Since Buddhism was introduced to China almost two thousand years ago, the fundamentals of Buddhism have already penetrated the vast majority of our country's rural areas. Shaolin Temple can be considered an exception in that it is a large monastery and also a famous tourist attraction. Therefore, there are quite a large number of believers and visitors. For the vast majority of the “non-tourism” temples and monasteries, the believers are largely made up of nearby villagers. Typically, the literacy level of a rural area dictates the level of its constituents' faith. The truth is, the living conditions in the rural areas have improved compared to the past but still a far cry from the “modernization” that scholars talk about. In facing the mass of believers in the rural areas, we have no way to expound on the great Mahayana tenets, such as “Prajna(wisdom), Dharmata(the true nature of phenomena), the Three Sastras(Treatises)”, which are suited for those with Mahayana capacity, and forcing such attempts would go against the Dharma propagation principle of “teaching according to the level of the student and in line with the true teachings.” Although the level of faith of Buddhist believers in the rural areas is not very high, their faith in Buddhism is sincere and very deep. They believe in the Three Jewels, in Cyclic Existence in the Six Realms, in Karma(cause and effect of doing good and bad deeds), in reaching the Western Pure Land by chanting Buddha's name, in the power of the vows of Buddhas and Buddhisattvas. We as monks have a responsibility to fulfill their faith. Buddhism emphasizes equality of all sentient beings, and wherever there are sentient beings and wherever we are needed, that is where we will go. The truth is, though their faiths in Buddhism and daily practice, the rural believers really do receive true benefit. Their mind has something to rely on and they find peace. This is the gift that Buddhism can offer to believers, and it is exactly this kind of daily benefits that bring about inner peace and solace to the minds of believers. The benefits of Buddhism follow the degree of believer’s expectation and the level of their cultivation in daily practice, which is the same for any religion. The above-mentioned is the general conditions of Buddhism in the rural area.
Some scholars have expressed their criticism regarding Buddhism's prayer-confession emphasis, incense offering and Buddha worship. The intention of these criticisms is good but they should see beyond the form of worship to the life reality, especially the rural life. While it takes going through a process of improving the lives of the rural Buddhist community, it also takes going through a process of improving the qualities of both the rural Buddhist followers and the rural Buddhist circle. There is common fear amongst the contemporary Buddhist circle of being labeled as having a “feudalistic superstition”. I feel that this concern is hugely unnecessary as each specific circumstance requires specific assessment. Insofar as Buddhism's existence in this world is concerned, what matters most is the followers' faith in Buddhism, and to what extent have they received the true benefits of Buddhism.