Emperor of Tang Dynasty: Memorial of Emperor Xuanzong - Essay Example

Emperor of Tang Dynasty: Memorial of Emperor Xuanzong Your majestys servant submits that Buddhism still exists in China at huge populations from the Han dynasty, a cult from barbarians. However, the ancient Chinese leaders knew nothing about Buddhism. Of old, Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong) started his reign when he was 27 years old. He sat on the Tang Dynasty’s throne for forty-three years, dying at the age of seventy-seven years. Li Longji started his reign at his early age of twenty-seven years old and died when he was seventy-seven years old. The religion of Buddhism was in fact introduced in the country during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Han Dynasty. Emperor Xuanzong was born during the period of Wu Zetian leadership1. This means that Xuanzong had experienced great deals of complex palace coups. When he was sevens old, he received a call from Emperor Wu Zetian who conferred him as the Junwang (commander prince). After the death of Zetian, Xuanzong was still young and incompetent to take the throne. This resulted in Empress Wei together with Princes Anle taking up the power of the state. After restoration of the power as the leader of the state, Emperor Xuanzong played a great role in his leadership and made many initiatives in the state’s economic, politics, religion as well as capturing the territories of Tang in the west and north of China. This was one of the great challenges, which Emperor Xuanzong faced during his leadership in China2. His efforts to capture Tang’s territories resulted to the Tang Dynasty to enter into another successful period, which was known as the Kaiyuan Heyday. During the reign of the dynasties Song, Liang, and Wei, among many others, the religion of Buddhism widely spread in China. The period of these dynasties moderately short with only Emperor Wu and Emperor Xuanzong serving the longest durations of forty-eight and forty-three years consecutively. During this period, people used to practice Buddhism rituals. A large group of people devoted themselves to Buddha services. When Emperor Gaozu took the throne, he considered the termination of this religion as well as bans its services from China3. However, all the leaders of those days were unaware and did not understand the way of the rulers of the old, did not understand the present and past exigencies, and the way to benefit them from the Wisdom of His Majesty as well as understand this evil’s root. Therefore, this termination design had some delays to the infinite sorrow of your servant. Now Your Majesty, your servant with his wisdom and courage decided to terminate the expulsion of Buddhism religion in China. He decided not to be receiving any candidate for priestly sorts, preventing the expulsion of Buddhism through prohibiting construction of Buddhism temples in China. He used to pick the right leaders to serve in the right position. In addition, Emperor Xuanzong used to Judge every individual strictly according to his demerits and merits. He discovered a number of prime ministers such as Song Jing, Yao Chong, and Zhang Julian and gave them vital roles. All of these three leaders played vital roles towards ensuring the prosperity of the Kaiyuan era in return of the favor of Emperor Xuanzong. For instance, Yao Chong became a prime minister because he always gave Emperor Xuanzong good advices such as rewarding the honest prime ministers and prevention of manipulation of the Eunuch of state affairs. Another Yao’s success was when he brought the locusts under maximum control. Throughout the leadership time, your servant faced many challenges due to expulsion of Buddhism since Emperor Wu Zetian highly believed in Buddhism. This influenced the spread of the temples of Buddhism all over in the entire country. Both the nuns and monks from the Buddhism temples avoided to pay taxes and took possession of almost all farmland under the protection they got from the state leader, Wu Zetian. As a result, the number of Buddhism followers increased at a higher rate. Your Majesty this had a much influence towards the loss of the state’s revenues4. Your servant, Emperor Xuanzong, because of this condition, worked effortlessly to forbid construction of extra Buddhism temples in the country. Your servant also ensured casting of statues of Buddhist and sutra copying. Meanwhile, your servant set up some rules to prohibit all governmental officials from interacting with the nuns and monks. Although, your servant succeeded in conquering the Buddhism, this was a great challenge for him during his leadership. What contributed to his success in conquering this group was to crack them down heavily. In the department of military, your servant took an advice from Zhang Shuo who was the prime minister during this time and this advice influenced him to establish a lansquenet (mercenary soldiers’ group). Your servant recruited an approximately 120,000 soldiers from central parts of China to ensure that there are enough securities across the country’s borders. Your Majesty, this approach provided an assurance for a centralized training and enhancement of the country’s battle. In order for your servant to be able to supply adequate grain for the country’s arm, he extended state farms’ sphere in the northern parts of China to increase the output of the grain. When the army was ready for the battle, your servant decided to reoccupy the territory the country had lost two and under his leadership, the country succeeded to bring back the northern part under