DBQ Samples from 2017 Buddhism in China

Greetings my intrepid writers!
Here are some samples from our first attempt at the DBQ. Please read my feedback on your graded DBQ and look at some of these successful samples to consider how you can best improve your arguments to earn your rubric points. 

THESIS

Invalid
There were many causes and results for the spread of Buddhism in China.

The spread of Buddhism into China resulted in both acceptance and rejection of the religion.

Minimally Valid
The spread of Buddhism in China was caused by the fall of the Han empire, and as a result, a mixture of Buddhist beliefs and traditional cultural values such as Confucianism and Daoism, and this caused traditional Chinese Confucians to persecute the religion.

A cause of Buddhism in China was the fall of the Han dynasty and the results of Buddhism in China were the Chinese feeling stability in a time of political upheaval and Buddhims's eventual persecution.

Buddhism spread throughout China due to the people's need for comfort, stability and unification during and after the collapse of the Han. This need for comfort (and order) resulted in the spread of Buddhism even through opposition, and the spread of Buddhism resulted in the people's belief in this religion to be set in stone (literally and figuratively).  Lots of potential here

The spread of Buddhism was caused by the Silk Roads and resulted in blended cultures like Confucianism and Daoism as well as total Confucian followers rejecting Buddhism in China. (Solid categories, phrasing makes the ideas a bit confusing. Has potential!)

Valid

A cause for Buddhism spreading into China was the fall of the Han dynasty, an in effect, Buddhism blended into culture and became a long enduring aspect of Chinese culture, even after suffering persecution.

The spread of Buddhism in China was caused by the fall of the Han dynasty and resulted in periods of both acceptance and rejection. (solid but should be a bit more specific)

The spread of Buddhism in China was caused by the fall of the Han Dynasty and resulted in periods of acceptance and rejection of the religion. (Basic but solid).

DOCUMENTS and  EVIDENCE
Here is Megan Roche killing it with an excellent treatment of one of the hardest documents in the set: The cave carving of Buddha and his disciples, near Hangzhou, China, 10th - 14th Centuries. 

The picture (cave carving) of Buddha and his disciples are also an example of how Buddhism was spread by the Silk Roads and accepted by the Chinese. The statue was built in Hangzhou, China, a city in China well known for their production of silk that contributed to the Silk Roads trade. Hangzhou was also a city located on the Silk Roads. Furthermore, it is an example of how it was accepted because it was built in a region that did not originally have Buddhism in it. The Chinese did not have to build the statue, but did anyways providing evidence for voluntary acceptance of Buddhism. This is a great example of how to use a "visual" document as evidence in support of an argument. She really makes the case for how the carving's location is significant. Note how she ties it back to the role of the Silk Roads with nice Evidence Beyond the Document for Hangzhou.

Abby Larkin gives an excellent demonstration here of how to use documents to support an argument.
In China there was a time of political instability. When the fall of the Han dynasty took place. The country was in a state of fragmented political status. The citizens needed something to rely on and give them structure. Buddhism provided them with the structure they needed. During 350CE “by correctly serving the commandments” (Doc 2) individuals can take part in serving  Buddha and enhancing on the path to enlightenment. The government during this time was not providing this type of stability.  Buddhism intertwined with other the religious practices of Confucius, and Daoism. They teach citizens how to participate in society “all three leading to the creation of an orderly society.”( Doc 5)  By correctly adhering to Buddhism people were promised a path to nirvana. In the fall of the Han dynasty, human kind was in despair with no central government and no direction or leadership. Buddhism took the place of the government in a way and became state sponsored by the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Wu.

Amanda Lapar is the quote surgeon in this paragraph. Check out how she selects parts of documents that are relatively short but capture the meaning of the piece. She uses each correctly in support of a thesis claim as well. However, in order to earn the rubric point, you need to summarize and quote. Amanda did the hardest part well. Add a little summary for each document in your own words and you're cooking.
*make sure to check out my POWER WRITING example to work on this skill.

The fall of the Han China in 220 C. E. and three centuries of political fragmentation. One being that it was a period of discrediting Confucianism and greater acceptance of Buddhism and Daoism. It was heard that "Buddhism was never spoken before the Han Dynasty." (6) Until latter ages where Buddhism as "transmitted in strange ways and spread like a luxuriant vine to all the nine provinces of China" (6).  "With all who lived in China they would serve the Buddha and correctly observe the commandments."(2)  This shows that the fall of the Han was important for the growth of Buddhism and its spread throughout China. 

