Why buddhism gained acceptance in china

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The teachings of various schools influenced and were adapted by Korea and Japan. One of the most popular figures in Chinese Buddhism is the Bodhisattva Guanyin the one who perceives the laments of the world—Guanshiyin. Having originated from Indian Buddhism as a superior being who aids the suffering of the world, Guanyin has become a key figure in the devotional practices of Chinese Buddhists and Daoists alike. Author: Geoff Foy.

Unsupported Browser Detected. Related Events. The latter are attentive not only to the communications network and to natural and human resources but also to the religious environment.

Moreover, their decisions in the economic field are often influenced by Buddhist masters whom they trust. Thus, the government sees itself forced into seeking co-operation with the monasteries.

According to a report published by the Buddhist Association of China, the Guangjiao Temple, in Jiangsu, has several times joined forces with the local authorities to persuade business folk in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan to open up enterprises in Nantong Mr Yang, a Hong Kong retailer, has since given several million yuan to Temple B in Hebei, where I carried out part of my field study. The local authority quickly understood that, Yang being Buddhist, his attachment to the regional temple might ensure that he would follow up his investments.

So a top provincial official brought Temple B to his attention, a strategy that turned out effective. The production of, and trade in, religious artefacts statues of the Buddha, strings of beads, good-luck charms, incense, candles, printed icons, and so on are a considerable source of income for the local people.

Accordingly, the local authorities often look positively on the building of monasteries and Buddhist monuments. Each year, Temple B opens its doors to a large number of visitors, as many as ten thousand a day at the time of the biggest ceremonies. In a district with few attractions, such crowds are extraordinary. The local authority was encouraged to lend support to almost all the projects undertaken by the temple and especially to its purchase of land for large-scale construction projects.

On its own initiative, in , a market for religious objects was installed in front of the temple, in a space measuring 24, square metres. In the city of Nanking, in Jiangsu, the departments responsible for construction and gardens in the Xuanwu district have spent five million yuan on building a museum dedicated to Xuanzang ? In the same city, two local administrations had plans to rebuild the Pagoda of the Dabaoen Temple that was destroyed in during the Taiping Rebellion.

The city government finally decided to rebuild it on its former site In Shaanxi, every year since , the authorities in the city of Baoji have been organising a tourism festival at the Famen Temple.

In , the Xinzhou city government in Shanxi decided to sponsor a "Festival of Buddhist Culture" on Mount Wutai, with the participation of monasteries in the region. The monks are enabled in effect to put Buddhism in contact with the public, in a society where religion is often officially excluded from public life, to build monasteries and to organise religious activities quite lawfully.

Today, the state and the monasteries are committed to a relationship of co-operation that is working out profitably for both sides.

The government continues to seize many monasteries, especially those that have a significant religious and cultural heritage. While recent changes should not mask the continuance of such behaviour, it is possible to assert that the one-sided relationship that formerly existed between the state and the monasteries has developed into a more complex relationship. The rules of the game depend on the number of players, and on the form and value of their capital; on how deep are the changes made and in which direction.

Since they had the economic capital, they contributed to promoting the cultural capital of Buddhism, thus having a profound effect on the interaction between monasteries and state. The latter used its political power as capital, authorising it to decide which practices and discourse were possible. As for Buddhism, its capital was founded on the symbolic power of religion, which enabled it to mobilise believers or amateurs of Buddhist culture. So the state, and in particular local government, is obliged to seek an alternative method of transaction with the monasteries.

While the state can seize some Buddhist resources using its political power, it is nevertheless indispensable for it to co-operate with the monks, because the exploitation of the Buddhist cultural capital demands that Buddhist authority should grant it symbolic recognition.

But the measures the government has taken in favour of economic development over these past ten years have nevertheless granted for Buddhism a space in which it can develop quite legitimately. So Buddhism and the state are today involved in a complex relationship: a game in which each, in its own interests, must take account of the other, and the interests of one sometimes require it first to work for the interests of the other.

Site map — Contacts — Credits — Syndication. Privacy Policy — About Cookies. Skip to navigation — Site map. Perspectives chinoises. Increasing numbers of believers bring great changes to the monastic economy in China. Abstract In the early s, Buddhism in China entered a period of revival and prosperity, yet it retained a sense of public disgrace inherited from nearly three decades of persecution.

Editor's notes Translated from the French original by Philip Liddell. Full text PDF Send by e-mail. In Shaolin Temple in Henan celebrated the th anniversary of its founding Zoom Original jpeg, 36k. Renovation work at ount Wutai, Shanxi Zoom Original jpeg, 24k. Notes 1 In , the Buddhist Association of China was founded, a national organisation to head all the monasteries on Chinese soil.

Up to now, it has been through its supervision of the Association that the Chinese state has regulated the practice of Buddhism. In this study Wu Fei shows clearly the complex and changing relations between a Buddhist temple, the local authority and local society.

Because of its primary influence on Chinese Buddhism, the word Chan is sometimes used to designate Buddhism as a whole. Titles No Longer Published by Brill. Latest Key Figures. Latest Financial Press Releases and Reports. Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. Share Information. Specialty Products. Catalogs, Flyers and Price Lists. Open Access. Open Access for Authors. Open Access and Research Funding. Open Access for Librarians.

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