Thank you for showing us such a pretty altar. It is evident that a lot of care has been put into setting up and caring for this altar and space. The room feels so serene and alive at the same.
Tibetan Buddhism is coming back into China with growing intensity. There are more Tibetan Dharma stores opening. One can also see increasing numbers of Tibetan Sangha members being hosted by Chinese students in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhouo etc. These are just tangible examples reflecting the growing acceptance and spread in practice of Tibetan Buddhism in China.
Just a few years back, people in China only have one reaction when the word “Tibetan Buddhism” is mentioned: Tibetan Buddhism = Dalai Lama = Free Tibet = No good.
However, today, things have changed quite significantly. When the subject of Tibetan Buddhism is brought up, a variety of responses can be experienced. In fact, the responses are progressively more positive because a greater number of result oriented Chinese people in modern China have the good fortune to experience tangible blessings of the Vajrayana scope of Lord Buddha’s teachings.
Having said that, although Tibetan Buddhism is viewed with a higher level of acceptance and is spreading trendily amongst the “sophisticated” Chinese community, an educated understanding and practice of Vajrayana Buddhism is still very much needed. At this moment, as this nation is prospering speedily, Tibetan Buddhism is being “sold” as a wish granting practice. I have met Chinese practitioners who have close to zero understanding on Dharma teachings but know all about the miracles Tibetan practitioners can enjoy. When enrolling new practitioners, the “selling point” is mostly based on the fulfillment of worldly wishes.
This approach is not wrong. On the contrary, it enables the swift growth of the Vajrayana. However, being aware of the limited knowledge and understanding the Chinese practitioners have, which may not be sustainable and is unlikely to bring about attainments, we need to share with them more information like those available in this forum and website. The Chinese version of the website is really useful and readily accessible to our Chinese friends. Therefore, we need to proactively share this channel with them so that they can learn more about the greatness of Dorje Shugden and that the benefit that can be gained will go beyond worldly matters.