Questions about Buddhist modernism
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is Buddhist modernism and how does it differ from traditional Buddhism?
Buddhist modernism refers to new movements that reinterpret Buddhism in line with modern Western ideas, including rationalism, scientific naturalism, and Romantic expressivism. Unlike traditional Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism, modernist forms de-emphasize or reject ritual, cosmology, gods, rebirth, karma, monasticism, and clerical hierarchy, instead stressing meditation, interior exploration, and compatibility with science.
Who were the first presenters of Buddhist modernism to a Western audience?
According to scholar James Coleman, the first presenters of modernistic Buddhism before a Western audience were Anagarika Dharmapala and Soyen Shaku, who appeared at the World Congress of Religion in 1893. Shaku's student D.T. Suzuki later became the most influential figure in bringing Zen Buddhism to Western readers, with his works growing popular from the 1930s onward and particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.
What is Navayana Buddhism and who founded it?
Navayana Buddhism is a Neo-Buddhist movement founded by the Indian Dalit leader B. R. Ambedkar in the 1950s. On the 13th of October 1956, Ambedkar held a press conference rejecting traditional Theravada and Mahayana interpretations and then converted between 500,000 and 600,000 Dalits to his movement. Navayana rejects karma, rebirth, nirvana, the Four Noble Truths, and monasticism, reinterpreting the Buddha's religion in terms of class struggle, social equality, and social justice.
How did Japanese nationalism shape the New Buddhism movement in Japan?
At the onset of the Meiji period in 1868, the Japanese government briefly persecuted Buddhism as corrupt and foreign. A reform movement called Shin Bukkyō (New Buddhism) emerged from this crisis, led by university-educated intellectuals who framed Zen as the essential Japanese religion. Imakita Kosen was employed by the Japanese government as a "national evangelist" during the 1870s, and the movement used Zen's promotion abroad as a way to assert Japan's cultural superiority on the international stage.
What is naturalized Buddhism and why is rebirth controversial in Western Buddhist movements?
Naturalized Buddhism is a term some Western interpreters use for movements that strip Buddhism of rebirth, karma, nirvana, and realms of existence, retaining compassion, impermanence, and meditation practice. Scholar Damien Keown notes that Westerners find the ideas of karma and rebirth puzzling. Traditional scholars including Bhikkhu Bodhi and Thanissaro Bhikkhu reject these revisions, arguing that rebirth has always been a central teaching in the Buddhist tradition and is integral to the sutras.
When was the first comprehensive study of Buddhist modernism published?
The first comprehensive study of Buddhist modernism in the Theravada tradition as a distinct phenomenon was published in 1966 by Heinz Bechert. Bechert regarded Buddhist modernism as "modern Buddhist revivalism" in postcolonial societies like Sri Lanka and identified several characteristics, including new interpretations of early Buddhist teachings, reinterpretation of Buddhism as a "scientific religion," emphasis on equality and democracy, and revival of meditation practice.