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
Here is Emily Hall working it big-time for her analysis point. Only one I gave out. Remember you need to do this successfully on 3 documents to earn the point.

As a result of Buddhism traveling along the Silk Roads, it changed. The Chinese had to modify it to meld with their own culture. During the Tang Dynasty, Zong Mi, a leading Buddhist scholar, noted that Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism all “lead to the creation of an orderly society.” (Doc 5) . The reason why he wrote the piece “On the Nature of Man” is because he wanted to influence leaders within the Tang Dynasty. He was well respected and a prominent Buddhist scholar; his goal was to make sure Buddhism took hold in Chinese society. The way that he did this was by stating all three religions need to be used at once to make a perfect society. Through this piece he was able to make this case by taking the best parts from each religion and incorporating it into one entity that all Chinese could practice all at once. This is important that he wrote this because it was written during a time of political persecution. Due to his works and influence, he was able to make sure Buddhism became molded into Chinese society.




CONTEXTUALIZATION
Check out Bridget Coughlin getting pretty darn close to the Contextualization point. Best attempt of the lot!

Over the course of history, exchange networks have served as conduits for culture. The post-classic era especially demonstrates this through the Silk Roads, the Indian Ocean Trade Network and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network as they exchanged goods, religions and other cultural aspects. Buddhism affected Chinese culture heavily in the post-classical era. All you need is a connector sentence that locates the spread of Buddhism in a trade network - HINT - Silk Roads

Valid
During the Post Classical period between 600-1450 CE exchange networks intensified contacts within Afro-eurasia and accelerated the rate of exchange among empires and regions. More than just the key goods such as silk, spices, salt and gold moved along these routes, importantly cultural patterns diffused and disseminated changing both the beliefs themselves and the societies that adopted them. The Silk Roads were a key exchange network that connected the Mediterranean, Middle eastern and eastern worlds within Eurasia. As their name suggests the key commodity traded along these routes was silk, but, the Silk Roads also acted as a conduit of culture spreading Buddhism spread from the land of its birth  in India in the 6th century BCE into China between 300-800 CE.

EVIDENCE BEYOND DOCUMENT
Here is Ginny Skelley coming in hot with a solid EBD intro to documents that demonstrate an acceptance of Buddhism in China,

Buddhism initially entered China through the Silk Road trading network during the first and second centuries CE and was viewed as a “barbarian” religion. The stability and prosperity at the height of the Han Dynasty ensured that Buddhism held little to no appeal for native Chinese. When the Han Dynasty collapsed, the centuries that followed seriously discredited Confucianism and opened a door to alternative understandings of the world. Steppe nomads now ruling parts of northern China found Buddhism helpful because it was foreign and with this, the restrictions on Buddhism that were upheld through the Han Dynasty were gone. Evidence that Buddhism was spreading and being practiced during this time period is found in document 2, written by a Chinese scholar around 350CE. “Whosoever in China, in this era of sensual pleasures, serves the Buddha and correctly observes the commandments." Notice how this EBD is directly connected to the thesis argument she is making.

Valid - supports claim of persecution of Buddhism
Several decades after Han Yu (4) was written, the Chinese state took action against Buddhism and other foreign religions. Between 841-845 the state ordered some 260,000 monks and nuns to return to normal life as taxpaying citizens. Thousands of temples, monasteries and shrines were turned into public use or destroyed.

COMPLEX UNDERSTANDING
Check out Sean Perkins assassinating "using evidence to corroborate, qualify, or modify an argument." 

Another result of Buddhism spreading into China was the long-enduring aspect Buddhism was in Chinese culture, staying strong enough to endure persecution. Document 7 shows an image of fat Buddha in a cave with his disciples, near Hangzhou, China, in the 10th through 14th centuries. This sculpture has been around long after Buddhism was introduced in China, as well as many years after Buddhism’s persecution. In Document 6, it is evident that by the time of the Tang dynasty in 845 CE, the emperor who wrote this piece of writing is ready to abandon the belief system of Buddhism, saying “Having thoroughly examined all earlier reports and consulted the public opinions on all sides, there no longer remains the slightest doubt in Our mind that this evil (Buddhism) should be eradicated”. The belief system of Buddhism is suffering persecution during the time of the Tang dynasty; however, a large statue of Buddha in the major Chinese city of Hangzhou (Document 7) still stands, 5 centuries after the persecution laid out in Document 6. The belief system of Buddhism was able to survive and endure persecution for multiple centuries, showing how it made a lasting mark on Chinese culture.

Another way to earn this point is to "explain relevant and insightful connections within and across periods." 

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