The Buddhist Association of China (BCA; ) is the official government supervisory organ of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The association has been overseen by the

United Front Work Department The United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (UFWD; ) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which is officially tasked with "united front work". For this endeav ...

of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) since the

State Administration for Religious Affairs The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) was an executive agency directly under the State Council of the People's Republic of China which oversaw religious affairs in the country. Originally created in 1951 as the Religious Affairs ...

' absorption into the United Front Work Department in 2018. The association's headquarters are located in Guangji Temple in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Overview

The BCA is charged with serving as a "bridge" linking Buddhists to the CCP and

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

by communicating government regulations to Buddhists and mobilizing them to comply with national laws.Congressional-Executive Committee on China
Tibet Special Report 2008-2009
, October 22, 2009 It also coordinates participation of Chinese Buddhists in international Buddhist fora as a form of state influence. It also supports local Buddhist associations in paying clerics' salaries, in registering

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

with the government, and in productively using temple labor. The association publishes a journal, ''Chinese Buddhism''.

History

The Buddhist Association of China was founded in 1953, and was disbanded in the late 1960s during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, then reactivated following the end of that period. In 1994

Zhao Puchu Zhao Puchu (November 5, 1907 – May 21, 2000) was a religious and public leader who promoted cultural progress and religious tolerance in China. Zhao was best known as president of the Buddhist Association of China and also one of the most ...

tried to limit the practice of businesses and municipalities building outlandishly large mountaintop and cliffside Buddha statues. Noting that China has at least one mountaintop Buddha for each of the cardinal directions he stated "That's enough", and clarified. "From now on, there is no need to build any more outdoor Buddha statues." These efforts were entirely unsuccessful. In 2006, The BCA and the

Hong Kong Buddhist Association Hong Kong Buddhist Association () is a Buddhist umbrella organisation in Hong Kong which was founded in 1945. The association has nearly ten thousands individual members including both monastic and laity, and promotes the propagation of Buddhis ...

hosted the second

World Buddhist Forum The World Buddhist Forum () was held in Hangzhou City and Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, China, from April 13 to April 16, 2006. It was the first major international religious conference in China since the founding of the People's Republic of ...

for dialogue between Buddhist monks and scholars from 50 countries and regions. The forum lasted for four days in the city of

Wuxi Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

province. The organizer of events was the president of the BCA, Venerable Master Yicheng. The vice president is

Gyaincain Norbu Chökyi Gyalpo, also referred to by his secular name Gyaincain Norbu or Gyaltsen Norbu (born 13 February 1990), is considered the 11th Panchen Lama by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He is also the vice president of t ...

, a disputed 11th

Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, he ...

. In 2017 the BCA declared the longstanding tradition that the first offering of incense of the new year are particularly auspicious to have no grounds in Buddhist doctrine. In 2018, the BCA's parent organization, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department. In August 2018 Xuecheng resigned as president of the Buddhist Association of China following reports of sexual harassment by six female monks. The scandal was seen as part of the wider

me too movement #MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...

Presidents

The past presidents of the Buddhist Association of China include: *

Yuanying Yuanying (; 1878 – 12 September 1953) was a Chinese Chan Buddhist master and the first Venerable Master of the Buddhist Association of China. Biography Yuanying was born Wu Changfa () and Wu Hengchun () into a family of farming background in Pi ...

(1953) *

Geshe Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks and nuns. The degree is emphasized primarily by the Gelug lineage, ...

Sherap Gyatso (1953–1966) *

(1980–2000) * Yicheng (2005–2010) *

Chuanyin Chuanyin (; born January 30, 1927) is a Chinese Buddhist monk, Chan master and religious leader. He was best known as Venerable Master of the Buddhist Association of China. Early life Chuanyin was born Lü Yudai () in Zhuanghe, Liaoning, on Janu ...

(2010–2015) * Xuecheng (2015–2018) *

Shi Yanjue Shi Yanjue (; born April 1956) is a Chinese Buddhist monk and the current president of the Buddhist Association of China, succeeding Shi Xuecheng, who accused of sexual harassment. Biography Shi Yanjue was born in Gangu County, Gansu, in April 1 ...

(2018–present) Honorary presidents of the Buddhist association of China include: *

Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai (; ; born February 1940) is the 11th Qamdo Pagbalha Hutuktu of Tibetan Buddhism and a politician of the People's Republic of China. He is a Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a ...

(2002–present) *

Benhuan Benhuan (; 21 September 1907 – 2 April 2012) was a Buddhist monk, Chan master and religious leader in China. He held several abbatial posts, such as being first abbot of the Hongfa Temple in Shenzhen, Guangdong. He was also the honorary presiden ...

(2010–2012)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Religious organizations established in 1953 Buddhist organizations based in China Organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party

Overview

History

Presidents

See also

References

External links