Digital Commons Network^™

The Journey From The Pew To The Cushion Women From Conservative Religions Practicing Mindfulness Meditation, Amy Avila Cherry

Mindfulness Studies Theses

No abstract provided.

The Unintended Legacy Of Hellenism: The Development And Dissemination Of The Buddha Image, Chukyi Kyaping

History Honors Papers

This paper traces the development and evolution of the Buddha image from the first century CE in Gandhara to the fifth century CE in Luoyang, China and discusses the circumstances that allowed the image to adapt to different cultural environments. The emergence of the Buddha image marked a significant shift in the perception of the Buddha himself, through which Buddhism had effectively transformed from a philosophy into a religion.

Due to the syncretic nature of the Gandhari region, the Buddha image incorporated elements from multiple cultures, most notably from the Hellenistic artistic tradition. The dissemination of the Buddha image, traced …

Opium Eaters: Buddhism As Revolutionary Politics, James Mark Shields

Faculty Contributions to Books

There is no one, single answer to the question: What is or are ‘Buddhist politics’? Rather than seek general historical trends or broad tendencies, in this chapter I explore the meaning and implications of the modern, Western conception of ‘politics’ as understood in relation to key features of Buddhist doctrine. In particular, I pose the question of whether we might fruitfully conceive at least certain interpretations of Buddhism—or perhaps, of Dharma—as politics, rather than ‘religion’ or ‘philosophy.’ I argue that twentieth century progressive Buddhists Seno’o Girō (1889–1961) and B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956) were not so much in conflict with …

The Alestle - Vol. 68. No. 25 - 03/17/2016, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Alestle

Vol. 68 No. 25

Buddhism, Mindfulness, And Transformative Politics, Matthew J. Moore

Political Science

This article examines whether the American cultural phenomena of the practice of Buddhism or the Buddhism-derived technique of mindfulness are likely to be helpful to the political left. It summarizes the central teachings of the ancient Buddhist texts, with particular focus on the issues of mindfulness and politics. It also reviews the political history of Buddhist countries. The author argues that although modern Buddhism has shed its historical embrace of absolutist monarchy in favor of republicanism, and although there is some ideological overlap between Buddhism and the American Left, Buddhism in America is too small a movement for it to …

Uab To Host 21st Annual Graduate Student Symposium In Art History On March 4, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Working Papers Of The American Society Of Missiology; Volume 1 Missio-Logoi/ Contextualization, Robert A. Danielson, William L. Selvidge

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Donald S. Lopez Jr., The Tibetan Book Of The Dead: A Biography, Reviewed By Greg Wilkinson

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

‘If Apprehending Occurs, It Is Not The View’: Sakya Thinkers On The Madhyamaka View Of Freedom From Proliferations, Yaroslav Komarovski

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

This paper addresses several key elements of Sakya thinkers’ approach to Madhyamaka, with the primary focus on their understanding of ultimate reality described as ‘freedom from proliferations’ (spros bral). It first provides a short summary of the general Sakya approach, then addresses works of several early Sakya masters, and finally explores writings of Gowo Rapjampa Sönam Senggé (go bo rab ’byams pa bsod nams seng ge, 1429-1489)— Gorampa (go rams pa) for short—whose position is accepted as representative of the mainstream within the Sakya tradition. Sakya thought in general, and its approach to Madhyamaka in particular, is based largely on …

Daughters Of The Dharma: Buddhist Women Dissolving Divisions In The Past, Present, And Future, Ganga Devi Braun

Theses & ETDs

There is currently a global movement of women constructing ways of seeing, being, and acting in the world which is motivated by the common understanding of compassion, interdependent origination of phenomena, and nondualism cultivated by Buddhist teachings for 2,500 years. This thesis seeks to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of this movement by examining some of its many dimensions: past, present, and future as well as individual, interactional, and institutional. Through presenting a diverse array of examples of Buddhist women’s work, this thesis demonstrates the interwoven nature of these wide ranging efforts to overcome perceived separateness and to restore the world …

Buddhism In Korean Film During The Roh Regime (1988-1993), Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

This article outlines and critically discusses South Korean Buddhist films made during the time of the Roh Tae-woo government (1988-1993), which can be called a semi-democratic and semi-dictatorial regime. This was a period of transition in film policy from the censorship of the earlier dictatorial regimes to the freedom of expression offered to directors by the later democratic administrations, unprecedented in Korean film history. During this period the technical skill of directors improved bringing about a corresponding improvement in the quality of Korean Buddhist films and thus international attention. Although the government allowed filmmakers considerably more freedom to express ideas …

A Historical Analysis Of Hinderances Related To The Slow Growth Of Christianity In Thailand, Kelly Michael Hilderbrand

Great Commission Research Journal

From the very beginning, Christianity has experienced slow growth in Thailand. This article examines the historical hindrances to growth in Thailand. What are they, and why have they hindered church growth? Early hindrances have included climate and disease, ministry approaches, and a lack of persecution. Historical and present hindrances are also examined, including the foreignness of Christianity, confrontational evangelism, and the Thai patron-client social structure. Once identified, missions organizations and missionaries can make adjustments to be more eff­ective in impacting the kingdom of Thailand for the gospel.

