在中国—东盟命运共同体建设中，佛教文化将有助于联结、融合西部陆海新通道与21世纪海上丝绸之路建设。

Author: Zhang Xu, Liu Xianglin

The year is the "China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges." China and ASEAN countries are geographically close and culturally connected, with Buddhist culture serving as an important link for exchanges. How does Buddhist culture influence ASEAN, and what impact does it have in China, particularly in Chongqing? In promoting the construction of a China-ASEAN community with a shared future, what role does Buddhist culture play? Yang Xiaorong, a researcher at the Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences, recently discussed this in an interview with China News Service's "East-West Question."

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

Reporter from China News Service: What is the status of Buddhist culture in ASEAN countries?

Yang Xiaorong: The status and influence of Buddhism in the social, political, economic, and cultural spheres of the ten ASEAN countries cannot be overlooked. For example, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos all regard Buddhism as the state religion, and the headquarters of the World Fellowship of Buddhists is located in Bangkok, Thailand. Buddhism is the largest religion in Vietnam and Singapore. Ven. Yen Pei, who emerged from the Chongqing Hanzang Buddhist Academy, once propagated and practiced Master Tai Xu's Humanistic Buddhism in Singapore.

In Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei, Buddhism also has considerable influence. Among them, Malaysia and the Philippines once had disciples of Master Tai Xu propagating Humanistic Buddhism. Historically, Indonesia also left behind the "world's largest Buddhist temple," Borobudur.

(File photo) Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. Photo by Liu Kexiu, China News Service.

China has also been deeply influenced by Buddhist culture. The white paper "Policies and Practices on Safeguarding Freedom of Religious Belief in China" released in a certain month and year indicated that, as of then, there were approximately 33,000 Buddhist temples and 220,000 Buddhist clergy in China, with a large number of Buddhist believers.

Buddhism was introduced to Chongqing as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Chongqing, the Dazu Rock Carvings are world-renowned cultural heritage sites, and the Shuanggui Hall in Liangping is revered as the ancestral temple of the Chan sect in Southwest China. Both are also national key cultural relics protection units. Additionally, there are several other Buddhist national key cultural relics protection units in Chongqing, such as the Jinyun Temple and the cliff carvings at the Dafo Temple in Tongnan.

The towering "Buddha" character at the top of the Dafosi Temple in Tongnan. Photo provided by the Integrated Media Center of Tongnan District.

Reporter from China News Service: What is the history and current situation of Buddhist cultural exchanges between Chongqing and ASEAN countries?

Yang Xiaorong: Buddhist culture has always emphasized folk exchanges, and international friendly exchanges are one of the three fine traditions advocated by contemporary Chinese Humanistic Buddhism. The Buddhist community in Chongqing has long maintained close ties with the Buddhist communities in ASEAN regions, which has also influenced exchanges in other areas.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Master Po Shan Hai Ming established the Shuanggui Chan School at Shuanggui Hall in Chongqing. Due to his profound influence on Chan Buddhism in Southwest China, Shuanggui Hall later became revered as the ancestral temple of Chan Buddhism in the region.

Chongqing Liangping Shuanggui Hall. Photo by Xiong Wei.

During the Anti-Japanese War period, Master Tai Xu primarily resided at Mount Jinyun, where the Hanzang Institute of Buddhist Studies in Chongqing was located. During this time, he systematically expounded the concept of Life Buddhism (or Humanistic Buddhism) to the teachers and students of the Hanzang Institute. This was eventually compiled and edited, culminating in the publication of "Life Buddhism" by the Chongqing Hai Chao Yin Magazine Society in the year, which can be regarded as the definitive statement of his later years and a symbol of the formation of his Humanistic Buddhism thought. Therefore, Mount Jinyun in Chongqing is known as the birthplace of Humanistic Buddhism.

At the outset of the Anti-Japanese War, Japan trained Nichiren sect monks in Theravada Buddhist attire to engage in religious espionage. In Southeast and South Asia, particularly in cities like Rangoon, Calcutta, and Colombo, they conducted deceptive propaganda in English or local languages, attempting to blur the distinction between aggression and resistance, with the aim of obstructing international aid to China's resistance efforts.

The Chinese Buddhist community actively responded to this situation. From year to year, under the leadership of Master Tai Xu as the head of the delegation, the "Chinese Buddhist Delegation" set off from Chongqing, first flying to Kunming, then traveling abroad by car via the Yunnan-Burma Road, covering a period of over half a year. They visited Myanmar, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other places, clarifying relevant facts from a Buddhist perspective, advocating for the war of resistance, and successfully gaining sympathy and support from various countries for China's war of resistance, with significant results.

Additionally, at that time, the Buddhist community in Chongqing organized a Chinese Buddhist International Walking Propaganda Team that traveled on foot to Southeast Asian countries to promote China's war effort, which also achieved results.

In the decades of the century, the Religious Affairs Bureau of Sichuan Province organized several "Buddhist Delegation" visits to Thailand, Singapore, and other places to broaden horizons, establish Dharma connections, and enhance friendship. Monks such as Wei Xian, Zhu Xia, and Xin Yue from Chongqing were members of these delegations, strengthening and fostering friendships with ASEAN countries.

Photo of the Tongnan Big Buddha Temple. Courtesy of the Tongnan District Media Center.

In recent years, Venerable Daojian, a disciple of Venerable Xinyue, has established the Chongqing Huayan Culture and Education Foundation, the International Cultural Exchange Center, and other institutions. He has collaborated with local Thai educational institutions to organize various Buddhist cultural activities.

