Buddhist Ming Restoration?

Upon the fall of Ming, the Manchus enforced their hairstyle, the notorious queue/pigtail upon the Chinese people, and slayed a good deal of people who Tried to defend their ancestral hairstyle. Some Ming loyalists chose to defy this by shaving all of their hair and adopt a monk's garb, creating a genration of political monks.

What if these loyalists could maintain their influences on Chinese Buddhism after a few genrations, and pull a buddhist uprising against the Qing Dynasty when the time is ripe?

Presumably, if a second Ming Dynasty is created it would be supportive of Buddhism, which would reverse the long-term decline of Buddhism in China since the fall of Yuan, with deep implications on economics and philosophies in China and East Asia.
 
Or Admiral Horthy....
I don't think regency works the same in China as it worked for Horthy and Franco.
It's not that hard to get a pretender just say that this guy's great great grandfather was some Ming emperor.
The Zhu Family was quite productive so it would be quite easy to find out someone remotely related to the Ming House.

Even the Qing managed to find out, among their Han Bannermen slaves, someone with blue blood which they named the ritual heir of the Ming.
 
But wasn't Qing (and Manchus) much more Buddhist than most Han Chinese, most of whom practiced syncretic and/or traditional religions? Granted that Gelug-pa isn't quite the same with the various Buddhist sects more popular among Han Chinese, but could average people recognize the difference at that time?
 

raharris1973

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But wasn't Qing (and Manchus) much more Buddhist than most Han Chinese, most of whom practiced syncretic and/or traditional religions? Granted that Gelug-pa isn't quite the same with the various Buddhist sects more popular among Han Chinese, but could average people recognize the difference at that time?

I'm not sure - is Gelug-pa Tibetan Lama Buddhism? Considering the violence of sectarian splits elsewhere in the world, I figure the differences between that and Han Chinese Mahayana Buddhism could be enough to become relevant to to common folk.

But also, I've heard of both Ming and Qing as greatly associated with neo-Confucianism.

So I'm trying to guess at what kind of anti-Qing Buddhism the OP is looking for. A Shaolin revolution?
 
I'm not sure - is Gelug-pa Tibetan Lama Buddhism? Considering the violence of sectarian splits elsewhere in the world, I figure the differences between that and Han Chinese Mahayana Buddhism could be enough to become relevant to to common folk.
Yes, basically. Plus I don't think Tibetan Buddhism could ever be popular enough to make a revolution in Han Chinese lands.

But also, I've heard of both Ming and Qing as greatly associated with neo-Confucianism.
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It's the trend I want to reverse... Also the confucian revival in Korean (and Vietnam presumably.)

So I'm trying to guess at what kind of anti-Qing Buddhism the OP is looking for. A Shaolin revolution?
Just conventional Mahayana Buddhism mixed with Ming loyalist doctrines.

Another idea: Chinese rebellions the Period of Disunity, Sui and Tang often took place in the name of Maitreya Buddha, with a tone similar to western millennialism. It might be interesting to see a comeback of this, but I doubt Ming loyalists would take interest in them.
 
The plausibility of a Buddhist revolution against the Qing is very possible and happened otl however it's success is not assured, especially due to a lack of mainstream appeal to popular Manchu and Chinese people. For one thing the Qing crushed every Buddhist/nativist revolt, White Lotus rebellion 1794-1804, The Nian rebellion 1851-1868, The rebellion of Wang Lun 1774 (preached the immenant coming of the Maitreya Buddha), The Taiping Rebellion 1854-1864(not Buddhist but shows the flexibility of the Qing state), The Boxer rebellion 1899-1901 (if directed at the Manchu rather than westerners, is what could've ended the Qing not an obscure messianic Buddhist rebellion). In addition the Qing dealt with the very rebellious and foreign supported Muslims in its west in the Du Wenxiu rebellion 1856-1872 and The Dungan revolts 1862-1877 & 1895-1896.

So all in all the Qing proved extreme resilience (contrary to popular belief), this is including enormous difficulties (inherited from the Ming) including the encroachment of the West and the rise of Japan and still none of the Buddhist revolts, muslim revolts and native revolts broke Qing (until Qing had ran its course 1912). If the otl White Lotus Society failed how could an alternate White Lotus do any better?
 
The plausibility of a Buddhist revolution against the Qing is very possible and happened otl however it's success is not assured, especially due to a lack of mainstream appeal to popular Manchu and Chinese people. For one thing the Qing crushed every Buddhist/nativist revolt, White Lotus rebellion 1794-1804, The Nian rebellion 1851-1868, The rebellion of Wang Lun 1774 (preached the immenant coming of the Maitreya Buddha), The Taiping Rebellion 1854-1864(not Buddhist but shows the flexibility of the Qing state), The Boxer rebellion 1899-1901 (if directed at the Manchu rather than westerners, is what could've ended the Qing not an obscure messianic Buddhist rebellion). In addition the Qing dealt with the very rebellious and foreign supported Muslims in its west in the Du Wenxiu rebellion 1856-1872 and The Dungan revolts 1862-1877 & 1895-1896.

So all in all the Qing proved extreme resilience (contrary to popular belief), this is including enormous difficulties (inherited from the Ming) including the encroachment of the West and the rise of Japan and still none of the Buddhist revolts, muslim revolts and native revolts broke Qing (until Qing had ran its course 1912). If the otl White Lotus Society failed how could an alternate White Lotus do any better?

Uhh... 80 tons of opium are contaminated and a third of China dies from fungal meningitis, including the emperor and other officials?
 
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