China's 1 billion uncounted Buddhists

(Chinese Life with Judy & Mao) Is China really non-religious? In Beijing's most crowded temple

List of religions by size (Wikipedia)a

What is the third largest religion in the world?

Who can say? One billion or more Buddhists in China go uncounted in official figures because, officially, all Chinese in China are communist atheists with no interest in religion, just a love of business, STEM, and tech.

• Buddhism in China

India, birthplace of Buddhism, unmentioned

Who admits tradition when the census comes a knocking and it's time to make money, pile up profits, and get more stuff? Capitalism rules here.

• China's undercounted religious populations

The exact same thing happens in the United States, and any American can see it at the largest Buddhist temple in the western hemisphere, "Going West" (Hsi Lai) Temple, in Los Angeles, California:

Is this China or California? (Hsi Lai Temple, Hacienda Heights, SGV, LA County)

• Chongsheng Temple: A glimpse of China's architectural beauty

Government and politics in China

Who cares about Buddhist Shaolin Temple of Kung Fu but tourists from around the world?

.

Most earthlings live either in India or China

"China" is actually called the People's Republic of China (PRC). Officially, it is a communist state governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Officially, the CCP is guided by socialism with Chinese characteristics, which it describes as Marxism adapted to Chinese circumstances [184].

The 14th Dalai Lama is considered a demon.

The Chinese constitution states that the PRC "is a socialist state governed by a people's democratic dictatorship that is led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants" and that "the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party" [185].

Enormous modern Buddha statue, Henan, China

The PRC officially characterizes itself as a democracy—more specifically, a whole-process people's democracy—that is organized around the [Russian] Leninist principle of democratic centralism [186].

However, the [empire or] country is commonly described as an authoritarian one-party state and a dictatorship [187, 188] with some of the world's heaviest restrictions in many civil rights areas, most notably AGAINST:

• freedom of the press,
• freedom of assembly,
• free formation of social organizations,
• freedom of religion, and
• freedom of the Internet [189].

"Freedom of religion"? Not for Tibetans, Uyghurs

China has consistently been ranked among the lowest as an "authoritarian regime" by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, ranking at 145th out of 167 countries in 2024 [190].

But other sources suggest that terming China as "authoritarian" does not sufficiently account for the multiple consultation mechanisms that exist in the Chinese governmental system [191].

Religion in China

China's top Buddhist Goddess

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by China's constitution, although religious organizations [like peaceful Falun Gong] that lack official approval can be subject to state persecution [198].

The government of the country is officially atheist, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) requires its members to be [or at least say they are officially] atheist [479].

Religious affairs and issues in the country are overseen by the National Religious Affairs Administration, under the CCP's United Front Work Department [480].

Guanyin in neighboring Mongolia

The "Three Teachings" of [spiritual] Buddhism, [social] Confucianism, and [philosophical] Taoism have historically shaped Chinese culture [481, 482], enriching a spiritual and philosophical framework of traditional religion that harks back to the early Shang and Zhou Dynasty.

Chinese folk religion, which is framed by the Three Teachings and by other traditions [483], consists in allegiance to the shen [Japanese kami], who can be:

• deities of the surrounding nature or
• ancestral principles of human groups,
• concepts of civility,
• culture heroes and heroines, many of whom feature in Chinese mythology and history [484].

Among the most popular cults of folk religion are those of

• 

  Chinese ritual with incense

  the Yellow Emperor, embodiment of the God of Heaven, and
• one of the two divine patriarchs of the Chinese people [485, 486] of
• Mazu/Matsu (Goddess of the Seas) [485],
• Guan Yu (God of War and Business),
• Caishen (God of Prosperity and Wealth),
• Pangu, and
• many others.

In the early decades of the 21st century, the Chinese government has been engaged in a rehabilitation of folk cults—formally recognizing them as "folk beliefs" as distinguished from doctrinal religions [487] and often reconstructing them into forms of "highly curated" civil religion [488]—as well as in a national and international promotion of Buddhism [489].

