Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese: Mediation and Superscription of the Tibetan Tradition in Contemporary Chinese Society

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This study analyzes the growing appeal of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines the Tibetan traditions historical context and its social, cultural, and political adaptation to Chinese society, as well as the effects on Han practitioners. The author's analysis is based on fieldwork in all three locations and includes a broad range of interlocutors, such as Tibetan religious teachers, Han practitioners, and lay Tibetans.

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Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese is a new contribution to the growing field of Sino-Tibetan Buddhist studies concerning the presence of Tibetan Buddhism in the religious landscape of contemporary China. Its ethnographic dynamics afford an extensive discussion of what the author terms the Chinese superscriptions of Tibetan Buddhism regarding the increasingly individualized interpretations and practices of this non-Chinese religion. -- Dan Smyer Y, Yunnan University
The growing cultural and spiritual influence of Tibetan Buddhism in the West is well-known, but, unbeknownst to most scholars and observers, growing numbers of Han Chinese are practicing the religion too. This is a significant contribution to the study of the modern transformations of Tibetan Buddhism in a context of globalization. -- David Palmer, University of Hong Kong

Author Bio

Joshua Esler is lecturer and researcher in Asian studies at Sheridan College.