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has not had a separation of church and state - indeed, they've always been deeply intertwined - but the state has had the upper hand in the relationship since the mid 8th century CE, when the tang dynasty broke the independence of the buddhist establishment.
by wu ming on Wed Sep 5th, 2012 at 04:47:36 AM EST
What of the last sixty years or so?

Visibly, monasteries, temples etc never died out, and seem to be in resurgence. But how are they funded? Was/is there a political commissar in every institution?

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

by eurogreen on Wed Sep 5th, 2012 at 05:44:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The conflict with the Catholic Church (a re-run of the Investiture Controversy) and with the Falun Gong sect is well known: the regime wants control over religious organisations.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Sep 5th, 2012 at 08:33:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Note that China's three biggest failed revolutions from the bottom were set off by religious movements: a Daoist sect in the case of the Yellow Turban Rebellion (which launched the fall of Han Dynasty China); the White Lotus Buddhist sect in the case of the Red Turban Rebellion against the Mongol overlords; a Christian cult in the case of the Taiping Rebellion. The Boxer Rebellion was also launched by a Daoist sect.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Sep 5th, 2012 at 10:03:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Don't you mean mid 9th century, 845 to be precise? And even if the Buddhists were more autonomous before, by and large, didn't the state have the upper hand already, with no faith/school of thought truly dominant?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Sep 5th, 2012 at 09:23:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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