Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia

Book

Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia

Edited by: Jeffrey Samuels , Justin Thomas McDaniel and Mark Michael Rowe
With contributions by: Ian G. Baird , Corey L. Bell , Stephen C. Berkwitz , Ian G. Baird , Corey L. Bell , Stephen C. Berkwitz , Anya Bernstein , Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia , Jane E. Caple , Jack Meng-Tat Chia , Sienna Craig , William Elison , Christoph Emmrich , Grant Evans , Paul J. Farrelly , Jane M. Ferguson , Gareth Fisher , Daniel G. Friedrich , Florence Galmiche , Michele R. Gamburd , Holly Gayley , David N. Gellner , Tim Graf , Elizabeth Guthrie , Elizabeth J. Harris , Sandya Hewamanne , Holly High , Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa , Sarah H. Jacoby , Michael Jerryson , Irving Chan Johnson , Hiroko Kawanami , Daniel W. Kent , Susanne Ryuyin Kerekes , Hwansoo Ilmee Kim , Tongthida Krawengit , Judy Ledgerwood , Jun-Youb (JY) Lee , Jacques P. Leider , Chiara Letizia , Sarah LeVine , Charlene Makley , John Marston , Levi McLaughlin , David L. McMahan , Leigh Miller , John K. Nelson , Brian J. Nichols , Carina Pichler , Visisya Pinthongvijayakul , Justin R. Ritzinger , Roger Casas , Gregory A. Scott , Arthid Sheravanichkul , Nicolas Sihlé , Jessica Starling , Gitanjali Surendran , Nicola Tannenbaum , Antonio Terrone , Ashley Thompson , Stefania Travagnin and Jonathan S. Walters

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2016

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About this book

This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life. Eschewing traditional hagiographies, the editors have collected sixty-six profiles of individuals who would be excluded from most Buddhist histories and ethnographies. In addition to monks and nuns, readers will encounter artists, psychologists, social workers, part-time priests, healers, and librarians as well as charlatans, hucksters, profiteers, and rabble-rousers—all whose lives reflect changes in modern Buddhism even as they themselves shape the course of these changes.

The editors and contributors are fundamentally concerned with how individual Buddhists make meaning and display this understanding to others. Some practitioners profiled look to the past, lamenting the transformations Buddhism has undergone in recent times, while others embrace these. Some have adopted a “new asceticism,” while others are eager to explore different religious traditions as they think about their own ways of being Buddhist. Arranging the profiles according to these themes—looking backward, forward, inward, and outward—reveals the value of studying individual Buddhists and their idiosyncratic religious backgrounds and attitudes, thus highlighting the diversity of approaches to the practice and study of Buddhism in Asia today. Students and teachers will welcome sections on further readings and additional tables of contents that organize the profiles thematically, as well as by tradition (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), region, and country.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Jeffrey Samuels Jeffrey Samuels is professor of religious studies at Western Kentucky University. --- Contributor: Justin Thomas McDaniel Justin Thomas McDaniel is professor of Buddhist studies and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. --- Contributor: Mark Michael Rowe Mark Michael Rowe is associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University. --- Contributor: Jane E. Caple Jane E. Caple is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at the University of Copenhagen. --- Contributor: Jane M. Ferguson Jane M. Ferguson is associate professor of anthropology and Southeast Asian history at the Australian National University. --- Contributor: Gareth Fisher Gareth Fisher is associate professor of religion and anthropology at Syracuse University. --- Contributor: Holly High Holly High is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Sydney. --- Contributor: Levi McLaughlin Levi McLaughlin is associate professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, North Carolina State University. --- Contributor: John K. Nelson John K. Nelson is professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at theUniversity of San Francisco. --- Contributor: Brian J. Nichols Brian J. Nichols is associate professor of religious studies at Mount Royal University, Calgary. --- Contributor: Roger Casas Roger Casas has lived and conducted research among the Tai Lue in Sipsong Panna since 2004. He has held researcher and lecturer posts in academic institutions in Austria, China, Thailand, and Japan. --- Contributor: Jessica Starling Jessica Starling is assistant professor of religious studies and Asian studies at Lewis & Clark College.

