After the Communist victory in China’s civil war, Taiwan“then governed by the KMT (or Nationalist Party)“became a focal point for both Buddhist and Christian activity in the Chinese world. Focusing on some of the most influential monastics of the time, this study considers Buddhist responses to Christianity during its subsequent period of growth on the island. Drawing on Buddhist and Christian publications, it shows that interfaith competition, and political context, are important in shaping religious identity and driving the religious engagement with modernity. Buddhist Responses to Christianity in Postwar Taiwan: Awakening the World will be of interest to historians of Buddhism, Chinese religion and Taiwanese society, and to those with an interest in interfaith dialogue more generally.

Dr Scott Pacey is an Assistant Professor in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham.

Acknowledgements A note on romanization and translationsPrefaceIntroductionChinese Buddhism and identityThe three teachingsBuddhism and Christianity in ChinaNew intellectual and political responsesEnter the KMTModernity, and "KMT modernity"TaixuOverview of the studyChapter 1. Buddhism and PatriotismTaiwan's political contextBuddhism and KMT valuesAwakening the worldConclusionChapter 2. Buddhism and Chinese CultureCultural renaissanceFrom Moses to Marx"Slave society"East of EdenThe genesis of a new approachThe study of BuddhismConclusionChapter 3. Buddhism and ModernityPointing at the moonOpen letters to DuThe science of SakyamuniGod and GotamaYinshun's sourcesConclusionChapter 4. Decline and RevitalizationPerceiving the declineHistory as polemicFrom the temple to the ivory towerConclusionChapter 5. Sermons among mountainsDharma Drum MountainTzu ChiBuddha-Light MountainLingjiu Shan and Zhongtai ChansiConclusionConclusionReligious inter-connectivityInterfaith competition in Taiwan after 1949KMT modernityInterfaith competition and identitySummaryList of Chinese charactersBibliographyIndex