A Buddhist spectacle with political overtones
Pomp, ceremony and a spectacular new 'Buddha palace' were the order of the day as 1,300 monks and scholars from around the world gathered in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, yesterday for the state-sponsored Second World Buddhist Forum.
Seated beneath a vast, domed ceiling inlaid with giant lotus petals, representatives from 46 countries gasped collectively as a third of the hall's circular wall opened to reveal a 300-strong choir and orchestra to deliver the musical opener. This was followed by a slickly produced film projected onto a huge screen.
Gene Reeves, international adviser at Rissho Kosei-kai in Tokyo, expressed his admiration at the showmanship of the opening, but lamented that the summit was unlikely to go more than skin deep.
'It really is a spectacle,' Dr Reeves said. 'But this is China and they do these things very well here.'
Vietnamese monk Thich Minh Nhan, a lecturer at Viet Nam Buddhist University, said Chinese national pride was apparent in the scale of the celebrations.
'It would be better if the political element was less obvious,' he said. 'It is more obvious this year than at the first forum in 2006.'
With the title 'A Harmonious World, a Synergy of Conditions', the summit is hosted jointly by the Buddhist Association of China, Hong Kong Buddhist Association, Taiwan-based Buddha's Light International Association and China Religious Culture Communication Association.
The Wuxi leg concludes today before the summit moves to Taipei, where it will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday. Being the first major Buddhist convention to bridge the Taiwan Strait adds another political element to the summit.
Xinhua reported that Jia Qinglin, the chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told a group of 100 delegates on Friday that he hoped Buddhists from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan would make further contributions to China's economic development, social harmony and peaceful development of relations across the strait.
On Friday, Buddhist Association of China spokesman Ming Sheng said the Dalai Lama, the highest-ranking member of Tibetan Buddhism, had not been invited as he was a 'political exile' rather than a religious leader.
The rarely seen Panchen Lama played a prominent role in the event, arriving late in a flurry of security and delivering a speech in English.
There was a strong showing from the Tibetan branch of the religion, with crimson-robed monks mingling with their brethren robed in grey, brown and saffron. Most seemed unwilling to speak openly, however.
'Sorry, I only speak Tibetan and wouldn't know how to express myself in Chinese,' said one monk from Sichuan province, in pitch-perfect Putonghua. Glancing nervously over his shoulder, he declined to answer further questions.
Another Tibetan monk, from Yunnan province, wished the Dalai Lama had been able to attend.
'He is an important figure in our religion. Of course, we hope that one day everyone will be welcome.'
