In reality, passionate scholarly discussion on the topic of “Buddhism and Modernization” hint at the demand for Buddhist beliefs amongst the city populace, and increasingly so amongst the intellectuals. Academia's “Ch'an Fever” is a clear proof. As members of the Buddhist community, we should organize ourselves accordingly to actively promote the development and advancement of Buddhism, and cultivate the corresponding manpower and resources. Groups of monks can be organized to assume the responsibility of spreading the Dharma and guiding the transformation of not only to believers in the cities, but also to believers from the intellectual community. Buddhism in Taiwan and Hong Kong is ahead of us, and they have many successful examples that we could learn from.
It is truly a test on Buddhism's existence in the world as our society treads through an era of major transformation. If modernization is a current, a wave, then Buddhism is a boat. We have to face the current, have a firm grip on direction, and have a very clear idea of what we should and should not do. Only in this way would we be able to stay afloat of the current, rise with the tide and not be washed away like fishes. The way Buddhism is involved in the secular or mundane world and in the supra-mundane or transcendental should emulate the boat, half immersed in water and the other half above water. We must remain sufficiently clear-headed regarding the cardinal relationship of both.
In the information age, Buddhism has a role to transform society. Although the academic knowledge of Buddhism brings secular advantages to people, the ultimate goal of Buddhism is beyond the confines of knowledge. The day of “knowledgization” of Buddhism would be the day of its extinction. Buddhist sects that have over-emphasized literal explanations have expressed regrets, including the Ch'an sect at certain times.

How do we prevent the “knowledgization” of Buddhism? In the ancient times when printing techniques were under-developed, we primarily had to guard against the “Kou-tou Ch'an”(platitude; more specifically, the unrestrained inappropriate verbalization of Ch'an teachings or essence without ever gaining experiential understanding). In the face of a flood of publication and media of our times, we primarily have to guard against the heavy emphasis on words, lexical analysis and textual context.