A visit to 'evil' atheist China

(Leah's English) CHINA VLOG: An American's daily life in China

Big statues: India, China, USA, Russia, Brazil

China is home to many of the world's tallest religious statues, representing either enlightened Buddhist beings or deities of Chinese folk religion; the tallest of all is the Spring Temple Buddha in Henan. More

European Buddhist nun in Chinese: "Stop comparing, start living"

• Chinese temple praying (rawpixel)
• Chinese Life with Judy & Mao; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Why we can't have nice things. China can

(Li Jingjing)

(The Absurdist) What's a Uyghur? And why does West lie about China?

The Absurdist: I traveled to Xinjiang [China in March 2025] to speak directly with Uyghurs and hear their stories firsthand. What I found challenges much of what we often hear in Western media. This is their side of the story.

• The Uyghur China the Western media won't show

(Barrett) The West is WRONG [or lying] about Xinjiang, China

R. Gere 'Wisdom of Happiness' (Lion's Roar)

Richard Gere on “The Wisdom of Happiness” and the Dalai Lama’s message for our time

Magazine Nov. 2025 (lionsroar.com)

(Lion’s Roar) In the new film The Wisdom of Happiness, HH the Dalai Lama shares his timeless message of compassion and interconnection on the big screen.

In conversation with Lion’s Roar magazine Editor Andrea Miller, Richard Gere -- American Zen and Vajrayana Buddhist, actor, humanitarian, and one of the executive producers of the film -- reflects on the nature of true happiness, the roots of suffering, and how meeting the Dalai Lama transformed his life.

The Wisdom of Happiness premieres in theaters Oct. 2025 and, while best viewed on the big screen, it is also available for streaming. To find a screening at a nearby theater, visit: wisdomofhappinessfilm.com.

• The Roots of Good and Evil: Buddhist Texts translated from the Pali (Buddhist Publication Society)

ABOUT: Lion’s Roar is an independent non-profit foundation whose mission is to communicate Buddhist wisdom and practices in order to benefit people’s lives and our society and to support the development of Buddhism in the modern world. Through its print and digital publications, it aims to bring Dharma to people right where they are, knowing what a difference it can make in their lives.

Sign up for Lion's Roar's free "How to Live a Good Human Life Summit," from Oct. 23-27: lionsroar.com/how-to-live...

Subscribe to channel: @lionsroaronline. Get weekly top stories delivered to inbox: lionsroar.com/newsletter. WEBSITE: lionsroar.com. Facebook (lionsroarbuddhism). Instagram (lionsroarbuddhism).

• The Simpsons; Actor Richard Gere, editor Andrea Miller (lionsroar.com), Oct. 15, 2025; CC Liu, Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

China is the future: 'Looper' was right

Who will be the pan-Asian inhabitants of the future Empire of China when 1984 comes true?

Chinese futuristic engineering: most amazing wonders

(Lifeder) Ahead of the USA and Russia, the PRC (People's Republic of China) has had its proficiency in mathematics and other STEM subjects pay off. Is there space alien technology afoot or just better chips and AI computing? Maybe 5,000+ years of civilization has finally paid off again to make China the world leader in technology, complexity, advancement, and cultural cohesion, seamlessly blending Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

(Dwarkesh Clips) Why China will betray Russia – Sarah Paine

(Dwarkesh Clips) Nov. 2, 2025: Military historian Sarah Paine. In the full lecture, military historian Sarah Paine explains how Russia—and specifically Dictator Stalin—completely derailed China’s rise, slowing the mega-country down for over a century. This lecture is of particular interest because, in my opinion, the Chinese Civil War is one of the top three most important events of the 20th century. To understand why it transpired as it did, one needs to understand Russian Dictator Stalin’s role in it.

• Full episode: How Russia sabotaged China's rise

Great Chinese Empire: Terracotta Army

(The Curious Mind)

China is 100 years ahead of the USA

(The Extreme Discovery)

Secret Chinese pyramids coming to light

This is why scientists are terrified of China's prehistoric mega structures and unexcavated pyramids

(Incredible Stories) In this chilling deep dive, we explore 20 massive ancient archeological sites across China that defy logic, challenge technology, and remain cloaked in silence.

