Acculturation of Chinese Buddhism in Malaysia – A Critical Review from the Perspective of Cultural Neuroscience

Abstract

The Chinese Buddhism is a group of ethnic minorities that has migrated to Malaya (Malaysia) decades ago. The migration of the first generation of the Chinese Buddhism ethnic community to Malaya marked the beginning of a cultural encounter between their original culture and that of the ethnic majority (Malay) in their new homeland. This review explores acculturation from a cultural neuroscience perspective, explaining the process of how acculturation occurs among the Chinese Buddhism ethnic minority based on the neuro-cultural interaction model.  The cultural neuroscience perspective is discussed from the viewpoints of psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology, drawing on previous cross-cultural neurological studies for reference. Chinese Buddhism from the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia serves as a reference model for developing the conceptual framework of cultural neuroscience. Chinese Buddhism community has shown the influence of Malay culture in various aspects of life such as food, clothes, and other social aspects.