The Formation And Evolution Of The Belief

This thesis explores on Asoka Studies from the aspect of Belief. Belief here means believers’ conviction and worship on some doctrine by some kind of practices. As to Asoka Belief, it should be the believers’ worship of theories and practices on Asoka Belief. In this thesis Asoka Belief can be divided into two different parts:the Dharma Belief of Asoka(DBA) and the Buddhism Belief on Asoka(BBA). DBA has the following characters:it is Asoka’s own conviction on the idea of Dharma; the believers include Asoka and his people; it belongs to politics field. While BBA’s characters are:it is the idea of Buddhism based on some of Asoka’s historical events; the believers mainly are Buddhists; it views from religious aspect. While DBA and BBA has their own Characters, the two also have some connective relationship:DBA provides a historical basement for BBA; BBA enlarges the idea and prolongs the history of DBA.BBA had been formulated and developed originally in India. Then it began its spreading to Eastern Asia(mainly in ancient China cultural area), to Southern-Eastern Asia(ancient India cultural area), and to Tibet. Thus three different kinds of BBA came into being. After a brief narration and analysis on DBA and BBA in ancient India, this thesis pays more attention on the spreading of BBA in ancient China. As we know, the spreading of BBA in ancient China can be divided into three periods:BBA’s introduction in Wei Jin North and South Dynasties, BBA’s development during Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty period; BBA’s decline after Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty period.BBA in Wei Jin North and South Dynasties period has following features:firstly it was the theory translating period of BBA; secondly it was the period during which the practices of BBA are carried out in all ways; it was the period that BBA begins its way of sinicization. The reason why BBA could find its believers in ancient China was the contradiction occurred between the emperor and his ministers on the controlling right over supernatural world. This contradiction gave BBA a chance to spread over ancient China. Emperor exploited BBA in getting support from Chinese Buddhists and in stabilizing his dominion order while Chinese Buddhists took advantage of getting material and policy support from their emperor. BBA’s spreading characters of this period were the following:theories of BBA were introduced and evaluated; practices of BBA were carried out by the ways of temple and pagoda construction, offer making on Buddhism Relics by the masses under the leadership of the emperor.BBA during Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty period also holds some characters:more changes were made in theoretical fields for sinicization by Fei Chang-fang, Dao Xuan and other monks; practical activities turned from the worship of Buddha’s image to the worship to Buddha’s Bone Relics, especially the worship to Buddha’s Bone Relics in Famen Temple. This period was also a period of prosperous but pregnant with some decline elements.The first trouble maker was Taoism. After the absorption of some ideas of Buddhism and combination of some traditional thoughts of ancient China culture, Taoism stepped out its blue period. Then Taoism destroyed the friendship between emperor and his Buddhism supporters by the worship on Laozi, who had same last name with the rulers of Tang dynasty. Then it’s the turn for the Confucius scholars, they reprimanded Chinese Buddhists for their greedy in all kinds of wealth. The two allied in the battle over Buddhism. Thus Hui-Chang Persecution over Buddhism came into being. Hui Chang period was a turning point both to the development of China Buddhism and to the development of BBA.The time after Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty was a declining period for BBA. The causes responsible to the declining firstly was the challenge prompted by the Confucius scholars of that time. They based their Li theory on the combination of similar theories attached to Buddhism and Taoism over the study of the supernatural World. After their theories construction and spreading, BBA began to fade out the knowledge of the scholars that time. The existence of BBA only could be touched in religion cultural fields. BBA only could be sensed under the protection of Zen sect and Pure Land sect, either noting for the development history of Zen sect; or supporting for the belief of Pure Land.How Asoka Belief finished its gradual progress from DBA to ancient India BBA, how from India BBA to ancient Chinese BBA, how to show its characters in the every changing period of ancient China. These are the basic question needing to be solved by the author. This thesis also focus on the characters reflected from the conversion of the religion belief from a foreign culture to a native one. Theoretical learning going before the practices was the main feature of foreign culture spreading. So its way should be theoretical spreading, practicing, theories amending, and practicing once more. BBA also had the above features. The last and also the most important new ideas we could concluded from this thesis should be the recognition on the relationship of the belief spreading and its condition.