Wu Cheng: Can Buddhist Modernization Count on Contemporary Mainland Chinese Buddhism?

The evolution of Buddhism has never been a rigid, unchanging monolith. As a product of history, every Buddhist school and every era carries the profound imprint of its specific time and place. Looking back at more than 2,500 years of Buddhist history, we can see that the rise of all major schools was essentially an attempt at modernizing Buddhism within their particular historical and geographical contexts. The rise of Mahayana Buddhism in India is the most spectacular example of this: it broke through the limitations of early Nikaya Buddhism, spread widely from the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia, the Chinese heartland, and the historical Western Regions of China, injecting new vitality and responding to the needs of the times and sentient beings. Most instances of Buddhist modernization throughout history are not only nothing to be surprised by, worried about, or rejected—they are a natural expression of Buddhism’s vitality. The ebb and flow of rise and decline is simply its historical norm.

However, Buddhist modernization is far from a smooth, unproblematic path, nor is it a success for those who adhere to the Buddha’s core teachings. In late Indian Buddhism, esoteric Buddhism rose to prominence, gradually incorporating Hindu elements and traditional esoteric components that eroded the framework of mainstream Mahayana schools at the time. Ultimately, under the冲击 of resurgent Hinduism, the so-called "modernized" Buddhism of that era was completely wiped out in its land of origin. This historical lesson warns us: when Buddhist modernization deviates from the core of the Dharma and becomes a simple compromise with the worldly desires of sentient beings, it may bring about its own destruction. The concept of "Humanistic Buddhism" was originally intended to align with principle while responding to contemporary circumstances, and to benefit sentient beings; if it holds fast to the Buddha’s fundamental teachings, it has clear positive value. But once it evolves into thorough secularization, turning into a hodgepodge of every kind of worldly desire, it may appear prosperous on the surface, with throngs of devotees and booming incense offerings, but in reality, it could be the very degradation and self-destruction of Buddhism.

Looking at the present day, this hidden concern is particularly glaring in the so-called "revival" of Buddhism in mainland China. Practices that fly the banner of "Humanistic Buddhism" often present deeply unsettling scenes: eminent monks such as Shi Yongxin living in extravagance and debauchery while evading legal consequences for years on end, some Buddhist sects and factions obsessed with commercialization that amass wealth indiscriminately and line their own pockets, as well as the various violations of monastic precepts, criminal acts related to former Buddhist Association president Master Xuecheng, and the pervasive rot within monastic communities—all of these expose the collapse of faith in the Buddhist community, the corrosion of commercial interests, and the infiltration of secular political power. The famous Lingyin Temple once broke with convention by opening its main gates for former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, now ousted from power, for political reasons, laying bare the awkward reality of Buddhism being weaponized as a political tool to kowtow to authoritarian regimes. Behind these phenomena lies the combined manipulation of political ideology, commercial capital, and extreme secularization, and some current Buddhist organizations, monastics, and lay followers in mainland China are the leading actors in this so-called "Buddhist modernization" spectacle. Buddhism is packaged as a fig leaf for an era of "religious freedom", "merit propagation", and "protecting the country and its people", but on the stage of political and economic interests, it performs the play of religious alienation. Many practitioners at home and abroad praise the "prosperity" of this "community with a shared future for mankind" in this supposed golden age, pinning their hopes for Buddhist modernization on it, while ignoring the latent crisis of secularization and corruption that amounts to climbing a tree to catch fish—a fundamentally futile effort.

The attitude of many scholars who are inclined to accept contemporary mainland Chinese Buddhism, which is controlled by political ideology, commercial capital, and extreme, vulgar secularization, and who are content with their own cognitive delusions, is deeply thought-provoking. If one merely advocates for Buddhist modernization while actively pandering to and being satisfied with the superficial prosperity of Buddhism dominated by external forces, then such scholars will unknowingly stray further and further from the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Buddha. The weak, insipid writings churned out year after year, the lengthy, spurious personal opinions that pass for insight, and the seemingly beautiful but illusory personal visions they promote will all eventually be blown away by the wind. Years of diligent practice and hopes for Buddhist modernization will come to nothing, and even one's moral integrity in old age may be ruined, if one becomes obsessed with the superficially thriving appearance of contemporary mainland Chinese Buddhism. All who practice Buddhism must take heed of this.

The modernization of Buddhism must be premised on holding fast to its core teachings, not blindly conforming to worldly circumstances, and certainly must not be allowed to become a vessel for endless secular desires. Only by maintaining a clear, sober perspective on Buddhist modernization and the state of contemporary Buddhism, distinguishing between right and wrong views within modernization efforts, and reflecting on the various abuses and overly worldly tendencies in practice, can Buddhist modernization stand firm as a cornerstone of Buddhist revival, truly benefiting sentient beings, and can Buddhism continue to reflect the true light of wisdom throughout the river of history, rather than growing dim in the process of alienation.