Contemporary Chinese Buddhist monastics : a study in the Sinicisation of religion

Tang, Renru and Kawanami, Hiroko and Ram-Prasad, Chakravarthi (2025) Contemporary Chinese Buddhist monastics : a study in the Sinicisation of religion. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis undertakes two primary endeavours. The first is to examine contemporary Buddhist monastics within the framework of Sinicisation of religion, which is predominantly manifested in four dimensions: politicisation, legalisation, secularisation, and nationalisation. Specifically, about how the Buddhist institution has become politicised and serving the interests of governance; how the management of temples is legalised, becoming fully integrated into the national legal framework; how monastics members experience laicisation, resulting in an erosion of the distinctions between them and ordinary lay citizens; and how Buddhist teaching has become nationalised, with nationalism positioned as the core tenet. The second task is to elucidate the profound social and historical context, as well as the intrinsic motivations that underpin these phenomena. Using an interdisciplinary methodology, I scrutinise intricate social contradictions that underpin these issues and explore their resolutions. Thus, this thesis undertakes a meticulous examination of the fundamental values inherent in Chinese Buddhism. It also examines the roles and functions assumed by Buddhist monastics within the Sinicisation process in contemporary China. The findings of this thesis challenge the assertion that “the fate of Buddhism hinges on politics” since, while the influence of politics on religion is substantial in China, it remains an external factor. The ultimate destiny of Chinese Buddhism is contingent upon the agency of Buddhist monastics, who can determine the future of their religion. That is, the Sinicisation of Religion as a national policy is not merely a unilateral manipulation orchestrated by the CCP, but rather it has to be understood in a long-term historical trajectory in modern Chinese Buddhism as the result of successive proactive initiatives by the Buddhists themselves.