According to the author, Buddhist organizations in Taiwan have remained an area that has been less explored and understood than other groups in society. Unlike the more political and volatile situation across the Strait of Taiwan, which remains constantly in the headlines, Buddhist organizations have had a more tranquil life in a country with a large population of Buddhists. Statistics published by the Ministry of Interior in Taiwan in 2000 showed that 34 percent of the population identified themselves as Buddhists. But the author says the real number of Buddhists cannot be determined because when a person declares his faith it is not certain he or she is a devout adherent to a religion. Why the Buddhist organizations in Taiwan, where newly-found democracy has dominated and influenced most activities in the society, have remained on the fringes of the political life is a question often asked. Religions in many countries exert a great influence on society and the government. Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam have had a deep influence on many countries in Europe, North America and the Middle East. In South Asia, Hinduism and Sikhism are major components in daily life of the peoples of India and Pakistan.

The author studies three major Taiwanese Buddhist organizations: the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China (BAROC), the Buddha Light Mountain (or Foguangshan) and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Association. There are more than 4,000 temples and a clergy of more than 9,000. Statistics showed also that Buddhist organizations administered 35 seminaries, five universities, three colleges, four high schools and 46 kindergartens. Those figures are from the year 2000, and the situation may have changed with more expansion of Buddhism. Scholars who studied Buddhism and its participation in political life often said that there is a widespread perception that Buddhists do not concern themselves with politics and worldly matters because of Buddha's teachings and the theology of their religion. The Confucian tradition in Asia has kept the state and religion separated whereas in Europe the church and state often clashed.

The author goes back to the time before Taiwan was taken over by Nationalist troops fleeing the mainland and arrived on the island in 1949. He says Buddhist clergy had no impact on the island and followers stayed within their own associations. Some scholars of religious studies in Asia said Taiwanese Buddhists tried to accommodate without assimilating with the Japanese who occupied the island for 50 years.

In the study of the three main Buddhist organizations, the author says that BAROC has been losing adherents because the organization, which claims to represent many Buddhists, collaborated closely with the KMT government in the past. The author says that BAROC communicated to its followers instructions from the KMT and in return it represented the whole Buddhist community in expressing concerns to the ruling party. In this case BAROC played a political role. The Foguangshan used a different political strategy than BAROC by using its own authority and resources to create a more morally pure government, the author says. The well known Tzu Chi association is the largest Taiwanese Buddhist organization. Its leader Cheng Yen is one of the most prominent public figures in Taiwan. Tzu Chi is a registered charitable foundation and lay organization which is headed by a charismatic leader. The author says Tzu Chi has demonstrated a third political approach in Taiwan, which is to renounce participation in politics or any effort to influence government policies. Even though Tzu Chi played a de facto role in implementing government's health programs, the author says Tzu Chi has never tried to influence those policies. Cheng Yen herself has never participated in electoral politics and has not supported any of the presidential candidates. Despite its vast resources and large membership, Tzu Chi and its leaders have been the least active in political life in Taiwan. The author says that Taiwanese Buddhists have no paramount leader. In the current situation with the existence of the three major organizations, and probably other minor groups, Buddhist leaders considers one another as rivals even though they don't admit there is a competition among themselves.

"In the absence of a paramount leader, Buddhist political participation in Taiwan will continue to take many forms," the author says.