Growth of Buddhism
Emperor Shengzong began the active patronage of Buddhism, re-building temples such as the Monastery of Solitary Joy. Within a century of his reign, an estimated ten percent of Liao population were Buddhist monks or nuns, though this figure may have been exaggerated.While the Khitan did not associate Buddhism with the Chinese people because it was seen more as a Uyghur religion and thus not the religion of the Chinese, who they saw as inferior, what is not clear is the extent that Buddhism penetrated the Khitan population, as the bulk of Buddhist shrines and temples were located in the southern part of the domains of the Liao where the largely Chinese sedentary population resided. There is evidence to suggest that the Khitan populace maintained their animistic belief systems along with their rituals.
Read more about this topic: Emperor Shengzong Of Liao
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