Paper short abstract:

Two case studies of how technology has impacted the belief and practice of Buddhism in Beijing: Lóngquán Monastery demonstrates how Buddhism can greatly benefit from technology whereas underground Buddhists and private practitioners claim that technology can disadvantage Buddhism.

Paper long abstract:

This paper offers a contrasting view of how technology has impacted the belief and practice of Buddhism in Beijing. By utilising ethnographic data obtained over the course of five years, this paper seeks to demonstrate that technology has simultaneous brought about advantages and disadvantages to Buddhism in Beijing. Two Buddhist case studies grounded in fieldwork will be employed to demonstrate this vast spectrum of how technology has been received and employed. By examining Lóngquán Monastery (北京龙泉寺) this paper will initially demonstrate how Buddhism has greatly benefitted from embracing technology. By disseminating material online, offering various online resources, establishing a plethora of Buddhist social media avenues, digitising Buddhist texts, and even delving into the realm of Buddhism and robotics, Lóngquán Monastery demonstrates an apparent embracing of technology that has not only aided in increasing official membership but has also brought about a rise in general public awareness of Buddhism. The interviewed monks and lay members readily speak of the power of technology in aiding their cause, and view it as a positive tool to be utilised. Lóngquán Monastery will then be contrasted with a less-defined case study of underground Buddhist movements as well as those who practice Buddhism in private. This paper will demonstrate that this dispersed group paints a more nuanced picture of how technology can pose a threat to the practice of Buddhism in Beijing. Herein, the interviewees cautiously speak of a rise in technological means of observation as well as social media heralding the advent of “half-baked Buddhist teachings” (半调子信佛) that has lost the original purity of the Dharma. This paper will ultimately conclude that the relationship between Buddhism and technology in Beijing is far more nuanced than popular media might initially lead us to believe.