Paper short abstract:

My paper will analyze the proclamation of early 20th-century Buddhist master Taixu that Europe and the US should embrace Buddhism as their new faith, since it is more in line with modern science than theistic Christianity. I will draw upon two of his most significant talks on the topic.

Paper long abstract:

In early 20th century China, technology, and science became the central theme of apologetic talks by the Buddhist monk Taixu, a leading reformer of the time. Taixu aimed to alter public perception of Buddhism from a declining superstitious tradition to one appealing to wide audiences. To achieve this, he highlighted parts of the tradition, which matched current intellectual trends. Therefore, in a country focused on economic development and western style modernization, he placed the highly systematic and philosophical weishi or yogācāra Buddhism at the center of his teachings. According to him, weishi Buddhism was the most developed and scientific among all religions, given its logical reasoning, lack of dependence on faith, and the teaching of emptiness (śūnyatā), perceived to be in line with quantum physics. However, he was also quick to point out that Buddhism is more advanced than science since the latter will always be constrained to material reality, whereas Buddhism can reach the ultimate reality of the world through meditation and the right awareness.

Then, in his apologetics towards Christianity, this dual relation of Buddhism and science took central stage. He claimed that given modern technological advances, ethical systems based on a deity lost their relevance to society, leading to moral disorientation and abandonment of religion. Hence, accepting the scientific tradition of Buddhism would both restore morality and the esteem of religions.

The paper will analyze two of Taixu’s most famous speeches on the topic to discuss his arguments in detail, namely, 'The Buddha Dharma and Science' and 'China needs Christianity, and Europe and the US need Buddhism'. Through the first, it will elaborate the dual relationship of Buddhism and science, and through the second, it will show why in Taixu’s opinion Europe and the US should embrace Buddhism as their new religion in the modern era.