The tonsuring through Buddhist scriptures’ test was the system of selecting and tonsuring Buddhists through testing the Buddhist Scriptures. It was a historical result that the power of tonsuring the Buddhist was controlled by the government in Chinese feudal society, and appeared as an accessory to the system of imperial examination. It was initiated during the reign of Emperor Gao Zong and Zhong Zong in the Tang dynasty, formed after Kai Yuan period, and completed at the end of the Tang dynasty and the early stage in the Northern Song dynasty. However, because the southern sect of the Dhyana promoted sudden comprehension, and swept away many practicing ceremonies of reading the Buddhist scriptures’ test in the Buddhist scriptures’ test, the system’s normal growth was hindered. Especially, the government pursued a policy of selling the tonsuring certificates in the Xi Ning period of Northern Song, which extremely corrupted the good atmosphere of the Buddhist s diligently studying the Buddhist scriptures, and the system gradually became empty clauses.
