The development of Buddhism during the Hung-wu era had a crucial impact on Ming, Ch'ing and even contemporary Buddhism. The present article will attempt to describe the influences of the Buddhist policies of Hung-wu on the development of Buddhism.
There were three types of Buddhism policies of Hung-wu: control, segregation, and solicitude, best characterized by the policy of segregation. In other words, the principle policy was to limit without prohibiting. Policies towards Buddhism were founded on effects of the previous era where religion had endangered the Yuan Dynasty, as well as influenced by Hung-wu's personal thoughts and interpretations.
Under the policy of segregation, monks were prohibited from living within the cities and did not mingle with the populous, but formed monasteries in the mountains or lived in the forests. This type of "Shanlin Buddhism" became the Buddhism of the Ming and Ch'ing. Hung-wu through Sanzong fenliu, and the populous came to understand Buddhism through contact with monks during the reading of scriptures and during burial rituals.
