ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of Buddhist spiritualism in the production of emotional capital and its transformation into philanthropic capital, which ultimately results in the production of religious care funds. The religious care market taps into the emotions of individuals, encouraging them to consume the goods and services that are produced for the purpose of creating religious care funds. Buddhist organisations and temples that embark on the production of compassionate fields have to find funds to support and sustain the care services they provide for the public in their local communities and abroad. In addition to consuming Buddhist religious services, there are numerous other ways in which followers fund temples: one common way is to contribute to donation boxes that are placed in Buddhist temples. Government subvention and corporate sponsorship are seen as a secular intervention to further the goals of these Buddhist care services.