• Buddhism in China

From the impossible engineering of the Longyou Caves (formerly filled with water and only revealed when local villagers sought to drain them) to mysterious burial pyramids locked beneath military zones, these structures are more than relics. They're unsolved threats to our understanding of history.

China's official secrets?

This dark side of China is shocking

Why are experts and Chinese authorities afraid to investigate further? What secrets are too dangerous to uncover? Watch now and find out what lies buried in China’s forbidden past.

• The 25,000-year-old Indonesian "pyramid" was likely not made by humans | IFLScience
• Incredible Stories, Aug. 12, 2025; CC Liu, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Succession? Dalai Lama turns 90 Sunday

I'll be back. I'll return. And it won't be like Saint Issa who said he would have second coming.

(DW) The 14th Dalai Lama affirms he will have a successor after his next death and rebirth

(Al Jazeera) How will the next (15th) Dalai Lama be chosen, who could it be? Will he return?

He may return as a "hot" female as he has said.

Who is the Dalai Lama? He turns 90 next Sunday, on July 6th, 2025. Only John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) has been able to get to the bottom of it. Why do Americans and most of the world (other than China) love him? He got to the bottom of that. The Dalai Lama is the alleged 14th reincarnation (rebirth) of a transformed Vedic Hindu deity named Avalokiteshvara (manifesting as the female deity Chenrezig, Guanyin, Kwannon, Kwan Yin). It's not that there have been 13 previous Dalai Lamas so much as the same one coming back, but not a Buddhist messiah figure. That messiah is Maitreya, the Buddha of the future.

Past life memories are not so unusual. We can remember

How will the next Dalai Lama be chosen – and who could it be?

(Al Jazeera English) July 2, 2025: The Dalai Lama has told followers that the role, that he embodies, will continue after his death. In a video message to a religious gathering in northern India he added that the search for a future Dalai Lama would be carried out in accordance with tradition. That's at odds with China's assertion it should choose the next Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama is reincarnated into the body of a child. Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride reports on the succession process. Tibetan writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue says the Dalai Lama's statement cuts China out of the process to choose a successor.

Al Jazeera is funded in whole or in part by the Qatari government. Subscribe to channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe. Follow on X: x.com/ajenglish. Find on Facebook: aljazeera. Website: aljazeera.com. Check out Instagram: aljazeeraenglish. Download AJE mobile app: aje.io/AJEMobile. #DalaiLama #Tibet #Succession #Reincarnation #China #Dharamshala #TibetanBuddhism #Buddhism #Religion #AlJazeeraEnglish

Richard Gere celebrates Dalai Lama, 90

Tibet and China headed for spiritual showdown: How will the NEXT Dalai Lama be Chosen?

What are Buddhist relics, 'stupas'?

Secrets of the Dead: Bones of the Buddha - full documentary HD

Buddhist Stupa: What we know about Buddhist burial mound reliquaries

(Bodhisattva) Everything anyone needs to know about stupas might be found here. Stupas are some of the oldest structures venerated in India [and Central Asia long before that]. Until a thousand years ago the entire region of the Indian subcontinent from Afghanistan (ancient Gandhara) to formerly Buddhist Bangladesh was dotted with thousands of stupas, large and small. Sacred relics (sarira) are placed inside of them.

Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka: Worship, Heritage, Wars

Now only a few survive that are also in very bad condition. Why were these stupas made in the first place? What is the significance of stupas in Buddhism? What role did they play in the spread of Buddhism? Why is this stupa different from that one and that one and this one? How are they different from each other apart from basic structural differences? Why have abandoned stupas in India been continuously targeted by treasure hunters for centuries? What was placed in stupas that is of such interest to the treasure hunters?

Ancient stone caskets that stored the Buddha’s relics | Sanchi Stupa, India

NOTE: The Buddha did not "die," which means rebirth. He ended samsara.

