On the Struggle of Anti-Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty is not only an important period for the propagation and development of Buddhism,but also a crucial period of anti-Buddhism.The theories of Bo Yi,Han Yu,and some other people criticized the deceitfulness of Buddhism,making people realize its inherence and tremendous harm.Moreover,its influence was subtracted for a while by the political attacks by the Emperor Xuanzong,Xianzong,and Wuzong.In addition,those struggles made people calmly reconsider the Buddhism,and they changed their attitudes towards it.Zen was subdivided into the North faction and the South faction.And the development of the South faction promoted the propagation of Buddhism in China.Learning from Buddhism’s Zutong Theory,Han Yu put forward the the same world(Daotong) Theory.Li Ao applied Buddhism’s cultivation method into personal cultivation,which provided for the foundation of Neo-Confucianism.The dream of three schools being one finally materialized in the form of three schools being Confucianism,and the ancient Confucianism showed new vitality.