Zhen traveled east to Japan to spread Buddhism, and a large number of Buddhist scriptures were translated into Chinese. However, after Tang Wuzong Li Yan succeeded to the throne, he again implemented the policy of exterminating Buddhas, still because of the overexpansion of the monastic economy and the problem of non-payment of taxes.
These extermination actions freed up the labor power controlled by the monastery and brought a series of positive effects. They gave the imperial court a great deal of wealth and land, and increased the number of taxpayers, bringing substantial benefits to the state. In addition, the extermination of Buddhism has also reduced the excessive dependence of the monastic economy on social resources, and helped to adjust the economic structure and resource allocation of society to promote the stability of national governance.
However, despite some positive results in the extermination of Buddhism, Buddhism was revived to a certain extent in the following period. This shows that Buddhism has a deep influence in Chinese society and has a strong vitality. Both the development of the monastic economy and the spread of Buddhist beliefs have had an important impact on society.
The revival of Buddhism also reminds us that simply destroying Buddha cannot completely solve the problem. To truly address the challenges of Buddhism in national governance, comprehensive measures are needed, including rational regulation of the monastic economy and ensuring harmonious coexistence between religion and society. Only on the basis of comprehensive governance can we achieve a benign interaction between Buddhism and national development, and ensure the long-term stability of national governance and the harmonious progress of society.
Therefore, the rise and fall of Buddhism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties periods was closely related to national governance. To a certain extent, the Buddhist eradication action has adjusted the pattern of the monastic economy and brought a positive impact on the country's governance. However, with the passage of time, Buddhism has been revived, and it is necessary to balance the relationship between religion and society through comprehensive governance in order to achieve long-term stability of national governance and harmonious progress of society.