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:18 - Origin of stupas
• 3:55 - Types of stupas
• 6:18 - Architecture of stupas
• 11:52 - Rituals, pilgrimage, perambulation
• 15:46 - Global expansion and evolution of stupas

Celtic noblewoman Lady of Vix burial mound

Let's find out more about stupas and understand their significance so that the world can appreciate and preserve them better. Origin of stupas, different types, architecture, significance, and global expansion and evolution of stupa architecture. This is a comprehensive video on the subject. #Buddha #Stupa #Buddhism

• Bones of the Buddha; Bodhisattva; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

2025 hits Buddhist Hong Kong

New Year's 2024 countdown of all time zones! Next: Kiritimati - LIVE🔴 24/7 : r/newyears

Buddhist Hong Kong is not the first place to seize the day, nor is it the first to enter the new year every year. As it turns out, that distinction goes to the giant atoll of Kiritimati ("Christmas Island") 6,075 miles east in the middle of the South Pacific.

By the way, What is time? Can we call Kiritimati and ask what the future is like? No because although it is technically the human future, all time is now and only ever is now. What will happen is open. What is is, whatever "time" we see it. The sun won't look the same to us as it did to them. The sun always looks that way; the differences are accounted for by what is occluding it, such as weather, which is local. Do the Kiritimatians know what someone will do in the future? NO, it's nothing like that. What we call a time anywhere in the world depends on a lot of things rather than time. But what is "time"? The arbitrary naming of sunlight, the phase of the moon, the seasons? All are marking, and our internal running clocks are something else. How do we know what time it is? If we mean what it says on the measure we've agreed to agree on, that's one thing, but beyond that, it is quite unreal.

KIRITIMATI sits 144 miles (232 km) north of the equator, 1,340 miles (2,160 km) south of Honolulu, and 3,330 miles (5,360 km) from San Francisco. Kiritimati is in the world's farthest forward time zone, UTC+14, and is therefore one of the first inhabited places on Earth to experience New Year's Day. (See also Caroline Atoll, Kiribati). Although it sits 1,530 mi (2,460 km) east of the 180th Meridian, the Republic of Kiribati realigned the International Date Line in 1995, placing Kiritimati to the west of the dateline. More

• See: New Year’s Eve 2024: Around the world from the first to last countries to celebrate | CNN

New Years fireworks: Hong Kong rings in 2025 | LiveNOW from FOX

(LiveNOW from FOX) Dec. 31, 2024: Happy New Year, Hong Kong! Hong Kong welcomes in 2025, with a dazzling display of fireworks over the iconic Victoria Harbor. Raw and unfiltered, watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events, and stories from across the nation with limited commentary and no opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.

How did China get its uniquely amalgamated (Brahminical, Hindu, Mahayanist, Taoist, Confucian, shamanic) form of Buddhism? Their view of the "Dharma" came in missionary waves launched from China to the Holy Land (India/Afghanistan), in what is strangely known as the figure the Monkey King and the novel The Journey West. Chinese pilgrims traveled to the origin of the Dharma and brought it back, but they unknowingly brought back much more, already watered down and syncretized with the Old Vedic religion, Brahmanism, and various uniquely Indian forms of spirituality. Great pilgrims really did the journey and come back with many texts, sutras and Agamas. That is one reason why Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism are so much alike.

Due to the tilt, axis, procession, and spiraling of our little but very bright sun (said in the ancient Indian cosmologies of the Old Vedic religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism to be the same approximate size as the moon, which follows after it), though mostly due to the politically motivated timelines of longitude, latitude, and the boundaries of countries, it is already 2025 in Buddhist Hong Kong. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know; our Sol is just coincidentally 400 times bigger and 400 times farther away than our Luna, right, right, quite a coinkydink we are forced to accept as irrefutable science fact no matter what mystic seers and the world religions have to say about our little world-system here). Australia's next and is already in full celebration mode in Sydney Harbor. It happens every year. They beat us to the punch. New Year’s Eve parties worldwide for an epic start to 2025

• LiveNowfromFox; AP; Global News, Dec. 31, 2024; CC Liu, Crystal Q., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Why is Santa Buddha (Budai) so fat?

Hotei/Budai is not Buddhist but Shinto

"The Legend of Hotei, the Laughing Buddha" (holymtn.com) edited by Wisdom Quarterly

Hotei (Budai) is a Shinto god

Japanese Hotei (known in Chinese as Budai) is one of the Shichi Fukujin, or "Seven Shinto-Gods of Luck." He is the "god of happiness, laughter, and the wisdom of contentment" and the patron of the weak and of children, fortunetellers, and bartenders.

