As a scholar of East Asian Buddhism who studies how and why deities transform over time, I see the Laughing Buddha as a key figure that shows how people have adapted Buddhism to different cultural ...

Most of this switching is disaffiliation. In some East Asian places, more than three-in-ten adults say they were raised in a religion but now identify with none. These rates of religious ...

Vajrayana or Esoteric Buddhist and its attendant pantheon of deities and secret, mystical rituals, was introduced to Japan in the early Heian period (after 794) by a number of Japanese priests. They ...

(UPDATED) Pew survey of more than 10,000 adults in Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam examines Christians’ and Buddhists’ beliefs, practices, and affinity to other traditions.

(RNS) — In East Asia, people are leaving their religion at rates that are among the highest in the world, according to a survey released Monday (June 17) by Pew Research Center.

With his delighted expression, round belly, bald head and monastic robes, the“Laughing Buddha” is instantly identifiable. However, astute observers ...

By some measures, East Asia seems like one of the least religious regions in the world. Relatively few East Asian adults pray daily or say religion is very important in their lives.And rates of ...