Sogdians’ Conversion to Buddhism in Tang China

• In Event: Statecraft and Cultural Diversity in Premodern China: Empire, Ethnic Identity and Religious Ideology

Abstract

During the Tang dynasty, many Sogdians converted to Buddhism in China. The reason for this religious phenomenon, rather than traditionally seeing it as an inevitable assimilation into the predominant Buddhist culture, I argue that their conversion was strategic and based on independent decisions. In this paper, I offer a different viewpoint from issues of gender, economy and politics.
Firstly, from a geo-political aspect, considering the economic power and influence of Buddhist temples in the societies, entering the monastic order can be a method for the Sogdians to gain higher social status. Secondly, the temples where the Sogdians belonged to and the places where they were active were all located in cities of trade-networks linking to Chang'an; it is likely that their conversions had an economic strategy. Thirdly, the Sogdian monks were active in the Imperial Palace and engaged in temple-based Buddhist activities with individual patrons. Moreover, it is interesting to note that, during the first half of the Tang period, they became connected to women such as empress and princess, and in the second half of the Tang, they became connected to eunuchs. For women and eunuchs, a Confucian worldview disabled them from securing the legitimacy of their power, so Buddhism played the pivotal role of bestowing upon them authority and pushed them up to the stage of politics. Based on analysis of their political strategies and the characteristics of Buddhism, my research illustrates that the Sogdian monks united with palace powers in order to acquire their political protection.

Author

• Mie Nakata, Kansai University