• The term "Shinto" derives from the combination of two Chinese characters -- shin (神), which means "spirit" (kami, supernatural entities, possibly heavenly ETs coming to this dimension) or "god," and tō (道, tao), which means "way," "road," or "path" [45]. Shintō (神道) is therefore "the Way of the Gods" (or Spirits, the shapeshifting kami at the center of the priestly religion). It was a term already used in the I-Ching or Book of Changes, referring to the divine order of nature [46]. Around the time of the spread of Buddhism in the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), the term was used to distinguish indigenous Chinese religions (shamanic or magic-based traditions) from the new imported religion. Ge Hong used it in his Baopuzi as a synonym for Taoism [47]. Shinto is animistic and polytheistic with priests who deal with the unruly shapeshifting monsters/gods known as the kami. The Chinese term 神道 (MC zyin daw) was originally adopted into Japanese as Jindō [48]; this was possibly first used as a Buddhist term to refer to non-Buddhist deities [49] or spirits. More

Budai points at the Moon

Hotei is distinguished by his [fat] body, which is of generous proportions with a round belly exposed beneath loose robes. This big jelly belly is a symbol of happiness, luck, and generosity.

On his back he carries a huge linen sack, containing candy, precious things, and gifts of good fortune, including children.

He also holds an uchiwa, a flat fan of Chinese origin used by ancient chieftains as an emblem of authority and wish granting.

Hotei may sit in an old cart drawn by boys, as the Wagon Priest, and can be compared with the Buddhistic Mi-lo-Fo.

Chinese backstory

I am the big Friendly One. Here's some candy!

In Chinese Buddhism he is known as Budai, the "Loving or Friendly One." He was a wandering Chan Buddhist monk who lived in the 9th century.

At his death between the years of 901 and 903, he recited a poem that revealed to the world that he was in fact the Bodhisattva Maitreya in disguise.

Maitreya, Chinese Mahayana Buddhists believe, is the Future Buddha, who will return to the world and bring innumerable individuals to realization (bodhi) and salvation (nirvana).

This concept of hope for all those who suffer, combined with Budai’s pleasing (always kind and smiling) human features, made him a most popular Buddhist deity (deva).

Good Luck Budai honored in Thailand

It was not until the 16th century that he was canonized as the sixteenth and last Chinese Bodhisattva.

According to Chinese legend he carried a sack of candy to give to children. He is sometimes worshiped as a god of good luck and prosperity.

He is always represented as very stout (fat), with breasts and upper abdomen exposed to view. His face has a widely grinning, joyful, or laughing expression, so he is also known loosely as "the Laughing Buddha" even though he is NOT a buddha.

• [EDITOR'S NOTE: Even "Maitreya Buddha" is actually not yet a buddha as his name would suggest but rather a bodhisattva, that is, "a being striving to become a supreme buddha" (samma sam buddha) in the future.]

He stands in the first hall of Buddhist monasteries. Because of his constant good nature, he has become the symbol of philosophical contentment. Source

• Not to be confused with Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)

The Laughing Buddha Story | Joy of Enlightenment | Zen Buddhism

(Narrative Dreamscape) This short Zen story follows the tale of Hotei (Budai, Putai), a Chinese Buddhist monk who attains "enlightenment" [satori or kensho, an epiphany or spiritual realization] after hearing a child's laughter. He then wanders the land being called the "Laughing Buddha" [Bodhisattva], spreading joy and showing that enlightenment [a realization] can be found by embracing the humor and impermanence of life. This lighthearted and inspirational Zen tale reminds us not to take life too seriously but to greet each moment with childlike joy and presence. Let this [Fat Happy] Laughing Buddha story bring a smile to the face and warmth to the heart.

#zenstory #lifelessons #laughingbuddha #laughingmonk #laughingbuddha

• Legend of Hotei, the Laughing Buddha (holymtn.com); Narrative Dreamscape, Sept. 9, 2023; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly