The presence of two Chinese Buddhist temples in the Netherlands Illuminated

Tolboom, Lena (2021) The presence of two Chinese Buddhist temples in the Netherlands Illuminated. Bachelor thesis, Bachelor Godsdienstwetenschap.

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Abstract

This paper compares the self-representations of two Chinese Buddhist temples in the Netherlands through a political lens. It concerns the websites of the He Hua Temple in Amsterdam, belonging to the Taiwanese organization of Foguangshan, and that of the Longquan Temple in Utrecht, affiliated with the Longquan temple in Beijing, China. The results show that Longquan Utrecht underscores their transmission of Buddhism, Chinese culture, and their relationship with the Chinese Dutch community and downplays their ties to the Chinese government by not mentioning their affiliation to the Longquan temple in Beijing. It is argued that this may serve to legitimize Longquan’s presence in the Netherlands, since the Netherlands mistrust China’s soft politics strategy. Additionally, Longquan’s website may serve to legitimize Longquan’s presence in the Netherlands towards Longquan in Beijing, which reaffirms that the former is subject to the latter and the Chinese government. In contrast, He Hua Temple needs not to legitimize themselves towards Taiwan, as a result of Taiwan’s liberal policy. Consequently, He Hua can and does display a more extensive organizational identity than Longquan. Furthermore, He Hua legitimizes Foguangshan’s presence in the Netherlands by highlighting its organizational identity, structure, symbols, and shared values. It is argued that Foguangshan is trusted by the Dutch, based on shared values, He Hua’s transparency, and the absence of a soft power strategy regarding Buddhism. Last, Foguangshan shows their goodwill towards China, possibly in an attempt to reunite with Chinese Buddhism or to legitimize their presence in China or both.

Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisors (RUG):	Supervisor E-mail Tutor organization Tutor email Knibbe, K.E. Faculteit GGW, Vergelijkende Religiewetenschap K.E.Knibbe@rug.nl
Supervisors from outside the RUG:	Tutor outside E-mail Tutor outside organization Tutor outside email Oostveen, Daan, Dr. Universiteit Utrecht y.a.poel@rug.nl
Degree programme:	Bachelor Godsdienstwetenschap
Academic year:	2020-2021
Date of delivery:	03 Sep 2021 11:27
Last modified:	03 Sep 2021 11:27
URI:	https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/612

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