China: The Patron of Global Buddhism?

[Vajraprotector]

Another good news for the monasteries in Tibet. I wonder if it is really to benefit the rural monasteries or is it for easier control / access to these monasteries,   

Road construction benefits Tibetan monasteries
2012-07-08 10:56:00|by: Sophie Zhu|From: China Tibet Online

Tibet launched an infrastructure construction project to improve the traffic conditions for remote monasteries in late June, according to China Communications News, an industry journal of transportation.

A commencement ceremony was held in Serdochen Monastery in Shigatse Prefecture on June 21, initiating an infrastructure project planning to build 260.46 kilometers highroad for 120 isolated monasteries.

This project received a total investment of 160 million yuan, covering 18 counties and 72 townships in Shigatse Prefecture, and was expected to accomplish by the end of October 30, 2012, according to the source.

The authority of Shigatse planned to invest 173 million yuan for another road project in 2013, to construct 577.2 kilometers road for 109 monasteries by the end of that year.

The road project undertaken in Shigatse Prefecture, the second largest prefecture in southwest China's Tibet, was a part of the construction campaign to improve the traffic and living quality of monasteries, as well as benefit the religious practitioners and followers.

[Ensapa]

China is now giving more and more attention to Buddhism as they grow. It seems that they are on their way to making Buddhism their patron religion and even moreso with the ascension of Xi Jinping who is a Tibetan Buddhist himself. They have been providing the monasteries with stipends and also is restoring them. They are also enforcing rules to reduce the occurrence of fake monks around and even built a giant conference center for Buddhists and they are even promoting Tibetan monks to go on tours and stuffs. China has really progressed in terms of being a Buddhist country.

[vajratruth]

The first irony here is that Communist China tried to wipe the religion from existence and yet it is today the champion of the Dharma. Indeed nothing is permanent. However Mao's attempt to eradicate Buddhism claiming that it was poison, is a good lesson for everyone to note. In the end, although Communist China did not totally destroy religion, they definitely prohibited its growth until new leaders realized that they desperately Dharma as the antidote to a fast evolving society with decaying values.  The benefits of Buddhism is not only spiritual but actually quite practical as well. There is no doubt that Dharma will spread riding on the shoulders of the most populous and global-economically influential nation in the world.

Incidentally, as the Chinese government promote Buddhism, special interest is being paid to the preservation and spread of Tibetan Buddhism. And in that way, the Chinese also help preserve the Tibetan culture, language and heritage as these are intricately linked with the Buddhist culture.

The second irony is that conversely, the Tibetan government, long thought of as guardians of the religion, is destroying it whether knowingly or otherwise, through heavily politicizing the Dharma. It is staggering to even consider that the government of the Dalai Lama banned one of the most holy and badly needed practices during this time. I wonder if the CTA is aware of how ridiculous all this is?

[Positive Change]

It really is only natural that China assumes such a "position" in that she has the history behind to back her. The ancient Chinese civilization is after all, one of the world's earliest. And the sheer numbers of its population makes it integral as well because it forms the very foundations and backing of being a Patron.

I do not think it mere coincidence that China is who she is now... China has always been dubbed the Sleeping Dragon for the longest time. In the era of the Buddhist Renaissance it is only natural for this Sleeping Dragon to finally rise and rear its majestic head.

Therefore on that note alone, it is important that Dorje Shugden practice "infiltrates" China as this is where global Buddhism is and will spread forth from. Hence, with all the pieces at play in this meticulous chess game that, I feel, is manifesting as the ban, has this focus in mind... the ultimate bigger picture of spreading Dorje Shugden to the world via China. And to do so the foundations have to be set and the ban seems to be doing just that. Strange how everything seems to pan out as things unfold!

[Ensapa]

We can safely say that the Dalai Lama's ban on Dorje Shugden has triggered an influx of interest in Buddhism in China and also amongst the Chinese officials. Perhaps, in the previous generation of officials who really hated the Dalai Lama and saw him as someone who wanted to split China, practicing Dorje Shugden was a way for them to express their hate against the Dalai Lama but then the seeds that were planted then are blooming now and China is fast adopting Buddhism as an unofficial state religion. They have realized that the only way to help manage the moral decay caused by the cultural revolution is Buddhism.

[DharmaSpace]

China since the Cultural Revolution had almost eradicated buddhism and other religions from their land. But as China modernizes more and more, the Chinese have observed as in the case of FoxConn in China whereby no matter the money, the people and workers are still unhappy. Though people in general have made much progress in many fields in science and life can be said much easier but people's problems and issues remain the same the past 2600 years.

So for China to start to support Buddhism and spirituality is the step in the right direction. No matter how much material the country and the people have they still need spiritual nourishment. Being the patron of Buddhism the Chinese will hope they will have some say as to the manner and methods that Buddhism will spread into China. China is truly ripe and ready for Dorje Shugden.

[Ensapa]

China needs Buddhism, and not just any type of Buddhism but one that is strong and fast. While they have improve materialistically, but they have not improved spiritually at all due to the cultural revolution and because of this many of the Chinese have lacked morality and humanistic qualities and they have forgotten how to care for others, be altruistic and spiritual and also lack something in their lives. This is where Dorje Shugden steps in to help satisfy and quench the greed of the Chinese people and from there slowly bring them to Buddhism (or swiftly, depending on what we will see soon). And there would not be any question of Dorje Shugdens' authenticity from that point forward.

[Dondrup Shugden]

China has never changed her stand that Tibet is part of China, so it is quite correct that China can take the patronage of Global Buddhism.

Does China have hidden political agenda to this effort?  Well, personally it is not a problem as long as Buddhism is lead by a upcoming world power, the benefit to sentient beings will be tremendous.