Buddhism in Taiwan

Abstract

It is difficult to speak of a distinctive “Taiwanese” Buddhism since the majority of the population in Taiwan is ethnically Han Chinese and the mainstream form of Buddhism in Taiwan is of the Han Chinese Buddhist tradition. With political democratization in the late 1980s, restriction on religious expression was lifted and various Buddhist groups of both foreign and local origins became active. Consequently different Buddhist traditions such as Theravada Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, etc. can now be found in Taiwan. The current Buddhist landscape in Taiwan is relatively diverse. In regard to English translation of names or titles in this article, it is necessary to note that romanization is a contentious issue in Taiwan. While the Pinyin Romanization is popular worldwide, people in Taiwan may use a number of other systems for Romanization. In this bibliography, the English names published by a person or an organization will take precedence; otherwise, the Pinyin Romanization will be used.