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1

Contemporary Buddhism: Peak

of Revival

Lewis Lancaster

Centre for Buddhist Studies

University of Hong Kong

October, 2014

European Colonial Opposition

• Christian mission

movement

Portugal Mission/Colonials Colonial 20th century

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2

Marxist Opposition

• Eastern Russia

• China

• Korea

• Vietnam

• Mongolia

• Tibet

Communist Rule

Buryat Republic Tuva

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3

Kalmykia Chita

Mongolia

• 1920 over 100,000

monks in 3000

monasteries

• 1940 100 monks in one

monastery

China

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4

Buddhist revival

• Role of population

demographics for future

growth

Buddhist countries

Thailand

• Birth rate per woman

• 1970 6

• 2013 1.6

Taiwan

• Buddhist monastics

• 1983 3,470

• 1995 9,300

• Buddhist monasteries

• 1983 1,157

• 1995 4,020

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5

Taiwan/ China China

Korea (South) Japan

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6

Vietnam India

“None”

• Declining support for

religion

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7

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8

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9