Buddhism is booming--quite a paradox given the Communist Party's official atheism and its troubled relationship with the Dalai Lama. The faith's growing popularity reflects a yearning for meaning among China's yuppies, who increasingly are attracted to Buddhism's rejection of materialism and emphasis on the transitory nature of life. "They have a BMW and a house in the countryside," says Lawrence Brahm, an American who runs three boutique hotels, including one in Tibet. "And they're bored. They're realizing there's more to life than collecting toys." Buddhism's trendiness has spawned a surge in faith-related business: Flights to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, are booked solid, monasteries are building guesthouses, and Web sites offering free downloadable mantras are proliferating. <...> ... the government is comfortable with Buddhism. "Buddhists seldom mess with politics," says Chan Koon Chung, a writer and Buddhist in Beijing. "So it's more palatable to the government." In a recent speech President Hu Jintao even suggested that religion, including Buddhism, could help to ease tensions between the haves and the have-nots. <...> Some traditionalists fret that Buddhism is becoming too trendy. Exhibit A: pop diva Faye Wong, a convert whose videos sometimes feature Buddhist images. And some monasteries focus as much on attracting tourists as practicing the faith. "Commercialization," says professor Xuan, "is one of the most dangerous trends of Chinese Buddhism." Still, for stressed-out yuppies, Buddhism is a respite from the rat race. "Society brings so many headaches," says Nikki Xi, a convert who works for a Web ad agency. "I'm more relaxed. [Buddhism] makes the whole work process smoother."
... the government is comfortable with Buddhism. "Buddhists seldom mess with politics," says Chan Koon Chung, a writer and Buddhist in Beijing. "So it's more palatable to the government." In a recent speech President Hu Jintao even suggested that religion, including Buddhism, could help to ease tensions between the haves and the have-nots. <...>
Some traditionalists fret that Buddhism is becoming too trendy. Exhibit A: pop diva Faye Wong, a convert whose videos sometimes feature Buddhist images. And some monasteries focus as much on attracting tourists as practicing the faith. "Commercialization," says professor Xuan, "is one of the most dangerous trends of Chinese Buddhism." Still, for stressed-out yuppies, Buddhism is a respite from the rat race. "Society brings so many headaches," says Nikki Xi, a convert who works for a Web ad agency. "I'm more relaxed. [Buddhism] makes the whole work process smoother."
That was one of the things that surprised me when I first visited China last March: the numbers of people praying so earnestly in temples, just as they do in Japan. (Westerners -- and even Orientals themselves -- are often cynical and mocking of these Japanese and Chinese attitudes towards prayer, which often revolve around the health, material wealth, and social status of the prayer and/or her loved ones -- i.e. very worldly in content. The Chinese and Japanese are rather pragmatic in this respect. And yet, there are sects of Buddhism, I believe, where prayer is focused on devotion to the Buddha [or one of his incarnations, proxies, or lieutenants] with the ultimate aim of entering into Paradise, or on the well-being of souls, in particular loved ones who have passed away. So prayer is not always, or even primarily, selfish or materialistic.)
As for superficial crapola like Feng Buddhism, see this article on the "revival" of feng-shui in China:
The ancient practice of geomancy, or feng shui, is technically illegal in fiercely secular China, where the ruling Communist Party considers it "superstition" and has forbidden people to practise it. But the Chinese have believed in the practice - the idea that the land is a living, breathing thing filled with qi energy, and that individuals should live in harmony with the wind and water of our natural environment - for thousands of years, and the ideas of feng shui (which translates as "wind and water") are so deeply rooted in their psyche that it has refused to die out. <...> In private, of course, feng shui never really went away. But it is becoming much more open now. Families in the countryside will fight over a particularly auspicious piece of land, and the resulting feuds can last for generations. There are reports of buildings in mainland cities being knocked down because of bad feng shui readings. Communism and traditional philosophies such as feng shui are officially at loggerheads, but there has always been a sneaking regard for the principles of feng shui among the top cadres.
But the Chinese have believed in the practice - the idea that the land is a living, breathing thing filled with qi energy, and that individuals should live in harmony with the wind and water of our natural environment - for thousands of years, and the ideas of feng shui (which translates as "wind and water") are so deeply rooted in their psyche that it has refused to die out.
<...>
In private, of course, feng shui never really went away. But it is becoming much more open now. Families in the countryside will fight over a particularly auspicious piece of land, and the resulting feuds can last for generations. There are reports of buildings in mainland cities being knocked down because of bad feng shui readings.
Communism and traditional philosophies such as feng shui are officially at loggerheads, but there has always been a sneaking regard for the principles of feng shui among the top cadres.
And regarding Confucianist Prajna, Forum 18, a Norway-based religious freedom advocacy group, while suspicious of the Chinese government's selective embracing of Confucianism, nevertheless acknowledges its growing popularity and widespread outspoken advocacy for it:
Spurring this renewed interest in Confucianism is the growing sense among Chinese intellectuals that liberal democracy will not resolve China's problems. Professor Kang Xiaoguang of the People's University in Beijing, arguably the leading proponent of Confucianism in China, wrote in 2006 that Western democracy « is useless because it will not necessarily resolve the problem of political corruption, nor break the collusion between the officials and private businessmen, nor protect the interests of the masses, nor prevent the elite from plundering ». Likewise, Confucius' moral teachings are increasingly seen as a means toward improving human behaviour in a society filled with greed and selfishness. China's best-selling book today is one written by a Beijing Normal University professor on Confucius' « Analects », the main record of his actions and thoughts. Professor Yu Duan's « Notes on reading the Analects » has reportedly sold over three million copies in just four months. <...> How should this recent interest in Confucianism be interpreted ? On the one hand, many might welcome the growing interest in something other than Communism. The fact that society craves values and principles that can guide individuals' lives and their relations with others once again points up Communism's failure as an ideology that emphasises material interests. Even amongst Communist Party members, growing numbers have the political identity of a Party member and the spiritual identity of a religious believer (see F18News 13 February 2007 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=910). Clearly, human beings are not just driven by the pursuit of material wealth ; they also want a moral framework for their lives. On the other hand, the selective adoption of Confucian principles by the Communist state means that genuine religious freedom in China is unlikely to be achieved in the near future. Will fashion for Confucius retard religious freedom?
Likewise, Confucius' moral teachings are increasingly seen as a means toward improving human behaviour in a society filled with greed and selfishness. China's best-selling book today is one written by a Beijing Normal University professor on Confucius' « Analects », the main record of his actions and thoughts. Professor Yu Duan's « Notes on reading the Analects » has reportedly sold over three million copies in just four months.
How should this recent interest in Confucianism be interpreted ? On the one hand, many might welcome the growing interest in something other than Communism. The fact that society craves values and principles that can guide individuals' lives and their relations with others once again points up Communism's failure as an ideology that emphasises material interests. Even amongst Communist Party members, growing numbers have the political identity of a Party member and the spiritual identity of a religious believer (see F18News 13 February 2007 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=910). Clearly, human beings are not just driven by the pursuit of material wealth ; they also want a moral framework for their lives.
On the other hand, the selective adoption of Confucian principles by the Communist state means that genuine religious freedom in China is unlikely to be achieved in the near future.
Will fashion for Confucius retard religious freedom?
