- Paperback: 345 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (Jun 7 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0520216970
- ISBN-13: 978-0520216976
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 499 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,148,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"A first-rate social and religious history."--"Publishers Weekly
Book Description
In Luminous Passage a well-known Buddhologist and longtime observer of Buddhism in the United States presents the first comprehensive scholarly study of American Buddhism in nearly two decades. Charles S. Prebish revisits the expanding frontier of the fastest growing religion in North America and describes its historical development, its diversity, and the significance of this ancient tradition at century's end.
More than anything else, this is a book about American Buddhist communities (sanghas) and about life within those communities. Prebish considers various Buddhist practices, rituals, and liturgies, as well as the ways these communities have confronted the changing American spiritual landscape. In profiling several different sanghas Prebish reveals the ways that Buddhism is being both reinvented and Westernized. He includes the first exploration of the American Buddhist "cybersangha," a community that has emerged from recent developments in information-exchange technology, and discusses the growing community of "scholar-practitioners." The interactions of Buddhist identities that are related to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social engagement, and the healing professions are also examined. This book fully captures the vibrancy and importance of Buddhism in American religious life today.
Finally, Prebish appraises the state of Buddhism at the millennium. Placing the development of American Buddhism squarely in the midst of the religion's general globalization, he argues for an ecumenical movement which will embrace Buddhist communities worldwide.
More than anything else, this is a book about American Buddhist communities (sanghas) and about life within those communities. Prebish considers various Buddhist practices, rituals, and liturgies, as well as the ways these communities have confronted the changing American spiritual landscape. In profiling several different sanghas Prebish reveals the ways that Buddhism is being both reinvented and Westernized. He includes the first exploration of the American Buddhist "cybersangha," a community that has emerged from recent developments in information-exchange technology, and discusses the growing community of "scholar-practitioners." The interactions of Buddhist identities that are related to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social engagement, and the healing professions are also examined. This book fully captures the vibrancy and importance of Buddhism in American religious life today.
Finally, Prebish appraises the state of Buddhism at the millennium. Placing the development of American Buddhism squarely in the midst of the religion's general globalization, he argues for an ecumenical movement which will embrace Buddhist communities worldwide.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Just before the publication of my book American Buddhism in 1979, I was fortunate to have a sabbatical year at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Just before the publication of my book American Buddhism in 1979, I was fortunate to have a sabbatical year at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Accurate and Insightful Overview of Buddhism in America,
This review is from: Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (Paperback)
In this long-awaited volume, Charles Prebish, the founder of the scholarly study of Buddhism in America, brings us up to date on the rich, diverse, and very American practice of Buddhism in the United States.This book is not for scholars only, but deserves to be read by Buddhists and by anyone interested in the diversity and the freshness of this ancient religion in these new surroundings. In fact, Buddhism has been in America for over 100 years, but in this last generation it has begun not only to be changed by, but to change American culture. For a look at where Buddhism has been and where it is going, this is an unbeatable source.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Accurate and Insightful Overview of Buddhism in America,
By Franz Metcalf - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (Paperback)
In this long-awaited volume, Charles Prebish, the founder of the scholarly study of Buddhism in America, brings us up to date on the rich, diverse, and very American practice of Buddhism in the United States.This book is not for scholars only, but deserves to be read by Buddhists and by anyone interested in the diversity and the freshness of this ancient religion in these new surroundings. In fact, Buddhism has been in America for over 100 years, but in this last generation it has begun not only to be changed by, but to change American culture. For a look at where Buddhism has been and where it is going, this is an unbeatable source. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A WONDERFUL STUDY OF BUDDHIST COMMUNITIES IN AMERICA,
By Steven H. Propp - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (Paperback)
At the time this book was published in 1999, Charles Prebish was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has also written/edited books such as American Buddhism, Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia, The Faces of Buddhism in America, An American Buddhist Life: Memoirs of a Modern Dharma Pioneer, Introducing Buddhism (World Religions (Routledge)), etc.He wrote in the Preface, "More than anything else, this is a book about Buddhist communities ... it focuses on life within the communities that these individuals have founded and structured. It considers the various Buddhist practices and rituals and liturgies employed in these communities, as well as the manner in which American Buddhist communities have confronted the changing, shifting framework of American values and lifestyles. The book considers the legacy Buddhism will leave to the children of many American Buddhist pioneers. And it presents a first look at the role of technology in American Buddhism as new technological develoments alter the very nature of the defining characteristics of the Buddhist sangha." Here are some additional quotations from the book: "(D.T.) Suzuki's contribution is especially significant in that he was not a Zen priest and never became a Zen master." (Pg. 9) "Helen Tworkov ... added, 'the spokepeople for Buddhism in America have been, almost exclusively, educated members of the white middle class." (Pg. 57) "The former technique of aggressive shakubuku (evangelism) seems to have virtually evaporated (from Soko Gakkai) in the 1990s..." (Pg. 121) "During the weekend I noticed a few black, Hispanic, and Asian American faces in the audience, but for the most part I saw Euro-American Buddhists congregating to share and discuss their views and understanding of Buddhist practice in North America." (Pg. 234) "When Peter Jennings's researchers contacted me to solicit my estimate of the number of American Buddhists ... They said that Robert Thurman had referred them to me, as a means of verifying HIS estimate of 5 to 6 million. I told them I thought Thurman was wrong, and that I would be very surprised if there were more than 3 or 4 millions Buddhists in America. Needless to say, they asked me how I arrived at that figure. My response" 'I got that figure the same way Thurman got his. I guessed.'" (Pg. 256) "Surya Das noted that half of the Buddhist teachers in the West are women, and that the American Dharma needed to be an equal-opportunity enterprise." (Pg. 264) |
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