Assess the view that Confucianism has a greater influence than
Buddhism in Chinese Society today.
Following Dengs economic reforms in 1978, CCP has deviated from its Maoist ideology. Besides becoming more liberal and tolerant towards religion, it has also embedded Confucianism in its policies to strengthen national sentiments among the people. As a result, the Chinese society has witnessed a revival of traditional beliefs due to historical and cultural background, as well as effects of modernisation. This essay seeks to study the impacts of Confucianism and Buddhism have in shaping the Chinese Society. While it is undeniable that Confucianism is more encompassing in this secular state with most of its people not subscribing to any particular faith, there are areas where Buddhism is adhered to faithfully by its staunch believers and it all depends on which regions of China we are talking about. Still, as far as their influence is concerned, I think that Confucianism indeed holds a greater influence on the Chinese society than Buddhism. Chinese traditional values, a vital component of the Chinese society today, are based predominantly on Confucians philosophy and not Buddhism. Unlike Confucianism which is a philosophy, traditional ideas which supposedly have their roots from Buddhist teachings, are upheld by non-believers or those from different faiths. This resulted in the weak standing of Buddhism because its ideas are taken at face values without any religious groundings attached to them. For example, people who believe in karma or retribution are most of the time not even Buddhist. One does not have to be a Buddhist but can still practise vegetarianism nonetheless to champion animal rights. The absence of understanding and the incomprehension of the religion limit the extent of influence these ideas can have on the society. Furthermore, rampant materialism and corruption directly contradict Buddhist ideas like the impermanence and immaterial nature of the universe. As opposed, Confucianism which is very synonymous with the Chinese traditional culture, is more rooted in the people. For instance, most Chinese would still prefer to have male offsprings so that they can perpetuate their family surname. During major festivals, like Chinese New year and the Moon cake festival, millions of Chinese no matter where they are will still return to their hometown for reunion and celebration. Many things in China, including official matters, work through guanxi and connections instead of contractual relationship. The very fact that Chinese today are largely pragmatic and they seldom take religious studies seriously just further shows how Confucianism which preaches about secularism prevails over Buddhism. On the other hand, governmental supervision and control also continually place limits on the social influence of Buddhism. Religious education is controlled tightly and monitored closely as they are considered subservient to the state ideology. Temples, especially those in Tibets, are placed under
political control. In response to separatist sentiments, the CCP government
will not be hesitant to send their most revered religious leaders into exile and force them to denounce their faith. One of such example is the Dalai Lama of Tibet. On top of that, CCP has constantly put in effort to demonise Buddhist leaders that are politically active and has banned people from worshipping them to undercut their religious influence. As long as China remains an authoritarian communist state, heavy restrictions on the social influence of Buddhism will always be present. Nevertheless, there are certain societies within China today that are still predominantly shaped by Buddhism. The Tibetans, for example are still very committed to their religious way of life. Up to 94% of Tibetans and 35% of the population in Qinghai and Sichuan are Mahayana Buddhists. They are so devoted to their religious commitments, even when the governing party offers them better job opportunities and higher education in the cities, they declined the offers. They are also very protective of their traditional way of life; whenever the government carries out urban development in the region like the building of railway tracks and factories, they react very radically with protests and demonstrations because they see it as attempt to erode or assimilate their culture. They would rather continue with their carefree lifestyle in the field than to go after the worldly pursuit of higher income. Their firm belief in Buddhism has allowed it to take precedence over Confucianism and other forces as the main influence that shapes their society. Be that as it may, these are very small groups of people when taken into perspective than China has 1.4 billion people in population. Among the rest of the Chinese, Confucianism would certainly hold a greater influence as it encapsulates more aspects of the Chinese life and its basis of influence is much stronger than Buddhism. Coupled with the fact that Buddhis is fundamentally suppressed by the communist ideology while Confucianism is supported by the CCP as a tool for unification, I think that overall, Confucianism has a greater influence than Buddhism.