What Is Protestant Buddhism?

“Protestant Buddhism” is one phrase scholars have used to describe changes that Buddhism has undergone in its encounter with modernity. We will look at that phrase, these changes, and their ongoing impact on belief and practice. Check out my Patreon page! Book mentioned: Buddhism Transformed by Richard Gombrich and Gananath Obeyesekere Articles: Vijitha Rajapakse’s review…

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Secular Buddhism's Roots in South Asia

A recent article notes a raft of modern innovations taking place at Longquan Monastery in China, including a robot that answers visitors’ questions. These modernizations make the teaching more accessible to laypeople, and are part of a growing movement that “preaches connectivity instead of seclusion and … practical advice over deep philosophy.” Similar modernizations take…

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Episode 87 :: David Loy :: Why Buddhism Needs the West

David Loy David Loy joins us to talk about why Buddhism needs the West, studies in lack, and the selective evolutionary pressures on traditional practices. What happens when Buddhism, or any other traditional practice, encounters a new culture? It changes, grows, and finds new forms that suit the new environment in which it finds itself.…

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Episode 72 :: David McMahan :: The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David McMahan David L. McMahan talks with us about The Making of Buddhist Modernism. Hi, everyone. Over the past year or so of the podcast, many of you have heard me use terms regarding the ‘evolution’ of Buddhism in contemporary culture. Some of us also use terms like ‘adaptation’, but the underlying principle is the…

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