Fertile ground for the Buddha

The Dalai Lama's recent second visit to Taiwan has brought a long-hidden issue to light in Taiwan, namely the potential for Tibetan Buddhism and other forms of Buddhism to take root in society. To what degree these religions can become a part of local culture will likely be determined, in economic terms, according to demand, which by all estimations is large.

Using an analogy from economics may seem at first disrespectful, yet it reveals much historical truth about how different Buddhist groups have seen their "religious kingdoms" rise and decline over the past several decades. Borrowing more economic lingo, there is a glut in the current religion market, as major Buddhist groups compete to carry out their often grand expansion plans.

The attempt of Tibetan Buddhism to squeeze into the already crowded local religious market in the near future is bound to cause friction among Buddhist groups.

Interestingly, the escalation of Buddhist influence in Taiwan occurred in tandem with the island's economic take-off in the 1970s. Massive migration from the countryside to the cities in the late 1960s left many people alienated and in search of spiritual guidance.

Also at about this time, the influence of Christian churches began to wane in Taiwan, due mainly to diminishing material and personnel support from abroad. Indigenous religions, Buddhism in particular, then arose to fill the gap where the Christian churches had receded.

Amid rapid social, economic and political changes in the early 1970s, two renowned religious groups emerged from very humble beginnings to expand almost exponentially in influence and size. One is the Buddha Light religious group (佛光教團) based in Kaohsiung and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟功德會) founded in Hualien. Two groups to emerge since 1987, after the lifting of martial law, were Dharma Drum Mountain religious group (法鼓教團) and the Chung Tai Chan Monastery (中台禪寺). These gained a foothold among urban residents and intellectuals with their calls for self-reflection through Chan (禪) meditation, or Zen.

Buddha Light was founded by Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), who achieved notoriety as the abbot of Lei-yin Temple (雷音寺) in Yilan and later moved to the town of Ta-shu (大樹鄉) in Kaohsiung in the late 1960s. The town was part of a booming industrial zone and attracted thousands of young workers.

He built a grand monastery on a hill overlooking Kaohsiung that served as a getaway of sorts for laborers during the weekends and on holidays. As the number of adherents grew, he started a TV program on Buddhist teachings in 1980 and quickly became famous.

Master Hsing Yun is also gifted at corporate management and strategic planning, and so managed his Buddha Light Monastery (佛光寺) in much the same way as an ambitious businessperson.

With its spacious grounds, shaded pathways decorated with various golden Buddha figures, and its stores and parking space, the monastery served as a one-stop shop for people in the 1960s looking to complete errands and seek spiritual enlightenment. Within a very short time, the monastery became a favorite tourist spot and has remained so for three decades. The Buddha Light religious group now claims more than one million followers around the world.

Master Hsing Yun branched out by setting up temples in other major cities in and outside of Taiwan. A recent estimate indicates that in addition to the Buddha Light Monastery headquarters, the group possesses at least five city or county-level temple groups called sub-headquarters (別院), about 30 town-level divisions (分院) and another 10 overseas divisions. Master Hsing Yun also founded the International Buddha Light Association (國際佛光會) in California in 1992. The organization has approximately 350 branch offices in Taiwan and more than 70 abroad spanning five continents.