Reviews

Figures of Buddhist modernity in Asia is an impressive achievement of scholarly collaboration. Sixty-three specialists of contemporary Buddhism assemble an expansive collection of vignettes that illustrate how Buddhists inhabit a modern world. --- Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia is a collection of profiles of individuals who combine religious tradition with contemporary life. They range from, in the words of the editors, “Buddhist Web masters in Taiwan, members of international Buddhist women’s organizations in Vietnam, internationally known singing nuns in Nepal, Buddhist air-traffic controllers in Burma” to “alcoholic translators of Confucian texts in Laos…charlatans, hucksters, profiteers and rabble-rousers.” --- This delightfully gritty volume contains biographical sketches of sixty-six contemporary Buddhists from East, Southeast, and South Asia. . . . The ethnographically rich vignettes make vividly clear how Buddhist ordination has moved from place to place throughout history and how Buddhist practice is adapting to changing times while relying on traditions and assets from the past. Deliberately crafted to emphasize polyphonic lived experiences rather than formal Buddhist doctrine, this book provides an exciting, forward-looking counterpoint to scholarly works on the history of Buddhist thought. --- Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia . . . offers a wealth of information about modern Buddhism and succeeds marvelously in depicting an entertaining “cacophony of voices” expressing what Buddhism can involve and what being a Buddhist can entail. . . . In sum, the book is a resounding success in showing, through the prism of individual lives, the diversity and complexity of modern Buddhism. It depicts a broad range of figures from most of the major traditions, regions, and countries of Buddhist Asia. The profiles are informative, entertaining, and generally strike a good balance between sympathetic portrayal and critical distance.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Contents by Buddhist Tradition Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Contents by Region and Country Publicly Available Download PDF	xvii
Introduction Justin Thomas McDaniel, Mark Michael Rowe and Jeffrey Samuels Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	1
Looking Backward
Yangon Airport Tower Communications Worker Jane M. Ferguson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	15
The “Insane” Monk Daniel W. Kent Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	20
The Choices of a Priest on the Edge of Toyota City Justin Thomas McDaniel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	23
A Witness to Genocide Ashley Thompson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	25
A Monk between Worlds Charlene Makley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	28
A Buddhist Media Pioneer Stephen C. Berkwitz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	30
Embracing Belief and Critique in an Academic Life Gregory A. Scott Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	33
Knowing Buddha Organization Michael Jerryson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	35
Educate, Agitate, Organize William Elison Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	38
Sinhala Buddhism and Alcohol Consumption Michele R. Gamburd Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	41
The Builder of Temporary Temples and Golden Corpses Justin Thomas McDaniel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	43
A Rakhine Monk from Bangladesh Jacques P. Leider Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	46
Rebuilding Temples after War Judy Ledgerwood Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	48
Scholar, Reformer, and Activist David N. Gellner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	50
A Thai Mural Painter in Singapore Irving Chan Johnson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	53
Looking Forward: Social-Psychological Care in a Troubled World
Stabilizing the Rhythms of Life after the Tsunami Tim Graf Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	57
President of the Theravada Nuns’ Order of Nepal Sarah Levine Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	62
The Rise of the “Clinical Religionist” Levi McLaughlin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	65
Activist Temple Wife Jessica Starling Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	67
Modernizing Buddhist Proselytization in Hong Kong Corey L. Bell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	70
Modern Miracles of a Female Buddhist Master Holly Gayley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	73
The Temple Is a Place of Solutions John Nelson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	75
Maitreya’s IT Guy Justin R. Ritzinger Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	78
A Female Monk and the Hmong Ian G. Baird Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	81
The Globally Local Priest Daniel G. Friedrich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	83
Raising the Powerful Girl Child Christoph Emmrich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	86
Buddha Was Tharu Chiara Letizia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	88
A Modern Taiwanese Educator Stefania Travagnin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	91
Inventor of a Buddhist Alphabet Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	94
Trading in the Buddhist Life for Drugs Roger Casas Ruiz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	97
Two Self-Sacrificing Bureaucrats Levi McLaughlin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	99
A Facebook Buddhist Tongthida Krawengit Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	102
A Daughter of Lamas, Yogis, and Shamans Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	105
Taiwan’s New Age Buddhist Paul J. Farrelly Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	107
A Modernist Monk with Chinese Characteristics Brian J. Nichols Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	110
An Anticommunist Monk and Violence Ian G. Baird Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	112
Looking Inward: New Asceticism in Modern Buddhism
Art, Service, And A High-Rise Temple Hwansoo Ilmee Kim Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	115
State Secularism and the Tibetan Non-monastic Tradition Nicolas Sihlé Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	120
A Buddhist Spirit Medium Visisya Pinthongvijayakul Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	123
An Act of Merit Jonathan S. Walters Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	125
A Buddhist Lay Leader Gareth Fisher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	128
A Modern-Day Burmese Weikza Hiroko Kawanami Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	130
Negotiating Religion and the State Sarah H. Jacoby Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	133
Mother and Son and Meditation John Marston Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	135
Reconnecting with the Land (and the Gods) Antonio Terrone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	137
A Buddha in the Making Sandya Hewamanne Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	140
The Singing Nun Carina Pichler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	143
The Only Buddhist in the Village Holly High Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	145
Stars for the Drowning Sienna R. Craig Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	147
Alien Behavior Grant Evans Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	150
The Life and Times of a Shan Buddhist Nicola Tannenbaum Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	152
Looking Outward: Local Buddhists Becoming Global Citizens
Teaching Buddhism as a Second Language Florence Galmiche Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	155
The Empowerment of Buddhist Women Elizabeth Harris Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	160
A Buddhist Mickey Mouse Leigh Miller Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	163
A Twenty-first Century Custodian Jane Caple Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	165
The Return of the Dutch David L. McMahan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	168
The Blogger Monk in Southern China Stefania Travagnin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	170
Carving Playful Buddhas Jy Lee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	173
Prolific Writer, Cool Blogger Jack Meng-Tat Chia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	176
Collector of Magic, Esquire Justin Thomas McDaniel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	178
A Sovereign Body beyond the Nation-State Anya Bernstein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	181
Post-Monk Life in New Zealand Elizabeth Guthrie Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	183
The First Theravada Bhikkhuni in Vietnam Carina Pichler Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	185
Monk, Writer, Educator, and International Buddhist Gitanjali Surendran Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	188
On Being a “Human Being” Susanne Ryuyin Kerekes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	190
Thousand Hands, Thousand Eyes Arthid Sheravanichkul Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	193
Further Reading Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	197
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	203
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed	211

Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

February 12, 2018

eBook ISBN:

9780824858582

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824858582

eBook ISBN: 9780824858582

Audience(s) for this book

For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research

Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia

Overview

About this book

Author / Editor information

Reviews

Topics

Table of contents

Bibliographic data