Abstract

The introduction outlines the study's historical context and main questions. Beginning with a discussion of a 1981 conference on Buddhism and politics, it asks why elite Buddhist figures, in the decade after Chiang Kai-shek's death, aligned KMT ideology with Buddhism—especially when the two figureheads of the party, Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, were both Christians. Stepping back, and having outlined a phase of Christian growth in the early postwar era, it then describes the party's modern Chinese cultural vision and values, which it promoted in the postwar period and which elite Buddhists aspired to in their competition with Christians for adherents. It then outlines the focus of the study: how Buddhists defined themselves as patriotic, “Chinese” and “modern”, in contrast to Christians, as a way of generating socio-political acceptability.

Keywords: identity, modernity, KMT, Sanminzhuyi, Taixu, BAROC

For example, according to the speaker Wuyi,

only the thorough implementation of the Three Principles of the People, and the improvement of material and spiritual forms of life, accords with the needs of the Chinese people. This is also consistent with the Buddha's original intention to purify the world. Therefore, using the Three Principles of the People to unite China is a unanimous requirement of all Chinese people. Naturally, Buddhists are no exception.