Page 5 - A Study of Traditional Chinese Religions in Malaysia: The Decline and the Path Towards Revitalization

Responsible leadership will inevitably admit that a problem exists. By acknowledging the existence
of the problem, it is possible for Buddhist leaders and Buddhists to pay attention to the issue, more
actively explore the root causes of the problem, seek solutions, and pave the way for the future of
Buddhism.

Why Bother
Why should we pay attention to this topic? Because this is the legitimate mission of Buddhists,
especially Buddhist leaders and workers. Our legitimate mission is to spread the Dharma so that
more sentient beings can receive “benefits, goodness, and happiness” (Vinaya 1:20).

From a sociological perspective, religious changes are social changes that can bring about social
unrest. In the 1980s, a Singaporean scholar reported that 40% of teachers in Singapore were
Christians, and he was worried that this would bring social unrest.

Furthermore, the shrinking of Chinese traditional religion has directly impacted the Chinese’s
recognition of their own civilization and identity. At the same time, changes in religious identity can
reconstruct the Chinese worldview. These social and humanistic factors deserve everyone’s
attention.

Where is the way forward?
Acknowledging and analysing the problem is just the starting point. Of greater importance is to
seek solutions. It may take some time for us to figure out a truly feasible strategy, but based on the
current experience of those participating in the Buddhist movement, we can roughly identify the
following key tasks:
1. Child Education

The importance of Buddhist education for children needs no further elaboration. However, there
are still many Buddhist temples and organisations that are unable to start Buddhist classes for
children due to various reasons. As for those who run Buddhist classes, they are also faced with
problems such as the loss of students, turnover of teachers, and lack of appeal. Therefore, how to
popularise Buddhist education for children; how to enhance its appeal; how to train and maintain
teachers; how to select some successful examples to copy, etc., have become urgent tasks.

2. Mass Education

The scope of mass education is broad. Direct propagation of the Dharma, classroom-style teaching,
various rituals, practices, cultural and recreational activities, etc. are all part of mass education.

In terms of the direct propagation of Dharma, people used to say that Buddhism lacked Dharma
preachers. Today’s situation is not that there is a lack of Dharma preachers, but that there is a lack
of occasions and audiences! What's the problem? It is worth exploring.

In terms of media, there are currently many high-tech communication media, including Norbu,
which can be used to spread Buddhism. How can Buddhism make good use of these new media to
strengthen its influence? Is the Buddhist community ready?

3. Innovative Rituals
One result of this research is that one of the main reasons for giving up traditional Chinese beliefs
is the people’s dissatisfaction or even disgust with traditional Chinese rituals, especially funerals.

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