Secularization Of Buddhistic Monks And Nuns In Sixteen Kingdoms And Northern Dynasties

Secularization means that the social behaviors the religious groups do are contrary to religious doctrines, or commandments. During the sixteen states and the northern dynasties, Buddhist groups of monks and nuns had started to expand rapidly, and subsequently a series of secularization appeared. This phenomenon represents the secularity and sociality of Buddhist groups, making the religious groups have much more vitality. Thus, Buddhist temples have become a new stage for northern social life at that time.We can observe the reason why people choose the monasticism according to both micro and macro level respectively. In the context of macro level, scholars once proposed several thought, such as “social pain” theory, economic determinism and barbarian invasion theory. But as for micro level, northern people become a monk or nun for various reasons: feeling the efficacious religion, infected with a disease, women lost their husband(or father), servants, defeated people, or due to the struggle between Buddhism and Taoism. All those mentioned above are the component elements of monks and nuns groups. The disbelief is the main factor obviously that causes the individual choose to become a monk or nun.In order to strive for survival and development of Buddhist groups, monks and nuns have to seize the social privileges continuously. The Buddhist monks and nuns gained the economic franchise concerned with the “excused from the taxes and corvee”, the political religious privileges centered on “the relationship between monks and monarch”, as well as the law privileges followed the “govern monks and civilian apart”.Under the special historic background of northern society, the Buddhist monks and nuns had developed a dissimilatory behavior that shows serious tendency of violence. The individuals of Buddhist groups became violent increasingly, and the groups have great charisma, which caused that tendency transform the individuals’ behaviors to group behaviors, finally the Buddhist riots occurred. Each riot implied a political appeal, or protected country and monarch, even try to establish the government with unification of the state and Buddhist. What’s more, it is also a self-revolt at the religion internally, or the conflict of religious nations, as well as the insurrection with pure purpose. Actually, the Buddhist riots are the events related to religious groups, and it is a phenomenon which was bred by the special society and national environment.Buddhist nun is a group with double characters, because it is an internal Buddhist group of people who becomes monks and nuns, but also is an internal group of women groups. Similarly their Buddhist life also is characterized by double characters, showing the feminine value which represented group secularization, as well as intensively reflecting the marriage life, sexual life and music life.