Engaged Buddhism for an Engulfed World: New Perspectives on Humanistic Buddhism

Dear Colleagues,

Starting in the late 19th century, anti-religious movements such as ‘school-building on monastic properties’ (廟產興學) and the introduction of Western religions posed an unprecedented crisis for Chinese Buddhism. This crisis weakened the economical foundation of the monasteries and even stripped some monasteries of their properties and possessions, making it hard for their normal functioning to continue. The traditional status of monastics was also severely challenged, forcing many monastics to return to lay life. Meanwhile, local religious activities centering around the monasteries also came to be seriously limited, while the overall development of Buddhism halted and even retrograded.

However, crisis also spurred reforms in Buddhist education, leading to the creation of many modern Buddhist colleges. In response to the crisis, some traditional Buddhist schools, such as Tiantai and Pure Land, also experienced renaissance. But perhaps the most notable outcome emerging from this crisis is the movement of Engaged or Humanistic Buddhism (Renjian Fojiao, 人間佛教) led by Master Taixu (太虛) (1890-1947), which underpinned the renaissance of Chinese Buddhism in the 20th century.

Engaged Buddhism advocates the application of Buddhist philosophy in everyday life and the use of Buddhist practices for the sake of the betterment of oneself and society. It promotes a sense of engagement and responsibility for the world and has led more and more Chinese Buddhists to care about the welfare of society and to contribute to charity, education, environment protection, and public health, among other social causes.

Engaged Buddhism also represents a modernized religious movement. It embraces modern values such as gender equality, diversity, individual freedom, and scientific and technological outlook; thus, it is uniquely suitable for facilitating the dialogue between Eastern and Western religions.

Buddhism itself promotes multiculturalism. Since its origin in India, it has taken up abode in many cultural and geographical areas in Central, East, and Southeast Asia, and today, its influences continue reaching all around the world. Its successful transplantation into so many diverse cultures is indebted to its spirit of inclusivity. Buddhism is not hostile to other forms of thinking and in fact encourages its followers to respect cultural and ideological diversity. This inclusive spirit emerged as an advantage in the propagation of Buddhism on foreign soils. Secondly, Buddhism is highly adaptable, constantly letting itself be modified by host cultures. Moreover, Buddhist missionaries are often highly cultured individuals who possess the precious ability to communicate cross-culturally, which is a quality strengthening the international appeal of Buddhism.

If we say Engaged Buddhism was birthed passively by the socio-historical circumstances at the time, then we must ask whether it could play a more active role in today’s world that is threatened by a reverse trend of globalization and increasing hostility between some major cultures and states. It is thus worthwhile for scholars to study whether and how Engaged Buddhism could wield its cross-cultural capacity to contribute to world peace and cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Jinhua Chen
Dr. Jakub Zamorski
Guest Editors

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• engaged or humanistic Buddhism (Renjian Fojiao, 人間佛教)
• modernization
• globalization
• Taixu
• school-building on monastic properties (廟產興學)
• multiculturalism