The Faces of Buddhism in America

by Prebish, Charles S.

• ISBN13: 9780520213012
• ISBN10: 0520213017
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in the United States, with adherents estimated in the several millions. But what exactly defines a "Buddhist"? This has been a much-debated question in recent years, particularly in regard to the religion's bifurcation into two camps: the so-called "imported" or ethnic Buddhism of Asian immigrants and the "convert" Buddhism of a mostly middle-class, liberal, intellectual elite. In this timely collection Charles S. Prebish and Kenneth K. Tanaka bring together some of the leading voices in Buddhist studies to examine the debates surrounding contemporary Buddhism's many faces. The contributors investigate newly Americanized Asian traditions such as Tibetan, Zen, Nichiren, Jodo Shinshu, and Theravada Buddhism and the changes they undergo to meet the expectations of a Western culture desperate for spiritual guidance. Race, feminism, homosexuality, psychology, environmentalism, and notions of authority are some of the issues confronting Buddhism for the first time in its three-thousand-year history and are powerfully addressed here. In recent years American Buddhism has been featured as a major story on ABC television news, National Public Radio, and in other national media. A strong new Buddhist journalism is emerging in the United States, and American Buddhism has made its way onto the Internet. The faces of Buddhism in America are diverse, active, and growing, and this book will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding this vital religious movement.

Table of Contents

In Memoriam: Reverend Dr. Yehan Numata (1897-1994)
Introduction	p. 1
American Buddhist Traditions in Transition
Chinese Buddhism in America: Identity and Practice	p. 13
Shin Buddhism in America: A Social Perspective	p. 31
Japanese Zen in America: Americanizing the Face in the Mirror	p. 49
Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai in America: The Pioneer Spirit	p. 79
Tibetan Buddhism in America: The Development of American Vajrayana	p. 99
Korean Buddhism in America: A New Style of Zen	p. 117
Vietnamese Buddhism in North America: Tradition and Acculturation	p. 129
Theravada Buddhism in America: Prospects for the Sangha	p. 147
Insight Meditation in the United States: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness	p. 163
Issues in American Buddhism
Who Is a Buddhist? Charting the Landscape of Buddhist America	p. 183
Divided Dharma: White Buddhists, Ethnic Buddhists, and Racism	p. 196
Americanizing the Buddha: Paul Carus and the Transformation of Asian Thought	p. 207
Buddhist and Western Psychotherapies: An Asian American Perspective	p. 228
Helping the Iron Bird Fly: Western Buddhist Women and Issues of Authority in the Late 1990s	p. 238
Coming Out in the Sangha: Queer Community in American Buddhism	p. 253
Responding to the Cries of the World: Socially Engaged Buddhism in North America	p. 266
Epilogue: The Colors and Contours of American Buddhism	p. 287
Notes	p. 299
Selected Bibliography	p. 343
List of Illustrations	p. 349
Contributors	p. 351
Index	p. 355
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