The Rise and Fall of Buddhist Sects

Buddhism had a tremendous amount of political power at this time due to its association with Chinese high culture, the aristocracy, and the emperor. It's unsurprising that they turned to violence to protect all of that. Not all sects of Buddhism turn to this form of militancy or develop this kind of immense wealth and political power. Next week we're going to discuss the formation of two new Buddhist sects, Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.