The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David L. McMahan

Provides the first broad account of the western sources of Buddhist Modernism
Historically nuanced account of the development of Buddhism in the West
Suggests that Buddhism as we now understand it is often liberally intermixed with modern western ideas and practices

The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David L. McMahan

Description

In this book, David McMahan offers the first comprehensive attempt to chart the development of "modern Buddhism." His position is critical but empathetic: while he presents modern Buddhism as a construction of numerous parties with varying interests, he does not reduce it to a mistake, a misrepresentation, or a fabrication. Rather, he presents modern Buddhism as a complex historical process constituted by a variety of responses - sometimes trivial, often profound - to some of the most important concerns of the modern era.

The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David L. McMahan

1:Introduction: Buddhism and Modernity
2:The Spectrum of Tradition and Modernism
3:Buddhism and the Discourses of Modernity
4:Modernity and the Discourse of Scientific Buddhism
5
6:A Brief History of Interdependence
7:Meditation and Modernity
8:Mindfulness, Literature, and the Affirmation of the World
9:From Modern to Postmodern?

The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David L. McMahan

Author Information

David L. McMahan, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin & Marshall College

The Making of Buddhist Modernism

David L. McMahan

Reviews and Awards

"McMahan's investigation is a valuable and welcome addition to studies of Victorian-era Buddhism, Buddhism and colonialism, Engaged Buddhism, and Buddhism in America." - Anne M. Blackburn, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"David McMahan has developed a creative and richly suggestive historical synthesis. ... McMahan's investigation is a valuable and welcome addition to studies of Victorian-era Buddhism, Buddhism and colonialism, Engaged Buddhism, and Buddhism in America." - Anne M. Blackburn, Journal of the American Academy of Religion