religious philanthropy and civil society
This chapter introduces readers to the different ways in which Chinese people, through their religious traditions, have understood philanthropy and have tried to achieve an idea of “the good” by giving and serving others. It discusses Chinese indigenous concepts of philanthropy and presents traditional practices and contemporary movements drawing inspiration from popular religion, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Finally, it considers the role religious philanthropy is playing in the emergence of a Chinese civil society.
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Jack ma (馬雲) the richest man of china - helping small guys
Youtube clip - Bloomberg - Jack Ma: Alibaba wants to help U.S. small businesses - September 19, 2014
You may have heard of Alibaba, the burgeoning e-commerce company originated in China which has been listed in one of the U.S. stock markets. The founder of Alibaba is Jack Ma (馬雲), coined as the "Richest Man of China (中國首富)", whose sentences are often reported by the media as golden quotes owing to the outstanding, or sometime exaggerating advocacy. On the listing day of Alibaba September 19, 2014, Jack Ma was interviewed by Bloomberg (see Youtube clip), and when he was asked by the reporter about the business goals of his kingdom, he replied, "We wanted to help a lot of small guys, because big guys are already in China; small guys, they need help (from company) like us." It seems that Jack Ma has a best intention of helping "small guys" while getting his company listed in the States. Is it business or charity? It is hard to tell.
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Jack Ma - The Richest Man of China
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Chen guangbiao (陳光標) the kindest man of china - a charity show?
Youtube clip - Vice News - Chinese multimillionaire dupes New York's homeless - June 27, 2014
China has not only its "Richest Man (首富)" but "Kindest Man (首善)" as well. His name is Chen Guangbiao (陳光標) who has been under media's spotlight in China and the States. He is known as a multimillionaire who compassionately gets engaged in charity events, at first dealing with education problems in the mountainous area of China. He then proceeds his charity work to New York, where he carried out several controversial activities that drew media's attention. One of such, as shown in the youtube clip, was an occasion of Chen hosting lunch for the homeless in New York's Central Park. But his high-profile and sometimes bizarre acts have attracted criticism, claiming that he had not fulfilled his promise of distributing cashes, and did charity work only for getting famous, as one of the homeless shouted, "Do not give us anything. You are in the business of our suffering!"
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Chen Guangbiao giving away his cash in streets of New York in June, 2014 - source: Vice News
https://news.vice.com/video/give-us-our-money |
Are the multimillionaires religious?
Are those Chinese tycoons doing charity necessarily religious? Since 2008, as Chen Guangbiao donated abundant resources to Sichuan Earthquake refugees, he was made famous since high-rank officials of the government had given credits to his charity accomplishments. The media then postulated that Chen might be a believer of certain religions, only by which his motive of doing good could be explained. Rumors about Chen being a Christian have been widely spread.
Intriguingly, the media has also been depicting Jack Ma as a follower, disciple, or a lay believer of Buddhism. Indeed, Jack Ma has visited several monks routinely each year, whom he thanked for giving him insights on his career. The business of these tycoons may have nothing to do with religions, however, we can easily grasp their images religiously presented in interviews or public events. In China, the religious side of celebrities often draw media's attention. Jack Ma visited a Buddhist monastery in his hometown on April 6, 2016 - source: ifeng.com
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contemporary forms of religious philanthropy
From the above examples of multimillionaires, we can somehow see the subtle linkages between religion and charity work. Indeed, the ethics of rich people paying back to the society are deeply embedded in Chinese traditions. Confucianism obviously expresses the concept of benevolence (ren 仁) as its central idea; Daoist masters, in imperial times, engaged in the provision of free medicine and medical care to the needy; Buddhism advocates the intention of saving all sentient beings. Traditional Chinese religions already have a universalistic notion of compassion and benevolence that is compatible with philanthropic ideals. Nowadays in contemporary China and Taiwan, highly organized philanthropic institutions are founded, serving not only the local community but the wider globe as they establish more and more branches across the world.
amity foundation
CRL interview - Philip L. Wickeri - Amity Foundation
Philip L. Wickeri, one of the authors of "The Religious Life of Ethnic Minority Communities", is also a pastor ordained in China in the early 1990s. In the interview, he talks about the Amity Foundation which has been conducting social services and education programs in China since 1985. Being a Christian organization, Amity outlines the 6Cs to execute in its social services, which are Compassion, Commitment, Competence, Communication, Cooperation, and Creativity.
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Visit the website of Amity Foundation:
http://www.amityfoundation.org/eng/ |
Fo guang shan monastery
Visit the website of Fo Guang Shan Monastery: https://www.fgs.org.tw/en/
Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan, led by the charismatic Master Hsing Yun (1927-), has been promoting principles of "Humanistic Buddhism" across the strait since 1967. The Master believes that it is not necessary for us to find enlightenment in the paradise after life, but instead, we can realize our true nature light right here and right now. With a heavy focus on the welfare of human being, Fo Guang Shan extends its reach of social services to many parts of the world, including Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, and Australia, conducting educational prgrams and medical programs. In the below interview, Master Hsing Yun comments, "Because under the same belief, people from both sides of the strait are Chinese." And of course, albeit the political meaning, this claim can be extended to all Chinese around the globe, and all humans in the world as well.
CCTV News - Buddhist beliefs can connect people across Taiwan Strait: Master Hsing Yun - October 25, 2015
The Tzu chi movement
Youtube clip - Da Ai Television - Tzu Chi crossing religious divides - February 12, 2015
Another remarkable Buddhist group in Taiwan is Tzu Chi Foundation (慈濟基金會), established in 1966 by Master Cheng Yen (證嚴). Enlightened by the venerable nun Cheng Yen, the vow of the volunteers of Tzu Chi is "the belief and guidance for them to participate in worldly matters", as they accept the Buddhist teachings of "expressing great kindness to all sentient beings, and taking their suffering as our own"(see The Vow of Tzu Chi Commissioners). Tzu Chi Foundation extends its volunteer work far beyond Taiwan and China, and that, their volunteers are capable of working with other non-Buddhist religious community, such as the Muslim in a village in Malaysia (see Youtube clip above), where Tzu Chi made the Mosque a gathering point for the program.
The philanthropic resources of religion
CRL interview - Andre Laliberte - The philanthropic resources of religion
Andre Laliberte is one of the authors of the chapter "Religious Philanthropy and Chinese Civil Society" in Chinese Religious Life. In the interview, he mentions the expertise of religious groups in Taiwan that effectively functions in times of calamity. From his view point, religious institutions can provide important philanthropic resources, for instance, financial support and human resources, to help people who are facing crisis situation. Sometimes, they do better than the government.