Westward Dharma

Westward Dharma PDF Author: Charles S. Prebish
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520234901
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 439

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Book Description
"Like seeds on the wind, Buddhist teachings continue to reach new lands. This outstanding book brings to light, in rich detail, the current flowering of Buddhism in the West. Long a world religion, Buddhism is now a global one."—Kenneth Kraft, author of The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism "Westward Dharma deserves a place on the growing bookshelf of contemporary Buddhist studies. Prebish and Baumann broaden our horizons from North America to the wider Western world, exploring key aspects of Buddhism's most recent geographical and cultural expansion."—Paul David Numrich, coauthor of Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America.

Westward Dharma

Westward Dharma PDF Author: Charles S. Prebish
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520234901
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 439

Get Book

Book Description
"Like seeds on the wind, Buddhist teachings continue to reach new lands. This outstanding book brings to light, in rich detail, the current flowering of Buddhism in the West. Long a world religion, Buddhism is now a global one."—Kenneth Kraft, author of The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism "Westward Dharma deserves a place on the growing bookshelf of contemporary Buddhist studies. Prebish and Baumann broaden our horizons from North America to the wider Western world, exploring key aspects of Buddhism's most recent geographical and cultural expansion."—Paul David Numrich, coauthor of Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America.

One Dharma

One Dharma PDF Author: Joseph Goldstein
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062026364
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
One of America's most respected Buddhist teachers distills a lifetime of practice and teaching in this groundbreaking exploration of the new Buddhist tradition taking root on American soil.

The New Buddhism

The New Buddhism PDF Author: James William Coleman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190288221
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
In our multicultural society, faiths formerly seen as exotic have become attractive alternatives for many people seeking more satisfying spiritual lives. This is especially true of Buddhism, which is the focus of constant media attention--thanks at least in part to celebrity converts, major motion pictures, and the popularity of the Dalai Lama. Following this recent trend in the West, author James Coleman argues that a new and radically different form of this ancient faith is emerging. The New Buddhism sheds new light on this recent evolution of Buddhist practice in the West. After briefly recounting the beginnings and spread of Buddhism in the East, Coleman chronicles its reinterpretation by key Western teachers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, ranging from the British poet Sir Edwin Arnold to the Beat writer Alan Watts. Turning to the contemporary scene, he finds that Western teachers have borrowed liberally from different Buddhist traditions that never intersect in their original contexts. Men and women practice together as equals; ceremonies and rituals are simpler, more direct, and not believed to have magical effects. Moreover, the new Buddhism has made the path of meditation and spiritual awakening available to everyone, not just an elite cadre of monks. Drawing on interviews with noted teachers and lay practitioners, as well as a survey completed by members of seven North American Buddhist centers, Coleman depicts the colorful variety of new Buddhists today, from dilettantes to devoted students and the dedicated teachers who guide their spiritual progress. He also details the problems that have arisen because of some Western influences--especially with regard to gender roles, sex, and power. Exploring the appeal of this exotic faith in postmodern society and questioning its future in a global consumer culture, The New Buddhism provides a thorough and fascinating guide to Western Buddhism today.

Buddhist Self-Ordination: A Dharma Strategy for the West

Buddhist Self-Ordination: A Dharma Strategy for the West PDF Author: Alexander Duncan
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1257640488
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
This booklet explores the Dharma Transmission to the West from its origin in 1908 with the First Buddhist Mission to the West to the arrival of today's Asian immigrant teachers and schools, and asks the fundamental question: What is the right relationship between the DTW and the West? Is the West merely a passive receiver of dharma, or will the DTW transform Buddhism itself? The author seeks for the answer in Buddhist history, and finds it in the Mahayana rite of self-ordination, which he presents in a close English paraphrase of the Tibetan rite together with an essay on the relationship between the Mahayana precepts and the Vinaya.

