This study examines the changing role of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It analyzes how Tibetan Buddhism is both adapting to contemporary Chinese society and reorienting the lives of Han practitioners.
This study analyzes the growing appeal of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines the Tibetan tradition's historical context and its social, cultural, and political adaptation to Chinese society, as well as the effects on Han practitioners. The author's analysis is based on fieldwork in all three locations and includes a broad range of interlocutors, such as Tibetan religious teachers, Han practitioners, and lay Tibetans.
The growing cultural and spiritual influence of Tibetan Buddhism in the West is well-known, but, unbeknownst to most scholars and observers, growing numbers of Han Chinese are practicing the religion too. This is a significant contribution to the study of the modern transformations of Tibetan Buddhism in a context of globalization.