More young people are turning to Buddhism as the ancient philosophy strives to keep up with the times
Yin Xiaotian, 37, is successful, modern and ambitious. In his car, a blessing card hangs from the rearview mirror. On one side of the card is a picture of Mao Zedong. On the other is the Chinese character for Buddha, fo. Yin is a Buddhist--one of the new breeds seeking inner peace in a country swept up in modernity.
In 2003, Yin returned to Beijing from Paris after several years of study and was surprised to see a growing number of young Buddhists. “There are now many venues for Buddhist practices, along with an increase in Buddhist websites and blogs,” said Yin.
Yin’s interest in Buddhism began while listening to his grandmother’s stories of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism. He said he was convinced that it was a worthwhile path to follow after hearing how the handsome and wealthy Prince Siddhartha (Sakyamuni) abandoned his opulent lifestyle, beautiful wife and son to seek enlightenment and find a way to save all sentient beings.
He admitted that initially he just wanted Buddha’s blessing for fortune and health, but now his thoughts have changed and he seeks to lead a simple life and serve people in a better way.
“Thanks to Buddhism, my grandma believes the concept of ‘as you sow, so shall you reap’ and although she may not have a deep understanding of Buddhism, she understands about kindness and leads a virtuous life,” Yin said. “This is also the marvelous effect of Buddhism on common people,” he said.
Yin takes Buddhism seriously. He has become a vegetarian and meditates each morning. He often attends Buddhist teachings and temple meditations, and said that although he feels his beliefs differ from those of his friends, this does not stop him from building true friendships with them.
Like other Chinese Buddhists, Yin makes an effort to donate money to temples and to show his commitment to helping all creatures. He recently started up a volunteer group to free caged animals. Every month the like-minded group raises money to buy birds and fish from pet shops and free them into the wild. To date, there are more than 1,000 volunteers who have signed up to his group.
More than 2,000 years ago, Buddhism was introduced into China, and although today there are many different branches, they all regard Sakyamuni as their founder. Today, Buddhism has become the biggest religion on China’s mainland, with an estimated 100 million Buddhists, several times the number before 1978.
Yin Xiaotian lives near the capital’s Yonghegong Lama Temple, which was open to tourists earlier than other temples in Beijing. The temple is dedicated to the Gelukpa or Yellow Sect, the dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism, whose monks, known as lamas, study for bachelor degrees in Buddhism. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual head of the Gelukpa school.
Each year, more than 100,000 people visit the temple and at peak periods, the number of tourists can reach 40,000 a day, many of them practicing Buddhists. In the streets around the temple, a busy business area has developed selling Buddhism products.
Yin said that although the vast majority of Chinese people make the trip to the temple to ask for material things in the form of wealth, or for health or the birth of a son, as the country develops, a greater need for spiritual well-being is emerging and people are beginning to seek more meaning in their lives.
More white-collar Buddhists
In urban areas, a lot of Buddhists like Yin Xiaotian are young, well-educated and upwardly mobile. This emerging group, having achieved in the material parts of their lives, are now looking for ways to deal with the stress brought on by ferocious competition in the business world.
“Today, the rhythm of life is too fast,” said Han Yuanxin, a member of Yin’s group to free caged animals. Indeed, many Chinese people, used to a more traditional lifestyle, feel that modernization has contributed to a sense of things being out of control. No one is prepared to wait for anything--a downside of the computerized age when things happen instantaneously, Han added.
While economic reform has brought a better life for many, the accompanying social changes of expanding income gaps, unemployment and crimes are the negative spin-offs. “This urges some individuals to look for a way of restoring order in the world, in this case through religion,” said Yang Fenggang, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Purdue University.
Religion is a way of finding peace and helps to solve problems that emerge from the process of modernization, said Han Yuanxin, adding that by studying Buddhism, she has learned self-control and how to apply it to her daily life.
Han said that Buddhism has taught her to be fully responsible for her life and to understand that everything she does has consequences. So, she believes, most Buddhists show good self-restraint in solving conflicts and being emotionally balanced when facing difficulties.
Highly educated Buddhist monks
Master Mingzang, a young monk from Bolin Temple in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province, has been traveling around the country to promote Buddhism.
Bolin Temple, over 1,000 years old, is one of China’s biggest Buddhist temples at present and the ideal place for young people to study Buddhism. Master Minghai, 38, is the abbot of the temple. Having studied at the Department of Philosophy, Peking University, he came to Bolin in 1992, the year after his graduation. It is reported that there are many graduates from different colleges and universities, including the prestigious Peking University and Sun Yat-sen University, among the monks at Bolin Temple. This fact has become a “brand” of the temple.
