Buddhism in the modern world : adaptations of an ancient tradition / edited by Steven Heine and Charles S. Prebish.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Heine, Steven, 1950-

Prebish, Charles S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Buddhism--History--20th century.

Buddhism.

History.

Physical Description:

x, 287 pages : illustrations, 1 map ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

The history of Buddhism has been characterized by an ongoing tension between attempts to preserve traditional ideals and modes of practice and the need to adapt to changing cultural conditions. Many developments in Buddhist history, such as the infusion of esoteric rituals, the rise of devotionalism and lay movements, and the assimilation of warrior practices, reflect the impact of widespread social changes on traditional religious structures. At the same time, Buddhism has been able to maintain its doctrinal purity to a remarkable degree. This volume explores how traditional Buddhist communities have responded to the challenges of modernity, such as science and technology, colonialism, and globalization. Editors Steven Heine and Charles S. Prebish have commissioned ten essays by leading scholars, each examining a particular traditional Buddhist school in its cultural context. The essays consider how the encounter with modernity has impacted the disciplinary, textual, ritual, devotional, practical, and sociopolitical traditions of Buddhist thought throughout Asia. Taken together, these essays reveal the diversity and vitality of contemporary Buddhism and offer a wide-ranging look at the way Buddhism interacts with the modern world.

Contents:

Aniconism versus iconism in Thai buddhism / Donald K. Swearer

The modernization of Sinhalese buddhism as reflected in the Dambulla cave temples / Nathan Katz

Varying the Vinaya: creative responses to modernity / Charles S. Prebish

Master Hongyi looks back : a modern man becomes a monk in twentieth-century China / Raoul Birnbaum

Transition in the practice and defense of Chinese Pure Land buddhism / Charles B. Jones

Won buddhism : the historical context of Sot'aesan's reformation of buddhism for the modern world / Bongkil Chung

Abbreviation or aberration? the role of the Shushg̥i in st̥ ̥Zen / Steven Heine

By imperial edict and shogunal decree : politics and the issue of the ordination platform in modern lay Nichiren buddhism / Jacqueline I. Stone

The making of the western Lama / Dan Cozort

Liberate the Mahabodhi temple!: socially engaged buddhism, Dalit-style / Tara N. Doyle.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0195146972

0195146980

OCLC:

50730942