"Buddhism maintained itself and even grew while persecuted, and great Buddhist centers were often fiercely independent. Yet, the pseudo-historical reconstruction of Chinese Buddhism has a clear purpose. First, to claim that to adapt to China Buddhism had to accept to serve the state, and this was to its advantage. Second, to insist that this Sinicization of old is not sufficient today because Buddhism adapted to the Imperial State and its principles, while the Communist People’s Republic of China is obviously different. Accordingly, Buddhism should now adapt to the [Chinese Communist Party] and, as the Forum insisted, adopt and preach “Xi Jinping’s thought on religion”—and by doing so, it is claimed, it would even be true to its origins. It is a historical fraud, but a convenient way to assert CCP’s control on Buddhism—and all religions."
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Compiler's note: The Forum in the quotation is the “Sinicization of Buddhism and Lingyan Temple History and Culture Forum” in the English translation of the Chinese title, and “Sinicization” in the Chinese Communist Party's terms is conforming to the ideology and directives of the Chinese Communist Party.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism
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Chinese Buddhism
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