Western Buddhism as an Immature Tradition
There are Buddhisms for all four cardinal directions: Southern Buddhism, Northern Buddhism, Eastern Buddhism, and Western Buddhism. Southern Buddhism is the Buddhism practiced in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. The term âNorthern Buddhismâ either covers everything else, or only refers to the Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Mongolia. In the latter case, Eastern Buddhism is the Buddhism found in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam. In the two-way North/South distinction, India is part of Northern Buddhism. In the three-way North/South/East distinction, on the other hand, India is missing, indicating that this isnât a classification of historical Buddhisms. However, while Buddhism...
Is Secular Buddhism Possible?
The question whether secular Buddhism is possible might seem absurd at first. Varieties of what has been, or could be called âsecular Buddhismâ have been around for well over a century, and there is a sizable group of people who consider themselves âsecular Buddhistsâ. So, of course, âsecular Buddhismâ is possible. So, letâs be a bit more precise. My question is not really whether there are âthingsâ (in a rather broad sense of âthingâ) that could be or have been called âsecular Buddhismâ, but whether there could be something that is genuinely secular and simultaneously genuinely (a variety of) Buddhism....
A Note on the PÄli Canon
(Originally posted on April 27. Major revisions on June 3, 2022.) In chapter 5 of A Buddha Land in This World, I wrote that until the sĹŤtras in the PÄli canon were written down they were recited in periodic meetings of monks, but we have no consistent evidence about the nature, form, and frequency of these meetings, nor about how reliable this process was. However, when I reread this, I wasnât entirely happy with this sentence because it seems to suggest that I think that oral transmission is the biggest problem for the authenticity of the content of the PÄli...
A Buddha Land in This World (New Book)
My new book, A Buddha Land in This World: Philosophy, Utopia, and Radical Buddhism, has just been published. Here is the abstract/back cover blurb: In the early twentieth century, Uchiyama GudĹ, Senoâo GirĹ, Lin Qiuwu, and others advocated a Buddhism that was radical in two respects. Firstly, they adopted a more or less naturalist stance with respect to Buddhist doctrine and related matters, rejecting karma or other supernatural beliefs. And secondly, they held political and economic views that were radically anti-hegemonic, anti-capitalist, and revolutionary. Taking the idea of such a âradical Buddhismâ seriously, A Buddha Land in This World: Philosophy,...
Nan-in and the Professor â A Western Zen Parable
âA Cup of Teaâ is a short Zen story that is quite famous and popular among Western (Zen) Buddhists. Itâs a bit of a peculiar story, however, as I hope to make clear in the following. Before we turn to that, letâs start with the story itself: Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitorâs cup full, and then kept on pouring.The professor watched the [cup] overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. âIt is overfull. No more will go in!ââLike this...
On Secular and Radical Buddhism
In a number of influential books and articles, Stephen Batchelor has proposed, developed, and defended something he has called (among others) âsecular Buddhismâ and âBuddhism 2.0â. The idea of such a secular or scientific or naturalistic or otherwise not traditionally religious kind of Buddhism isnât new â it has been especially popular among 20th and 21st Western converts to Buddhism, but there have been Asian precursors as well. Nevertheless, the idea is also somewhat controversial. Adherents of âsecular Buddhismâ like Batchelor typically consider it a return to the roots of Buddhism and to the original teachings of the Buddha, but...
Book Review of Jay Garfieldâs Engaging Buddhism â Extended Version
When the Australasian Journal of Philosophy (AJP) asked me to review Jay Garfieldâs (2015) book Engaging Buddhism I didnât realize that they have a 400-word limit for âBook Notesâ. Thatâs the book-review equivalent of a haiku, which posed an interesting challenge, but which also required cutting 90% of the things I have (or want) to say about Garfieldâs book. This âextended versionâ of my review includes both the pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP and a some additional, more detailed comments. pre-publication version of my âBook Noteâ for AJP In the preface of his book Garfield observes that...