Assess the view that Confucianism has a greater influence than

Buddhism in Chinese Society today.

Following Dengs economic reforms in 1978, CCP has deviated from its Maoist
ideology. Besides becoming more liberal and tolerant towards religion, it has
also embedded Confucianism in its policies to strengthen national sentiments
among the people. As a result, the Chinese society has witnessed a revival of
traditional beliefs due to historical and cultural background, as well as effects
of modernisation. This essay seeks to study the impacts of Confucianism and
Buddhism have in shaping the Chinese Society. While it is undeniable that
Confucianism is more encompassing in this secular state with most of its
people not subscribing to any particular faith, there are areas where
Buddhism is adhered to faithfully by its staunch believers and it all depends
on which regions of China we are talking about. Still, as far as their influence
is concerned, I think that Confucianism indeed holds a greater influence on
the Chinese society than Buddhism.
Chinese traditional values, a vital component of the Chinese society today,
are based predominantly on Confucians philosophy and not Buddhism. Unlike
Confucianism which is a philosophy, traditional ideas which supposedly have
their roots from Buddhist teachings, are upheld by non-believers or those
from different faiths. This resulted in the weak standing of Buddhism because
its ideas are taken at face values without any religious groundings attached
to them. For example, people who believe in karma or retribution are most of
the time not even Buddhist. One does not have to be a Buddhist but can still
practise vegetarianism nonetheless to champion animal rights. The absence
of understanding and the incomprehension of the religion limit the extent of
influence these ideas can have on the society. Furthermore, rampant
materialism and corruption directly contradict Buddhist ideas like the
impermanence and immaterial nature of the universe. As opposed,
Confucianism which is very synonymous with the Chinese traditional culture,
is more rooted in the people. For instance, most Chinese would still prefer to
have male offsprings so that they can perpetuate their family surname.
During major festivals, like Chinese New year and the Moon cake festival,
millions of Chinese no matter where they are will still return to their
hometown for reunion and celebration. Many things in China, including official
matters, work through guanxi and connections instead of contractual
relationship. The very fact that Chinese today are largely pragmatic and they
seldom take religious studies seriously just further shows how Confucianism
which preaches about secularism prevails over Buddhism.
On the other hand, governmental supervision and control also continually
place limits on the social influence of Buddhism. Religious education is
controlled tightly and monitored closely as they are considered subservient to
the state ideology. Temples, especially those in Tibets, are placed under

political control. In response to separatist sentiments, the CCP government

will not be hesitant to send their most revered religious leaders into exile and
force them to denounce their faith. One of such example is the Dalai Lama of
Tibet. On top of that, CCP has constantly put in effort to demonise Buddhist
leaders that are politically active and has banned people from worshipping
them to undercut their religious influence. As long as China remains an
authoritarian communist state, heavy restrictions on the social influence of
Buddhism will always be present.
Nevertheless, there are certain societies within China today that are still
predominantly shaped by Buddhism. The Tibetans, for example are still very
committed to their religious way of life. Up to 94% of Tibetans and 35% of the
population in Qinghai and Sichuan are Mahayana Buddhists. They are so
devoted to their religious commitments, even when the governing party
offers them better job opportunities and higher education in the cities, they
declined the offers. They are also very protective of their traditional way of
life; whenever the government carries out urban development in the region
like the building of railway tracks and factories, they react very radically with
protests and demonstrations because they see it as attempt to erode or
assimilate their culture. They would rather continue with their carefree
lifestyle in the field than to go after the worldly pursuit of higher income.
Their firm belief in Buddhism has allowed it to take precedence over
Confucianism and other forces as the main influence that shapes their
society.
Be that as it may, these are very small groups of people when taken into
perspective than China has 1.4 billion people in population. Among the rest of
the Chinese, Confucianism would certainly hold a greater influence as it
encapsulates more aspects of the Chinese life and its basis of influence is
much stronger than Buddhism. Coupled with the fact that Buddhis is
fundamentally suppressed by the communist ideology while Confucianism is
supported by the CCP as a tool for unification, I think that overall,
Confucianism has a greater influence than Buddhism.