This study is about the religious communication of Tibetan Buddhism in Taiwan with the subject of "Taiwanese Monks". The main propagators of Tibetan Buddhism in Taiwan can be categorized into three types chronologically. First, the "Han Guru" in 1949. Next, the “Overseas Tibetan Monks” in the 1980s. Finally, the “Taiwanese Disciples” who studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries became propagators after they returned, which is named “Taiwanese Monks” in this article.
Previous literature suggests that the "Mentor-Disciple Relationship" plays an important role in religious communication, and have analyzed the challenges of missionary work for "Han Guru" and the “Overseas Tibetan Monks”. This study believes that “Taiwanese Monks” may face similar problems or other communication challenges. Therefore, this study analyzes the “uncertainty reduction strategies” of Taiwanese Monks’ missionary work in Taiwan, and conducts in-depth interviews with 11 Taiwanese Monks of Tibetan Buddhism.
The results of the study show that the main reason why Taiwanese Monks contact with Tibetan Buddhism was the influences of their families or school clubs, and the other part of reason was their contact with the "Han Guru" who preached in Taiwan. Taiwanese Monks then studied Dharma in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, and after returning to Taiwan, they carry out different missionary work according to their titles, identities, and self-positioning. This study divides the roles of Taiwanese Monks into “preachers” and “assistants” and the audience into “believers” and “non-believers”. And then summarized the religious communication challenges of Taiwanese monks through the approach of uncertainty reduction strategies, exploring the negative, active, and interactive strategies of religious communication during Taiwanese monks’ missionary work.
