Beijing ( CNN ) Five years ago , Beijinger Robert Zhao went on a trip to Tibet . What he encountered left him confused but intrigued . A science graduate from China 's elite Tsinghua University , he had been taught to mistrust superstition and religion , but in the culture and devotion of the Buddhists he met he found something worth knowing . Now 25 , he is considering giving up his job and becoming a monk . `` It means I will have to give up everything of the ordinary world , '' he told CNN . While Buddhism has a long history in China , entering via missionaries from India during the Han dynasty , it was repressed during the Maoist era -- many monasteries and temples were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and monks actively punished for believing in `` superstition . '' But now , a growing number of Chinese are rediscovering the country 's dormant Buddhist traditions . Some , like Zhao , are looking for a spiritual anchor in a competitive , fast-changing society . Others take comfort in meditation and enjoy volunteering . However , it 's not always easy to combine Buddhist beliefs with the demands of modern life . Zhao works as an assistant to the boss of an environmental company . His religion means it 's difficult to entertain clients and partners -- a key part of the role . `` Not drinking , smoking or eating meat affects my socializing . So the company has to send someone else to go with me , which creates extra expenses , '' he says . Zhao has not told his family about his desire to become a monk yet , fearing that they might oppose it . Fenggang Yang , the director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University , Indiana , says it 's difficult to explain exactly why so many young people are turning to Buddhism . Some discover it at university , where Buddhist groups are active and famous monks and lamas give lectures . Others have devout parents and grandparents . He also says that the Chinese Communist Party policy has `` moved toward treating Buddhism more favorably than other religions . '' Christianity has also been growing in popularity in recent decades but church leaders say there has been a crackdown on Christians , with authorities demolishing churches and removing crosses from skylines . In particular , it 's the Tibetan strain of Buddhism , rather than the Chan ( also called Zen ) tradition once popular in China , that is attracting new converts , particularly students , young professionals and businesspeople , he says . `` It appears that both the chanting and the physical , spiritual practices of Tibetan Buddhism are appealing to some people , '' Yang added . To what extent these new converts are committed to Buddhism as a religion , with its strictures and rituals , is an open question . A former leader of a university Buddhism group , who did n't want to give his name , told CNN he thought its members were more interested in the religion as a lifestyle choice . Activities that his group organized focusing on relaxation and stress relief were always more popular than reading groups and lectures that examined Buddhist scriptures , he added . Yang at Purdue University says that for most people in China , Buddhism is treated more as culture than a religion . They may visit temples or read Buddhist books , but few people treat it as a religion that requires serious commitment . `` Indeed , people who identify as Buddhists do a lot of non-Buddhist spiritual things , such as believing in feng shui , consulting fortune-tellers , practicing qi gong and sampling books and practices of other religions , '' he says . On a recent weekend , more than four hundred people attended the annual gathering of Beijing Ren Ai Foundation , a Buddhist charitable organization , at Longquan Monastery on the mountainous outskirts of the capital . Zhong Ying , the group 's 32-year-old deputy secretary general , said the group 's most active volunteers were between 20 and 35 years old . In the past five years their numbers had doubled to 200 . For attendee Geng Hui'er , a 26-year-old who works and lives in Beijing , Buddhism was something she rediscovered after returning from studying abroad in England . Growing up , her family had raised her Buddhist although she says she never really `` felt it . '' She now regularly attends meditation activities in monasteries or study groups organized by volunteers . Geng says Buddhism has given her a fresh outlook on life and past difficulties . It 's also helped her establish a network of people she can talk to and socialize with . `` We sit together , sharing things that have happened in our lives and how we dealt with them , which is more helpful than reading books '' , she says . For Zhao , the aspiring monk , Buddhism has been a balm while dealing with poor health , as well as work and relationship problems . `` My life has been tough for years . ( Buddhism ) keeps me away from the negative thoughts , like a reminder that 's always there , which has helped me a lot . '' Journalist Dou Yiping contributed to this report .
A large numbers of Chinese are rediscovering the country 's Buddhist traditions . It 's not always easy to reconcile Buddhist traditions with the ideals of modern society . Buddhism has a long history in history but was repressed during the Maoist era .