Cornell Contemporary China Initiative Lecture Series: John Osburg (Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology Director, University of Rochester) - "Consuming Belief: Han Chinese Practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism in the PRC". April 16 2018 In the context of a perceived spiritual and moral crisis in Chinese society, growing numbers of Han Chinese are turning to Tibetan Buddhism for ethical guidance. This talk, based on an ethnographic study of a group of affluent, urban Han Chinese followers of Tibetan Buddhism, examines the sources of the appeal of Tibetan Buddhism for wealthy Chinese and the range of ways in which they integrate Buddhist principles and ritual practice into their lives as well as some of the tensions that have emerged in communities of followers. For some, donations to Tibetan lamas serve as a form of “spiritual protection money” that will safeguard their businesses and enhance their careers, while for others, Buddhist principles become the basis for dramatic moral and social transformation.