Tang Dynasty control. Although your servant faced many challenges from the expulsion of Buddhism in the country during his Emperor time, my leadership highly enabled the nation to bring down Buddhism although Buddhism community still exists in China. Your servant put more effort to ensure there was no more growth of Buddhism religion in the country. The result of allowing more growth and development of Buddhism religion would be both young and old people neglecting the God’s commandments. Your majesty, if your servant would not have prevented this, people would be now be flocking to religious temples ready to practice some rituals such as slicing their bodies to show a sign of offering to God. Therefore, would our customs and traditions be critically injured, we would become a fool on the earth’s face. His language was unlike the language of the other Chinese, his clothes were also different, and an alien cut. The past leaders were unable to prevent the existence of Buddhism in China or even conform their customs. During his leadership, Buddhism was often under control and sponsorship of joint government in Han China, especially in the northern parts. The increase of Buddhism religion in China during his leadership was highly evident due to the caves and scriptures, which are still surviving from that period. The caves of Magao, which still exists in Gansu province of China, symbolize the Buddhism’s population during the ancient times5. Most of Buddhism population occupied Tang Dynasty hence clear evidence that Emperor Xuanzong faced many challenges during his leadership to the expulsion of Buddhism in China. The Buddhism had also incorporated the existing Chinese teachings such as Confucianism as well as Daoism. Buddhism brought very active, strange, and supernatural teachings to China. These teachings included mantra formulas as well as the rituals, which were highly detailed mainly for protecting an individual, such as an Emperor from affecting the fate of an individual after his death6. The rituals were also popular for bringing rains during prolonged droughts. Your servant received all these three masters of Buddhism and to their teachings to the Tang’s court. During this time, Buddhism altars were all over constructed in almost every temple. After 774, your servant had almost wiped out all the lineages of Buddhism out of China. Emperor Xuanzong efforts enable the country to transmit all the lineages of Buddhism in Japan. Your servant’s reign started well. He carried out all the sweeping reforms of the country’s bureaucracy, which great numbers of officials had vastly inflated. Under his reign, there was restoration of several canal systems such as Luoyang. Emperor Xuanzong led successful campaigns, which were against the Turks, Tibetans, and Khitans in China7. During his early stages of his reign, which continued until 721, Emperor Xuanzong successfully power balancing and influenced a competing faction among the factions who served during the Wuhou. However, a great change in the country’s administration began during 720, whereby the entire governmental structure changed in such a way that concentrated more authority in the chief ministers’ hands. Emperor Xuanzong not only had a mind to perceive wise advisers, but also acquired many appropriate measures that enabled him to address the issue of corruption as well as shaking up the country’s Bureaucracy. He simplified all the governmental institutions as well reducing the number officials in governmental institutions. This measure highly improved the efficiency of governmental activities as well as reducing governmental expenses; especially it reduced the amount of revenue the government used to pay the civil workers8. Secondly, Emperor Xuanzong established a very strict and exam system in the country as well as strengthening control and security in the local regions. He could frequently send governmental officers to these places to evaluate the conditions of the residents. Even though, the reign of Emperor Xuanzong ended in an individual tragedy as well as in political indifferences, his leadership marks a period of stability in the history of China, prosperity, and good governance. In addition, his reign marks a period of confidence and time in which every field had progressed9. The sudden change, which followed this reign, not only changed the country’s political regime, but also brought traumatic and dramatic experiences to the people of this era. His leadership in China highly contributed to the country’s success as well as progress of almost all governmental fields. The whole of China highly honors the life of Emperor Xuanzong for his great achievement. The glory of his great achievements and deeds will highly remembered and beyond all the Chinese praise. May the Lord rest his soul in eternal peace? These memories abide in the mind of all Chinese citizens, even to date. The Chinese people are grateful for their connection for this emperor’s life that he lived with integrity, prosperity, humility, and great achievements. Bibliography Anderson, James. The Rebel Den of Nùng Trí Cao Loyalty and Identity Along the Sino-Vietnamese Frontier. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007. Morris, Ian. Why the West Rules - for Now: The Patterns of History and What They Reveal About the Future. London: Profile, 2010. Mote, Frederick Wade. Imperial China, 900-1800. Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard University press, 2009. Peterson, Barbara Bennett. Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. Armonk, NY [u.a.]: Sharpe, 2000. Read More