Between the Tibetan Plateau and Eastern China—Religious Tourism, Lay Practice and Ritual Economy during the Pandemic

This article presents various institutional responses of Buddhist groups and leaders to COVID-19, adding a focus on how Tibetan practitioners in China have responded the pandemic. In particular, it examines predicament Buddhism. The focuses material characteristics Buddhism they were manifested among Han Chinese urbanites during pandemic through (1) teleological inquiry, which looks into concept merit (sk: puñña, ch: gongde) 功德, (2) an organizational explores modalities practice socio-political sphere state. Within this deals with community based Shanghai individual account pilgrimage Tibet. Based these two case studies their contextualization, aims assess COVID-19 crisis has affected practices, religious technologies practiced by Chinese. argues for degree resilience lay Buddhism; stresses that while some aspects called accommodations change, particularities pre-existing conditions (such as state regulation religion physical distance authority) could accommodate practical, sociological psychological implications