The trend, it seems, is spreading. Master Daan, Abbot of Donglin Temple on the Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province, graduated from the School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, and was a professor at a university in Beijing before moving to the monastery.
Among more than 40 Buddhist institutes on the mainland, accommodating thousands of students, are the Buddhist Academy of China, founded in Beijing in 1956 for higher Buddhist education, and the Sichuan Buddhist College, established in 1984. The government recognizes both as university-level institutes.
Modern conveniences such as Internet and mobile phones are popular among the new breed of highly educated monks. Wei Dedong, staff director of religion at the School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, told Beijing Review that Renmin University has seen a four-fold increase in advanced Buddhist study classes, and many monk students own notebook computers.
“Today’s monks are participating in a broad spectrum of social activities and using modern language and methods to explain Buddhism to make it more adaptable to modern life,” said Wei.
Bolin Temple has been running Buddhist summer camps for more than 10 years. Each summer camp hosts over 300 young people who live in the temple and gain some exposure to Buddhist practices, including meditation and sutra teachings. Last year, the temple launched a monthly Buddhist class for entrepreneurs.
In the past, Buddhism had to be learned as a slow process by individuals. However, today, said Master Minghai, the modern lifestyle is much faster, so there is no time for lengthy doctrine. “Now, our senior monks explain Buddhism to entrepreneurs directly, which helps them understand the concepts of Buddhism in a short time,” Minghai added.
“With the process of modernization of China’s society, Buddhism will keep pace and thrive,” said Wei Dedong.
Shi Yongxin, the 41-year-old abbot of Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, said that in history, Chinese Buddhism continuously used the most advanced methods to spread its message, such as the earliest paper-making and type-printing technology. “It’s because of always keeping up with the times that Buddhism has flourished in China,” Shi concluded.
Spread of Buddhism in China
The spread of Buddhism to China began at the beginning of the first century, when Indian Buddhism spread inland along the Silk Road to Xinjiang. Centered in Chang’an (present-day Xi’an) and Luoyang, Buddhism slowly spread across the country, eventually taking root in the vast area inland dominated by the Han people, evolving all the while into “Chinese Buddhism.” Along the way, many of the Indian sutras (texts) had to be reconstructed to adapt more to the Chinese way of life.
When Buddhism was first introduced to China, it only circulated in the upper strata of society and evoked no widespread response among ordinary people. Language is one of the reasons that Buddhism did not spread quickly, as sutras of Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism (different Buddhist sects) were written in the Indian language. Translation of the sutras became a very important task and as translations could not keep up with the spread of the religion, Buddhism flourished in the area inhabited by the Han people until the Jin Dynasty (265-420). During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), although some emperors abolished the practice of Buddhism, most gave it their full support. The following Sui Dynasty (581-618) lasted only 37 years, and the two emperors of the period established Buddhism as the state religion. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), except for Emperor Wuzong, who abolished Buddhism, all other emperors adopted the policy of developing both Taoism and Buddhism. This was a period of rapid growth for Buddhism as large numbers of eminent monks took on the task of translating Buddhism sutras on a grand scale. The popularization of Buddhism in this period is evident in the many scripture-filled caves and structures surviving today. It was also at this time that Chinese characteristics were immersed into the sutras, allowing for easier assimilation into the Chinese lifestyle. During frequent exchanges with foreign countries, Chinese Buddhism was introduced to Korea, Japan and Viet Nam.
In the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Buddhism continued to evolve, especially in Yuan and Qing dynasties, which were ruled by ethnic minorities whose emperors showed great interest in Buddhism. What they were particularly interested in and supported was Tibetan Buddhism, which Yuan and Qing authorities went about developing with great energy. Chinese Buddhism, meanwhile, continued on its own path as the imperial families worshiped Buddha. Although the imperial families of the Ming Dynasty were not ardent Buddhists, the religion remained stable throughout this dynasty.
Today the three major sects of Buddhism, Mahayana, Hinayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism all co-exist in China. As a non-native religion, Buddhism has been introduced and developed in China for more than 2,000 years and the number of Buddhists (approximately 100 million) exceeds that of the native Taoism. As China’s main religion, it has had positive influences on all areas of Chinese life, including literature, music, poetry, painting and architecture. It also has an impact on Chinese morality, spiritual well-being and social interaction.