Buddhism and American Thinkers

Buddhism and American Thinkers PDF Author: Kenneth K. Inada
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438407513
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
In Buddhism and American Thinkers, leading scholars explore Buddhist influences on the currents of American thought. The essays presented here advance a continuing dialogue between East and West and show how Buddhism has made ever-deepening penetrations into the very substratum of American thinking. Contributors to this volume share a concern with ideas that constitute a common core of Buddhist and American philosophy. Each relates Buddhism to a factor in American thinking, exploring the numerous ways in which Buddhist perspectives on personal identity, human suffering, and alienation, the nature of compassionate love, and the social nature of ultimate reality amplify and clarify perspectives found in the "golden age" of American philosophy, particularly in the thought of William James, Josiah Royce, Alfred North Whitehead, John Dewey, Charles Sanders Peirce, and Charles Hartshorne, the great living American philosopher. Buddhism and American Thinkers brings new light to the interrelationship between an ancient orientation to life and the very deepest ideas in the history of American thought.

Buddhism and American Thinkers

Buddhism and American Thinkers PDF Author: Kenneth K. Inada
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438407513
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Buddhism and American Thinkers, leading scholars explore Buddhist influences on the currents of American thought. The essays presented here advance a continuing dialogue between East and West and show how Buddhism has made ever-deepening penetrations into the very substratum of American thinking. Contributors to this volume share a concern with ideas that constitute a common core of Buddhist and American philosophy. Each relates Buddhism to a factor in American thinking, exploring the numerous ways in which Buddhist perspectives on personal identity, human suffering, and alienation, the nature of compassionate love, and the social nature of ultimate reality amplify and clarify perspectives found in the "golden age" of American philosophy, particularly in the thought of William James, Josiah Royce, Alfred North Whitehead, John Dewey, Charles Sanders Peirce, and Charles Hartshorne, the great living American philosopher. Buddhism and American Thinkers brings new light to the interrelationship between an ancient orientation to life and the very deepest ideas in the history of American thought.

Buddhism and American Cinema

Buddhism and American Cinema PDF Author: John Whalen-Bridge
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438453493
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
Discusses both depictions of Buddhism in film and Buddhist takes on a variety of films. In 1989, the same year the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, a decade-long boom of films dedicated to Buddhist people, history, and culture began. Offering the first scholarly treatment of Buddhism and cinema, the editors advise that there are two kinds of Buddhist film: those that are about Buddhists and those that are not. Focusing on contemporary American offerings, the contributors extend a two-pronged approach, discussing how Buddhism has been captured by directors and presenting Buddhist-oriented critiques of the worlds represented in films that would seem to have no connection with Buddhism. Films discussed range from those set in Tibet, such as Kundun and Lost Horizon, to those set well outside of any Buddhist milieu, such as Groundhog Day and The Matrix. The contributors explain the Buddhist theoretical concepts that emerge in these works, including karma, the bardo, and reincarnation, and consider them in relation to interpretive strategies that include feminism, postcolonialism, and contemplative psychological approaches.

Why I Am Not a Buddhist

Why I Am Not a Buddhist PDF Author: Evan Thompson
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300226551
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
"A provocative essay challenging the idea of Buddhist exceptionalism, from one of the world's most widely respected philosophers and writers on Buddhism and science. Buddhism has become a uniquely favored religion in our modern age. A burgeoning number of books extol the scientifically proven benefits of meditation and mindfulness for everything ranging from business to romance. There are conferences, courses, and celebrities promoting the notion that Buddhism is spirituality for the rational; compatible with cutting-edge science; indeed, "a science of the mind." In this provocative book, Evan Thompson argues that this representation of Buddhism is false. In lucid and entertaining prose, Thompson dives deep into both Western and Buddhist philosophy to explain how the goals of science and religion are fundamentally different. Efforts to seek their unification are wrongheaded and promote mistaken ideas of both. He suggests cosmopolitanism instead, a worldview with deep roots in both Eastern and Western traditions. Smart, sympathetic, and intellectually ambitious, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Buddhism's place in our world today."--Provided by publisher.

