During the reign of Emperor Wu of Tang, Li Yan, in the Huichang period (840-846 AD), a profound event known as the “Huichang Destruction of Buddhism” occurred, which had a profound impact on Chinese Buddhism. During this period, Emperor Wuzong took a series of strict measures to restrict and even eliminate Buddhist influence. This action reached its peak in the fifth year of Huichang (845 AD), and later came to an end with the death of Emperor Wuzong and the succession of Emperor Xuanzong, known as the “Tang Wuzong’s Extinction of Buddhism” or the “Huichang Dharma Crisis” in history.
In the mid to late Tang Dynasty, the excessive expansion of Buddhist influence became one of the focal points of social problems. Buddhist temples not only enjoy tax exemption privileges, but monks are also exempt from corv é e labor, which has led to the excessive expansion of the Buddhist economy, seriously eroded the national tax base, affected the filling of the treasury, and exacerbated conflicts with the ordinary landlord class. Tang Wuzong himself leaned towards Taoism and held a negative attitude towards Buddhism. In addition, he urgently needed financial support due to military actions such as the campaign against Zelu, which collectively led to the implementation of the policy of eradicating Buddhism.
With the strong lobbying of Taoist Zhao Guizhen and the support of Prime Minister Li Deyu, Emperor Wuzong officially issued a decree in April of the fifth year of Huichang to conduct a comprehensive inventory of Buddhist temples and the number of monks nationwide. Subsequently, he took strict measures to significantly reduce the number of temples and the size of monks, retaining only a few large temples in major cities such as Chang’an and Luoyang, and demolishing other temples nationwide. According to statistics, more than 4600 official temples and over 40000 private monk residences were destroyed, and a large number of religious artifacts such as Buddha statues, bells, and chimes were confiscated for national construction or coin casting. At the same time, tens of millions of temple properties and farmland (specific numbers may be exaggerated, but they do reflect the size of the Buddhist economy) as well as a large number of slaves and laborers were confiscated. In this process, tens of thousands of monks and nuns were forced to return to the secular life, reintegrated into the national registered residence system, and became taxpayers.
This anti Buddhist campaign not only targeted Buddhism, but also affected other foreign religions such as Nestorianism and Zoroastrianism, demonstrating Wu Zong’s vigilance and determination to suppress the expansion of religious power. However, due to the presence of local feudal forces, especially the resistance in the three towns of Hebei, the orders of the central government were not fully implemented. However, the “Huichang Dharma Difficulty” still had a huge impact on Buddhism and was regarded as a major setback in the history of Buddhist development.
After the death of Emperor Wu Zong, Tang Xuanzong, who succeeded to the throne, quickly adjusted his policies and announced the revival of Buddhism, marking the end of this religious turmoil. However, the profound impact of the “Huichang Law Difficulty” still leaves a deep imprint in the history of Chinese religion.
