A woman prays for blessing at the Tianning Temple in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Feb 19. Xu Peiqin / For China Daily

Social morals

In a sign of religious leaders' efforts to better connect with the public, many Buddhist masters and experts argue that promoting the religion can help fill a void that has allowed moral decline and corruption to flourish.

In his Wisdom Education series of books published last year, Venerable Master Jingkong extols that the essence of Buddhism is education, rather than religion.

The Buddhist notion of karma can inspire people to take responsibility for their actions, and teaching that enlightenment and rebirth is within reach for believers through self-cultivation can provide a cure for the moral numbness, he wrote.

Fang Litian, a professor of Buddhist philosophy at Renmin University of China, agreed that Buddhist teachings can help to establish moral ethics in contemporary China.

"The notion of karma can be borrowed for the building of a social moral system ... as people choose their actions based on what kind of outcome the action will lead to," he said in a commentary piece that appeared in China Ethnic News in May.

Meanwhile, the successful localization of Buddhism in China has also enabled the religion to integrate with traditional Chinese culture, which means the religion can benefit from efforts by authorities to promote that culture.

Buddhism entered China through missionaries from India during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and over time it incorporated the thinking of Confucianism.

Zhuo at the CASS said Buddhism offers a case study in successfully adapting to the values of a secular society. "The belief in socialism and communism is at a political level, while the belief in religion is another level," he said. "The two levels, I believe, are not conflicting."

"The Buddhist idea of mercy and compassion, the salvation of the public and sacrifice of oneself, they are all notions that are lacking in contemporary China," he added.