Buddhist Practice on Western Ground

Buddhist Practice on Western Ground PDF Author: Harvey Aronson
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 9780834823525
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
This is the first book to offer Buddhist meditators a comprehensive and sympathetic examination of the differences between Asian and Western cultural and spiritual values. Harvey B. Aronson presents a constructive and practical assessment of common conflicts experienced by Westerners who look to Eastern spiritual traditions for guidance and support—and find themselves confused or disappointed. Issues addressed include: • Our cultural belief that anger should not be suppressed versus the Buddhist teaching to counter anger and hatred • Our psychotherapists' advice that attachment is the basis for healthy personal development and supportive relationships versus the Buddhist condemnation of attachments as the source of suffering • Our culture's emphasis on individuality versus the Asian emphasis on interdependence and fulfillment of duties, and the Buddhist teachings on no-self, or egolessness

Dancing with Dharma

Dancing with Dharma PDF Author: Harrison Blum
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476623503
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
Both Buddhism and dance invite the practitioner into present-moment embodiment. The rise of Western Buddhism, sacred dance and dance/movement therapy, along with the mindfulness meditation boom, has created opportunities for Buddhism to inform dance aesthetics and for Buddhist practice to be shaped by dance. This collection of new essays documents the innovative work being done at the intersection of Buddhism and dance. The contributors--scholars, choreographers and Buddhist masters--discuss movement, performance, ritual and theory, among other topics. The final section provides a variety of guided practices.

The Spirit of Buddhism

The Spirit of Buddhism PDF Author: Sogyal Rinpoche
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006053995X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
The author of the bestselling "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" passionately argues that Buddhism must remain true to its core traditions as it brings its wisdom and healing to the West.

The Awakening of the West

The Awakening of the West PDF Author: Stephen Batchelor
Publisher: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
The Awakening of the West is an insightful and elegantly written history chronicling the developing relationship between Buddhism and Western culture. As anyone familiar with the work of Stephen Batchelor (best-selling author of Buddhism Without Beliefs) would expect, The Awakening of the West is presented in a fresh and lively way and backed by thorough research. Using the innovative approach of starting with the present and working back in time, Batchelor makes it easy to connect familiar contemporary Buddhist teachers to their historical roots. He breathes life into history by capturing the personalities and times of famous and lesser-known but important Buddhist figures. After absorbing these stories and their context, readers will not only have a greater appreciation of Buddhism as a religion but can gain insights that can help them develop their own discerning wisdom. The Awakening of the West is a unique, engaging and important book for anyone seeking a greater understanding of Buddhism.

Secular Buddhism

Secular Buddhism PDF Author: Stephen Batchelor
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300227582
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
An essential collection of Stephen Batchelor’s most probing and important work on secular Buddhism As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition? Is there an ethical framework that can underpin and contextualize these practices in a rapidly changing world? In this collected volume of Stephen Batchelor’s writings on these themes, he explores the complex implications of Buddhism’s secularization. Ranging widely—from reincarnation, religious belief, and agnosticism to the role of the arts in Buddhist practice—he offers a detailed picture of contemporary Buddhism and its attempt to find a voice in the modern world.

American Dharma

American Dharma PDF Author: Ann Gleig
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300215800
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
This illuminating account of contemporary American Buddhism shows the remarkable ways the tradition has changed over the past generation The past couple of decades have witnessed Buddhist communities both continuing the modernization of Buddhism and questioning some of its limitations. In this fascinating portrait of a rapidly changing religious landscape, Ann Gleig illuminates the aspirations and struggles of younger North American Buddhists during a period she identifies as a distinct stage in the assimilation of Buddhism to the West. She observes both the emergence of new innovative forms of deinstitutionalized Buddhism that blur the boundaries between the religious and secular, and a revalorization of traditional elements of Buddhism, such as ethics and community, that were discarded in the modernization process. Based on extensive ethnographic and textual research, the book ranges from mindfulness debates in the Vipassana network to the sex scandals in American Zen, while exploring issues around racial diversity and social justice, the impact of new technologies, and generational differences between baby boomer, Gen X, and millennial teachers.