The Faces of Buddhism in America - by Charles S Prebish & Kenneth K Tanaka (Paperback)

About the Book

The editors bring some of the leading voices in Buddhist studies to examine the debates surrounding contemporary Buddhism's many faces. Race, feminism, homosexuality, psychology, environmentalism, and notions of authority are some of the issues confronting the religion today. 9 photos.

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

"This book is sure to be an invaluable resource not only to Buddhist scholars, but to the practitioners as well."--John Daido Loori, Roshi Abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery

"This is a fascinating collection of the most interesting and instructive papers on the current state of affairs in American Buddhism. [The editors] provide a detailed stock-taking of the multifaceted dimension of the religion as it undergoes a rapid formation and transformation. . . . A highly welcome and informative volume."--Martin Baumann, author of Deutsche Buddhisten

About the Author

Charles S. Prebish is Associate Professor of Religion at Pennsylvania State University and author and editor of numerous works, including American Buddhism and Buddhist Monastic Discipline. He is currently coeditor of the electronic Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Kenneth K. Tanaka is Professor of Buddhist Studies at the Institute for Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the author of Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism in America (1997). He is president of the Buddhist Council of Northern California.