With the mass arrival in 1949 of the KMT army, together with others fearful of communist rule, the traditional isolation of Taiwanese Buddhism ended. The reason for this was that along with the fleeing forces came some of the most eminent Chinese Buddhists of the day.
Today Taiwan is at the forefront of world Buddhism. Among several internationally famous teachers here is the Ch'an master, the Venerable Sheng Yen, author of more than 40 books, and a world authority on Buddhist and Ch'an teaching. Based in Peitou, he was born in China (where he became a monk at 13), moved to Taiwan at 19, studied in Japan, and has lectured extensively at universities in the US and Europe.
This kind of internationalism has perhaps been partly brought about by the assault on religion in China in recent decades, but also must be in part a product of Taiwan's prominent position in the world generally.
But for whatever reason, Taiwan is today a Buddhist center that incorporates influences from wherever they are judged appropriate.
The author takes intriguing movements such as White Lotus Millenarian Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism in his stride, whetting the reader's appetite to know more about such things in the wider Asian context.
Today pluralization has taken place and there are several powerful and quasi-independent Buddhist organizations in Taiwan. Many people will have noticed the prominence of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association in the immediate aftermath of the 921 earthquake. This, and the very different Fo Kuang Shan organization, are dealt with fully in the book, as is the official Buddhist Association of the Republic of China.
Other issues touched on are the controversial practice of some monks of performing ceremonies for the spirits of aborted fetuses, the involvement of others in opposing Taiwan's environmental degradation, and the unprecedented proportion of women now in the Buddhist clerical ranks.
This book is a useful and timely overview. The author is modesty itself, but from the long bibliography it appears that there is no earlier book-length work on this subject in English.
It's also clear that this is a longer version of his PhD thesis Buddhism in Taiwan: A Historical Survey (University of Virginia, 1996).
Adherents of Buddhism are growing in numbers in areas not traditionally associated with it, such as Europe and America. That it is so deeply rooted here in Taiwan can be seen not only as characteristic of the island's people, but also as one of their most valuable assets.
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