Is Buddhism Making a Comeback in China?

Is Buddhism making a comeback in China?

The evidence, according to this interesting story from PBS Religions and Ethics Newsweekly,  is that it is making a comeback, that Buddhist temples once condemned by the government, are thriving.

That’s because  of the negative energy produced by environmental problems like polluted air,  polluted rivers and the slaughter of wild animals. Many Chinese find a source of strength in Buddhism.

Fred de Sam Lazaro, the PBS News reporter, notes that

According to some surveys, nearly 1 in 5 Chinese—that’s more than 240 million—are Buddhists. Some scholars say this search for faith is linked to China’s massive environmental problems.

Chinese Buddhism seems to have a history of appealing to the Chinese during times of trouble. For example, after the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, Buddhist influence continued for several hundred years until the formation of the Tang and Song dynasties.