The Soul of Classical American Philosophy

The Soul of Classical American Philosophy PDF Author: Richard P. Mullin
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791480011
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
The Soul of Classical American Philosophy is an introduction to the thought of William James, Josiah Royce, and Charles Sanders Peirce, particularly in terms of the ethical and the spiritual. Writing for the nonspecialist in a straightforward style, Richard P. Mullin brings together the central ideas of these three key figures of classical American Pragmatism and explores their engagement with issues of truth, the meaning of self, free will, moral values, community, scientific thinking, and the relationship with the transcendent. He also addresses the growing international interest in American philosophy and sheds light on a defining movement in its history.

Be the Refuge

Be the Refuge PDF Author: Chenxing Han
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1623175232
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
A must-read for modern sanghas--Asian American Buddhists in their own words, on their own terms. Despite the fact that two thirds of U.S. Buddhists identify as Asian American, mainstream perceptions about what it means to be Buddhist in America often whitewash and invisibilize the diverse, inclusive, and intersectional communities that lie at the heart of American Buddhism. Be the Refuge is both critique and celebration, calling out the erasure of Asian American Buddhists while uplifting the complexity and nuance of their authentic stories and vital, thriving communities. Drawn from in-depth interviews with a pan-ethnic, pan-Buddhist group, Be the Refuge is the first book to center young Asian American Buddhists' own voices. With insights from multi-generational, second-generation, convert, and socially engaged Asian American Buddhists, Be the Refuge includes the stories of trailblazers, bridge-builders, integrators, and refuge-makers who hail from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds. Championing nuanced representation over stale stereotypes, Han and the 89 interviewees in Be the Refuge push back against false narratives like the Oriental monk, the superstitious immigrant, and the banana Buddhist--typecasting that collapses the multivocality of Asian American Buddhists into tired, essentialized tropes. Encouraging frank conversations about race, representation, and inclusivity among Buddhists of all backgrounds, Be the Refuge embodies the spirit of interconnection that glows at the heart of American Buddhism.

Thoughts Without A Thinker

Thoughts Without A Thinker PDF Author: Mark Epstein
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465063926
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Blending the lessons of psychotherapy with Buddhist teachings, Mark Epstein offers a revolutionary understanding of what constitutes a healthy emotional life The line between psychology and spirituality has blurred, as clinicians, their patients, and religious seekers explore new perspectives on the self. A landmark contribution to the field of psychoanalysis, Thoughts Without a Thinker describes the unique psychological contributions offered by the teachings of Buddhism. Drawing upon his own experiences as a psychotherapist and meditator, New York-based psychiatrist Mark Epstein lays out the path to meditation-inspired healing, and offers a revolutionary new understanding of what constitutes a healthy emotional life.

Why Buddhism is True

Why Buddhism is True PDF Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439195471
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 339

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Book Description
From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer—and the reason we make other people suffer—is that we don’t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness. In this “sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life—how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty and of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience and psychology, and armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright’s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world’s most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is “provocative, informative and...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), and as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

American Dharma

American Dharma PDF Author: Ann Gleig
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300245041
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
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.

Buddhism as Philosophy

Buddhism as Philosophy PDF Author: Mark Siderits
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 9780754653691
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
'Buddhism as Philosophy' does more than just report what Buddhist philosophers said: it presents their arguments and invites the reader to assess their overall cogency.

Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers

Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers PDF Author: John R. Shook
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1843710374
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 2759

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Book Description
The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers includes both academic and non-academic philosophers, anda large number of female and minority thinkers whose work has been neglected. It includes those intellectualsinvolved in the development of psychology, pedagogy, sociology, anthropology, education, theology, politicalscience, and several other fields, before these disciplines came to be considered distinct from philosophy in thelate nineteenth century.Each entry contains a short biography of the writer, an exposition and analysis of his or her doctrines and ideas, abibliography of writings, and suggestions for further reading. While all the major post-Civil War philosophers arepresent, the most valuable feature of this dictionary is its coverage of a huge range of less well-known writers,including hundreds of presently obscure thinkers. In many cases, the Dictionary of Modern AmericanPhilosophers offers the first scholarly treatment of the life and work of certain writers. This book will be anindispensable reference work for scholars working on almost any aspect of modern American thought.