During Yuan dynasty, the main ways of turning laymen into Buddhist monks or nuns were examination in Buddhist scriptures,special imperial approval,recommendation and sale of certificates issued by the government to them. The monk's or nun's certificates were made of sheepskin which were patterned after those rewarded to Japanese monks or nuns who came to China. In the reign of Kublai Khan,there were more than two hundred and ten thousand monks and nuns in China. The various ways of turning laymen into Buddhist monks or nuns during Yuan Dynasty, which were loose and confused, experienced the shift of stress on the intrinsic qualification of the monks and nuns to the economic gains of the government. To some extent, it played a positive role in maintaining the rule of Yuan Dynasty. However, the tonsure and withdrawal from secular life of too many laymen hindered the economic development and social progress. Some of the Buddhist monks committed offences against the law and discipline, even rebelled against the government because the good and the bad mixed together. It helped to maintain the continuity and lifeline of Buddhism, but on the other hand it made Buddhism sink into apathy.
