%0 Journal Article
%@ 0004-4482
%A Douglas M. Gildow

%T Cai Yuanpei (1868–1940), Religion, and His Plan to Save China through Buddhism
%D 2018
%J Asia Major
%P 107-148
%V 31
%N 2
%X This article examines the evolution of Cai Yuanpei's (1868–1940) views on religion in general and Buddhism in particular, focusing on his little-known essay, “Protecting the Nation through Buddhist Teachings” (1900). The twofold aim is to explain how a generally secularist leader such as Cai could have once advocated Buddhism as a key in constructing a modern nation but then changed his views. Toward this end I analyze Cai's writings and probe the sources of his ideas. This investigation reveals that Cai derived pro-Buddhist ideas from modernist Japanese Buddhism and from native Chinese thinkers fearful of Christianity and disenchanted with Confucianism. I argue that Cai’s gradual change was due to Western secular philosophies and to his experiences with religious groups. I suggest that Cai wrestled with a fundamental issue for modern states, which remains divisive worldwide to this day: whether to grant a given religion or ideology a privileged place in the national constitution. An annotated translation of Cai's essay is appended.
%K Cai Yuanpei, religion, Buddhism, jiao (teachings /religion), guo (nation/state), Inoue Enryō