Home›Open Questions›How Many Died in the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism?Open QuestionsHow Many Died in the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "How Many Died in the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/how-many-died-in-the-huichang-persecution-of-buddhism.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). How Many Died in the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/how-many-died-in-the-huichang-persecution-of-buddhismCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-how-many-died-in-the-huichang-persecutio, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {How Many Died in the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/how-many-died-in-the-huichang-persecution-of-buddhism}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionEnnin's eyewitness diary and official Tang records document the persecution's scale in detail, including the 260,500 monks and nuns returned to lay life, but neither they nor any later Chinese history drawing on them records a death toll.What would resolve this A documented count from Tang administrative or local records of deaths directly caused by the persecution, distinct from the well recorded laicization total, should one ever surface in the surviving archive.OpenTang dynasty history; Chinese Buddhist historyEnnin, translated and annotated by Edwin O. Reischauer, Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the LawCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnThe Huichang Persecution of Buddhism, Religious Events Well-attested ConnectedEnnin's diary and the official Tang record document laicization at 260,500 monks and nuns but give no death count.Source Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the LawEnnin, translated and annotated by Edwin O. Reischauertier 1SourcesEnnin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Lawtier 1Ennin, translated and annotated by Edwin O. Reischauer, Ronald Press, 1955Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year