October 30, 2024
As China hosted the Sixth World Buddhist Forum from October 15 to 17 in Ningbo, Zhejiang, the event was advertised as a beacon of “world peace” and “coexistence.” But beneath the banners of harmony and international friendship lies a deeper, troubling truth: this forum is yet another tool in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) well-documented push to “sinicize” Buddhism, transforming it into a state-approved version compatible with Communist ideology. Cloaked in the rhetoric of peace and cooperation, the CCP’s ambitions reveal an effort to dismantle and reshape Buddhism — especially Tibetan Buddhism — into a cultural weapon wielded by the state.
The CCP’s motives were glaringly exposed through one glaring absence: that of the Dalai Lama. Since its inception in 2006, the World Buddhist Forum has never invited the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, whom Beijing labels a “separatist.” His absence underscores China’s relentless attempt to discredit his influence and legitimacy on the global stage. While prominent Buddhist leaders from around the world gathered to discuss “inclusive” and “harmonious” Buddhism, the most recognizable figure in the tradition was noticeably — and deliberately — excluded.
“The goal of this forum is to present a distinctly different form of Buddhism,” says Claire Vidal, an associate professor at Lumière University Lyon 2, “one that is compatible with the policies of the Chinese government.” This form of Buddhism is stripped of its spiritual independence, molded to fit neatly within the CCP’s vision of a socialist society.
The 2024 forum theme, “Hand in Hand for Coexistence,” appears benign, but the content of the discussions and official speeches reveal the CCP’s intention to “Sinicize” Buddhism, a policy thrust upon Chinese religious communities since 2015 under Xi Jinping. In Beijing’s hands, sinicization is not merely an attempt to make Buddhism “more Chinese,” but rather a comprehensive process of forcing religious traditions to align with state ideology. According to Vidal, China’s ongoing effort is “the institutionalization of religion,” a tool for co-opting religious doctrine and practice to mirror CCP values. Under the cover of “cultural exchange,” the CCP manipulates Buddhism to foster loyalty to the party, rather than to Buddha’s teachings.
This agenda is especially sinister for Tibetan Buddhism. From mandating loyalty pledges from clergy to replacing traditional reincarnation protocols with government-controlled processes, the CCP has systematically stripped Tibetan Buddhism of its autonomy. Since 2020, the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) — controlled by the CCP’s United Front Work Department — has enacted policies that remove all genuine spiritual authority from religious leaders, instead positioning the CCP as the ultimate arbiter of Buddhist practices. The BAC’s Five-Year Plan for Deepening the Sinification of Buddhism (2023-2027) openly mandates this loyalty, describing the need for Buddhist teachings to “align with socialist values.”
“China has little interest in promoting or protecting Buddhism,” says Tenzin Dorjee, a former commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, adding that the forum is an exercise in “soft power manipulation.” Yet, Chinese state media insists on painting a different picture, touting the forum as a symbol of China’s commitment to “religious freedom” and cultural exchange.
In stark contrast, the CCP’s so-called “freedom” is conditional and tightly regulated. Though Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution grants freedom of religious belief, in practice, clergy members must pledge allegiance to the CCP. The BAC’s 2019 certification standards for Tibetan Buddhist teachers require that they “support the leadership of the Communist Party of China” and “unequivocally safeguard the unity of the motherland.” These phrases are not just slogans but are conditions for clerical positions, making religious expression a state-monitored activity. Tibetan Buddhism, Uyghur Islam, and Christianity in China face similar restrictions, where religious practices are systematically warped to reinforce Communist Party loyalty.
China’s involvement in Buddhist diplomacy is strategic, positioning itself as the “new center” of Buddhism to rival India, the birthplace of the religion. Experts like Sana Hashmi, a policy researcher with Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, argue that China’s true intention is “to show that instead of India…China has more influence when it comes to Buddhism.”
In Tibet, the CCP’s sinicization efforts amount to an existential threat. “The Chinese authorities have realized that Tibetan Buddhism is the core of Tibetan identity,” writes the International Campaign for Tibet, explaining that the CCP’s goal is to “alter this identity to comply with their CCP goals.” This agenda extends to monastic training institutes established outside of Tibet’s traditional monasteries, such as the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College in Beijing, where patriotic education is central to the curriculum.
Even the reincarnation of lamas is manipulated to serve the CCP. Following the death of the 10th Panchen Lama in 1989, the Chinese government’s handpicked successor, Gyaltsen Norbu, was presented as the “true” Panchen Lama. Since 2007, the CCP has enacted regulations (State Order No. 5) that require all reincarnations to be approved by the BAC, effectively nullifying the sacred process of choosing Tibetan religious leaders.
This year’s forum, held just weeks after China’s Patriotic Education Law came into force, highlights how closely aligned the CCP’s vision for Buddhism is with its broader ideological goals. The new law mandates that all religious institutions “carry out patriotic education, enhancing religious professionals’ and believers’ sense of nation…guiding religion to adapt to socialist society.” It’s evident that the CCP’s true interest lies not in Buddhism as a spiritual tradition, but as a political tool, repackaging Buddhist teachings to reinforce the state’s authority.
Yan Jue, president of the BAC, offered a chilling acknowledgment of the government’s ambitions, noting that the forum would “adhere to the direction of Sinicization of Buddhism” and “fully publicize and display the status of religious freedom in China.” These words are a testament to the CCP’s doublethink, where “freedom” is synonymous with allegiance to state policy, and “harmony” is a euphemism for cultural erasure.
The Sixth World Buddhist Forum is not the celebration of peace that its organizers purport it to be. It is a stage-managed spectacle, orchestrated to present a sinicized version of Buddhism, stripped of its autonomy and heritage, to the world. By silencing dissenting voices and manipulating sacred traditions, the CCP seeks to assert itself as the new authority on a global religion, even as it extinguishes the faith of millions at home. For China, the “Hand in Hand for Coexistence” theme rings hollow; in reality, the CCP has shown that its only interest in Buddhism lies in its capacity to serve the state.
This so-called forum is not a celebration of Buddhism but a mockery of it, an exercise in soft power that exploits Buddhism for state control. As China marches forward with its project of cultural homogenization, the world must recognize that the CCP’s Buddhist diplomacy is no act of goodwill. It is, in essence, a sinister ploy to rewrite the faith’s future under the shadow of totalitarian ideology
