Imperial Patronage. The An Lushan rebellion (755) during the Tang period (618-907) had a disastrous impact on the Buddhist establishment, bringing about the devastation of many temples and the loss of important collections of documents. After this period of upheaval, Buddhism at first received increased patronage from the rulers. Convinced that the Tang court owed its survival to Buddhism, Emperor Daizong, who came to the throne in 762, began to provide government aid to build monasteries and he authorized the ordination of thousands of monks. He showed his personal devoutness by revering Buddhist relics and by providing vegetarian banquets for the clergy. In the 780s his successor, Dezong, was more cautious in his sponsorship of Buddhism, but he too became a great patron of the monastic temples and of Buddhist scholarship.

Criticism. The expansion of the temples brought about criticism from opponents of...