Religion in China

Just finish a paper on religion in China. This is my first time to write something on Buddhism, and I learn a lot from it.

Topic: Religion in China as Political Religion, Apolitical Religion and/or Religious Politics: A Case Study of Humanistic Buddhism

Abstract: Unlike the engaged Buddhism in south and southeast Asia, the development of Buddhism in China and Chinese speaking societies has a different face. Socially engaged Buddhism in China and Chinese speaking societies is called humanistic Buddhism under the influence of Master Taixu and Yinshun. In short, it is involved in programs of poverty alleviation, relief and education, but rare in political activism and human right agitation, except Master Xingyun of Foguangsha in Taiwan. Apart from the differences between Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism, this paper considers that both the political environment and the Chinese culture play an important role to shape the social form of Buddhism in China. In comparison with other religions in China, Buddhism has been rapidly developed. Research questions are: How is Buddhism understood and shaped in Chinese culture and politics? In what way is humanistic Buddhism incorporated into the ideology of harmonious society of the Chinese Communist government? How does humanistic Buddhism reconstruct its identity? This paper argues that humanistic Buddhism is one of the models that the Chinese government would like religion to be, but paradoxically, the policy of accommodation to the ideology of harmonious society helps the modernization of humanistic Buddhism. Nevertheless, it is unrealistically expecting that humanistic Buddhism in China can play a role in the rebellion against the overbearing states, for instance, but its role in creation and accumulation of social capital is one way or another an important resource for a humane society which is reflected in reports on humanistic Buddhism in local communities.