Buddhism in the Modern World: Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition [Paperback]

Steven Heine (Editor), Charles S. Prebish (Editor)

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Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press (Aug 29 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195146980
ISBN-13: 978-0195146981
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.4 x 2.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 481 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #894,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"Manages to give a flavor of adaptations made and being made within Buddhism, not merely as a result of its encounter with modernization, but also because of its historical diversity. In a book that probably has a chapter or two to fit everyone's interests--perusal of the index certainly gave me room for optimism--I found it rewarding also to find areas new to me addressed in accessible and engaging ways."--Journal of Global Buddhism

"This volume should be of general interest to scholars of religion. For Buddhologists, in particular, it addresses a lacuna in the field and marks a step forward in considering the complex issues raised by Buddhist modernism."--The Journal of Asian Studies

Product Description

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 socio-political 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.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Westerners whose knowledge of Buddhism comes from primarily from textbooks, even those with relatively expansive descriptions of Buddhist practices, are often startled upon observing temple rituals in Thailand or other Asian Buddhist countries. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Grab-Bag of Good Studies on Buddhism's Long Twentieth Century, July 20 2006

By Crazy Fox - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Buddhism in the Modern World: Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition (Paperback)

First things first, this is a highly interesting collection of articles on an important subject, giving relatively rare and important coverage to, well, as the rather straightforwardly generic title indicates, Buddhism in the modern world. These articles are all of solid scholarly caliber, though they vary somewhat in approachability, attitude, basic presuppositions, and overall quality--if you think of this book as something more like an academic journal than an anthology, the uneven nature of the articles shouldn't distract you too much. Now the geographic coverage is tilted towards East Asia just a bit; this is my primary interest so I'm okay with such a tilt, but anyone more interested in Southeast Asia might feel a tad short-changed...and not having an article on Buddhism in Vietnam is a real lacunae to be regretted. And of course, as with many such collections, a few of the articles seem like they were only superficially modified so as to adapt them to the theme of the book. Somehow this always strikes me as a bit strained and slapdash, but editors have to fill out a book somehow. So it goes in this imperfect world. Still, anyone interested in religion's modern vicissitudes in general or in the Buddhist religion more specifically should find this book intriguing, useful, and quite thought-provoking.

So what articles are included in this book, anyway?

1. "Aniconism Versus Iconism in Thai Buddhism" by Donald K. Swearer.

2. "The Modernization of Sinhalese Buddhism as Reflected in the Dambulla Cave Temples" by Nathan Katz.

3. "Varying the Vinaya: Creative Responses to Modernity" by Charles S. Prebish.

4. "Master Hongyi Looks Back: A Modern Man Becomes a Monk in Twentieth-Century China" by Raoul Birnbaum.

5. "Transitions in the Practice and Defense of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism" by Charles B. Jones.

6. "Won Buddhism: The Historical Context of Sot'aesan's Reformation of Buddhism for the Modern World" by Bongkil Chung.

7. "Abbreviation or Aberration: The Role of the 'Shushogi' in Modern Soto Zen Buddhism" by Steven Heine.

8. "'By Imperial Edict and Shogunal Decree': Politics and the Issue of the Ordination Platform in Modern Lay Nichiren Buddhism" by Jacqueline I. Stone.

9. "The Making of the Western Lama" by Daniel Cozort.

10. "'Liberate the Mahabodhi Temple!': Socially Engaged Buddhism, Dalit-Style" by Tara N. Doyle.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review 4.0 out of 5 stars