CENSUS 2010: Chinese Buddhism and Taoism face an uphill battle to win over Singaporean youth. Can they turn the tide around?

By Xue Jianyue

Chinese religious traditions could fade if nothing is done to preserve it. Photo: AP

THE 2010 census is out, and the numbers are not good for Buddhists and Taoists here.

On paper, Buddhism had fallen to 33% last year, down from 42.5% in 2000. Taoism, which had declined from 30% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2000, saw a slight revival to 10.9% of Singapore’s population last year.

We must be careful about interpreting these figures – Singaporean Chinese who follow Buddhism and Taoism often use the religious labels interchangeably, accounting for their volatile proportions here.

But Taoist and Buddhist numbers are declining as a whole; from 51% of the Singapore resident population in 2000, to 44% last year, according to the Singapore census.

Most of the believers who left either turn to Christianity or become non-religious.

In their replies to the media, religious leaders and scholars have attributed this trend to the better outreach and sense of community that Christianity offers. They also added that higher education levels and loosening of kinship ties in society made ritualised religions less popular.

Some Buddhists and Taoists remain optimistic, pointing out many Buddhists and Taoists label themselves without a proper understanding of the teachings. Thus, the statistics are inflated with people who are not genuine followers.

They assert that “real” Buddhists and Taoists who seriously understood their religion were even fewer to begin with, but are increasing with more proper religious classes being held.

But the combined statistical decline of Buddhism and Taoism is still troubling to both communities, especially when statistics reveal its weakening appeal among youth.

A Buddhist blog, a handful of leaves, analysed the popularity of Buddhism across different ages.

According to the blog’s analysis of census data, both Taoism and Buddhism appear to be losing its appeal among the youth.

Buddhism is followed by 36.5% of Singaporeans aged 60-64. But when it comes to Singaporeans aged 15-19, the number drops to 27.14%. Taoism fared no better. Only 6.99% of Singaporeans aged 15-19 follow Taoism, compared to 16.57% for Singaporeans aged 60-64.

Such large statistical changes contain a grain of truth – Buddhism and Taoism are not getting much more popular among the younger generation.

The language factor

The falling usage of Chinese dialects, the dominant ritual language of Chinese Buddhism and Taoism for centuries, has taken a toll on these two religions.

If Taoists and Buddhists can be flexible in adapting to a changing world, as their pioneers were, they would definitely pull through this crisis, and adapt to a new Singapore.

While Buddhism originated in India and has a growing community of English-educated followers in Singapore, the majority of Buddhists in Singapore inherited Chinese Buddhism from their ancestors.

Thus, decline in the usage of Chinese dialects could have taken a toll on Buddhist numbers here.

Taoism and Chinese Buddhism, despite its origins in China and Chinese identity, should engage an increasingly English-speaking younger generation to survive, starting a ‘translation revolution’ of religious literature on a much larger scale.

The recently established Taoist College, for example, began offering classes primarily in Mandarin in 2008, the most widely spoken home language of Singapore.

It’s a good start, but more English classes should be held to attract youth from a variety of races in our diverse city state, especially the younger generation.

Translating to English is not difficult. Buddhism and Taoism are already studied by academics in many universities. Many good books and Internet resources on both Buddhism and Taoism are getting more widely available.

Buddhism on its part, has started reaching out the younger English-educated crowd in the 1980s. Youth camps and youth ministries had been started by various temples, and they had seen increasing membership.

But as the census suggests, even their efforts had limited success.

With such resources in English, Buddhist and Taoist leaders do actually have the means to reach out to youth through schools, talks and online websites. But why do so many youth in Singapore remain apathetic about it?

Traditions come and go; universal values stay

Religious leaders have noted that ritualised religion was less popular among the younger generation, with the fast-paced lifestyles and desire for convenience.

There would be some who lament that translating to English would cause religious teachings to lose its context and true meaning.

But languages have evolved continuously since the origin of Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhism originated in India and has been translated into so languages like Thai, Burmese, Japanese and Korean.

Even though Taoism is mostly based in China, the Chinese language has evolved into many dialects and forms across the centuries. Many of these older forms of Chinese has faded and evolved into something else.

Consider the amount of Chinese words lost when Qin Shihuang, the first Chinese Emperor, standardised the Chinese script to improve communication across his vast empire.

Consider the traditions lost when Chinese moved away from bronze metallurgy with the increasing use of iron, gave up writing on bamboo strips with the invention of paper, and stopped the Shang dynasty practice of live burials at King’s funerals.

Rituals have changed and evolved, improvised by Chinese families as Taoist and Buddhist institutions weakened periodically during Mongol, Manchu and more recently, Communist rule.

Traditions are merely innovations of an older past, only to be replaced by another innovation. Instead of clinging steadfastly onto ritual traditions, Taoists and Buddhists should understand the universal values within their teachings and pass them on instead.

If Taoists and Buddhists can be flexible in adapting to a changing world, as their pioneers were, they would definitely pull through this crisis, and adapt to a new Singapore. With their insightful teachings and tolerant nature, they will have plenty to contribute to future generations.