Conclusion

The conclusion sets out the main contributions of this study. First, it shows that a cohort of well-known, elite Buddhists engaged in intense competition with Christians in the postwar period, seeking to align themselves with the contemporary socio-political context. Second, it shows that the type of modernity matters when discussing religion in the modern world. In this case, the study showed that Buddhists identified with the broad set of values that flourished in the postwar period under the KMT, and that they competed with Christians on the basis of these. Finally, the study shows that identity itself is not simply the product of internal religious resources (beliefs, modes of practice, authorities), but also emerges through engagement or competition with external value sets (such as political ideologies or other religions).