Religious Scholar

Photos from Beijing, China, taken while attending the"Beyond Thoreau" Conference sponsored by Tsinghua University and the William J. Fulbright program in October 2008 (please copy and paste into your browser):

http://bejingchinaoctober2008.shutterfly.com/

I was impressed by the public displays of spirituality at all of the "three traditions" shrines I visited (Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist). Despite its reputation as a Communist nation with an official policy of atheism, China permits the personal spiritual quest, though shying away from large-scale demonstrations of piety. I was surprised to find that most of the worshippers I encountered were younger people. (See images halfway through the Shutterfly Web site link above). Actually, this is not so unusual, since these individuals' parents and grandparents lived in a time of greater restrictions and hostility toward old religious practices. One could even say that China is undergoing a spiritual revolution, turning to its own religious and philosophical heritage for inspiration, sustenance, and meaning.