In [month] [year], the Chongqing Huayan International Cultural Exchange Center exhibited Dunhuang silk paintings from the collection of Huayan Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Oriental Institute, attracting numerous local residents and promoting cultural exchange between China and Thailand. In [month] [year], an exhibition of Buddhist icon paper-cuts from the collection of Huayan Temple was held at the Tampines Stadium in Singapore. This themed exhibition had previously been showcased in ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Buddhist education also sees continuous exchanges. In a certain month and year, a monk from the Shengshou Temple in Dazu, Chongqing, went to the Buddhist College of Singapore to pursue a graduate degree in Buddhist studies. In recent years, graduate students from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam have also been studying in the field of Buddhism within the Religious Studies program at Southwest University.

Reporter from China News Service: What is the current state of actual exchanges between Chongqing, China, and ASEAN countries?

Yang Xiaorong: On the world map, China and ASEAN are geographically close, connected by mountains and rivers, and have a high degree of industrial complementarity, making them extremely important partners. Among them, the cooperation between Chongqing and ASEAN is particularly close.

Date, China (Chongqing) - The China (Chongqing) - ASEAN Vocational Education Cooperation and High-Quality Development Forum was held in Yongchuan, Chongqing. The photo shows ASEAN students at the event. Photo by Zhang Xu.

In the first half of the year, Chongqing's total import and export value with ASEAN reached 55.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%, accounting for 18.5% of Chongqing's total foreign trade value. ASEAN continued to be Chongqing's largest economic and trade cooperation partner.

In the non-economic and trade fields, in a certain year, the China Law Society, relying on Southwest University of Political Science and Law, established the China-ASEAN Legal Research Center. This center integrates legal and jurisprudential resources from China and ASEAN, focusing on research in the construction of regional rule of law in the China-ASEAN region, the cultivation of high-end legal talents related to ASEAN, and the development of an ASEAN legal database, all in service of building a community with a shared future for China and ASEAN.

In the month of the year, the Chongqing ASEAN Cooperation Center was established, aiming to create a centralized window and platform for cooperation resources between Chongqing and ASEAN countries. It is positioned to serve five main functions: commercial services, industrial cooperation, central cooperation, cultural tourism, and exhibition display, with the goal of deepening cooperation and exchanges between Chongqing and ASEAN in the fields of trade, culture, tourism, logistics, and more.

Reporter from China News Service: In the construction of the China-ASEAN Community of Shared Destiny, how can Buddhist culture play a role? What suggestions do you have on this?

Yang Xiaorong: Firstly, Buddhist culture can provide "cultural support" and "cultural guidance" for economic development, thereby achieving a virtuous interaction and symbiotic prosperity between Buddhist culture and economic development. The ASEAN countries in Southeast Asia have been important hubs of the "Maritime Silk Road" since ancient times and are within the scope of the South China Sea Buddhist cultural circle. In the construction of the China-ASEAN Community of Shared Future, Buddhist culture will help connect and integrate the construction of the western land-sea new corridor with the century-long Maritime Silk Road.

Second, Buddhist culture can assist in building a bridge and bond for China and ASEAN countries to foster neighborly relations, people-to-people closeness, and mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in the construction of the China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future. Cultural exchanges are a crucial aspect of the China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future, and Buddhist cultural exchanges among the people are one of its components. It is essential to fully utilize platforms for exchange such as the South China Sea Buddhist Roundtable, the Boao Forum for Asia's Religious Sub-Forum, the World Buddhist Forum, and the World Fellowship of Buddhists, promoting mutual understanding among peoples through various forms of international Buddhist cultural exchange activities.

Third, mobilize the strength of various sectors of society, particularly the Buddhist community, to encourage temples or Buddhist associations in Chongqing and other provinces in southwest China neighboring ASEAN countries to engage in diverse Buddhist cultural exchange activities with the Buddhist community in ASEAN countries. Efforts can be made to establish sister-city or sister-temple relationships with cities or temples in ASEAN countries. Cooperation can also be explored in areas such as Buddhist public welfare and charity, temple management, talent exchange and training, and Buddhist education.

Fourth, under the coordination of the China-ASEAN Center, jointly with platforms related to ASEAN in Chongqing and other regions, we will collectively stimulate the auxiliary role of Buddhist culture in exchanges and cooperation in trade, investment, education, culture, tourism, and information media with ASEAN. Strengthen collaboration with local religious management, Buddhist associations, Buddhist academies, and research institutions in the humanities and social sciences, as well as universities, to conduct academic discussions on Buddhism and religion in ASEAN countries, thereby propelling the construction of the China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future.

Interviewee Profile:*

杨孝容。重庆社会科学院供图杨孝容，宗教学研究员，哲学博士。1998年以来供职于重庆社会科学院（重庆市人民政府发展研究中心）。近20年主要致力于汉藏教理院与民国佛教、西南佛教研究。曾在《世界宗教研究》《世界宗教文化》《宗教学研究》等学刊发表相关论文数十篇。主持完成国家社科基金项目“汉藏教理院与民国佛教研究”及重庆社科基金项目“重庆佛教文化研究”等。

Title: "Yang Xiaorong: How Can Buddhist Cultural Exchange Promote the Construction of the China-ASEAN Community with a Shared Future? East-West Question" Text Editor: Xu Huangguan Image Editor: Cui Chuqiao Layout: Dai Shuo Editor: Song Fangcan

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