Animism Among Western Buddhists, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Myriad instances of animist phenomena abound in the Buddhist world, but due to the outdated concepts of thinkers such as Edward Tylor, James George Frazer, and Melford Spiro, commonly scholars perceive this animism merely as the work of local religions, not as deriving from Buddhism itself. However, when one follows a number of contemporary scholars and employs a new, relational concept of animism that is based on respectful recognition of nonhuman personhoods, a different picture emerges. The works of Western Buddhists such as Stephanie Kaza, Philip Kapleau Roshi, and Gary Snyder express powerful senses of relational animism that arise specifically …

Seventh-Day Adventist Approaches To Other Religions: Preliminary Findings From 1930-1950, Part I, Andrew Tompkins

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

“If Apprehending Occurs, It Is Not The View” — Sakya Thinkers On The Madhyamaka View Of Freedom From Proliferations, Yaroslav Komarovski

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

The Sakya thinkers whose views were addressed in this paper are consistently in agreement regarding what freedom from proliferations is, how it is utilized in contemplative practice, and how it is located within the broader universe of non-tantric and tantric Buddhism. Freedom from proliferations is not an object, and transcends all categories of existence, nonexistence, etc. Consequently, it cannot be approached and described in the same way we understand and describe colors, tastes, ideas, etc. Yet, it is also not a nonexistent thing similar to rabbit horns and other types of falsely imagined phenomena. It can be realized, but only …

Prayers Of Resistance: Kalymyk Women's Covert Buddhist Practice, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Throughout decades of Soviet repression of religion and into modern times, groups of Buddhist women known as babushki matsik, or ‘‘group of old women precept holders’’ have covertly engaged in Buddhist practices in Kalmykia, following the Tibetan tantric tradition. Located to the northwest of the Caspian Sea, the Kalmyk Republic of the Russian Federation is the only region of Europe with a predominantly Buddhist population. For centuries, the region has been the site of repeated migrations, shifting political and military alliances, and Russian Orthodox conversion efforts. The devastating period of forced relocation and exile in Siberia between 1943 and 1957 …

Postmodernism And Budhism: A Postmodern Woman In A Modernizing Land, Ruthanne Joy Wenger Hughes

Senior Theses

Religion and postmodernism are two paradigms that guide my experience of life. Although it is not necessarily intuitive, these two paradigms do intersect and inform each other, shaping the way I engage with the world. With this understanding, I spent the Spring 2015 semester in the Kingdom of Bhutan and examined my time through a postmodern lens, writing a travel blog at www.bhutanbricolage.weebly.com that mediates my experiences there and my thoughts about Buddhism and postmodernism.

East Asian Buddhism, Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Theravada Buddhism, Identity, And Cultural Continuity In Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, James H. Granderson

Student Publications

This ethnographic field study focuses upon the relationship between the urban Jinghong and surrounding rural Dai population of lay people, as well as a few individuals from other ethnic groups, and Theravada Buddhism. Specifically, I observed how Theravada Buddhism and Dai ethnic culture are continued through the monastic system and the lay community that supports that system. I also observed how individuals balance living modern and urban lifestyles while also incorporating Theravada Buddhism into their daily lives. Both of these involved observing the relationship between Theravada monastics in city and rural temples and common people in daily life, as well …

More Religious And Less Moral: The Changing Face Of Religious Coexistence In Ladakh, Henry Wilson-Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ladakh hosts a mixed population of Buddhists and Muslims that belies its popular image as a solely Buddhist replica of Tibet. Despite its unique history of religious integration, new pressures linked to globalisation are pulling the communities apart, with occasional and previously unheard-of communal conflict breaking out in recent decades. Through a comparison of historical and primary sources alongside first hand observation, this project traces the effects of external religious forces, the communal style of Indian politics, and the pressures of ‘development’ upon the local reality of religious coexistence in Ladakh. Despite the largely harmonious environment, it is clear that …

From Tibetan Refugees To Transmigrants: Negotiating Cultural Continuity And Economic Mobility Through Migration, Namgyal Choedup

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATIONThis dissertation research, funded by International Dissertation Research Fellowship from Social Science Research Council, investigates how a group of people, who continues to valorize their “statelessness”, critically and actively engages with the powers and policies of host nation-states and international geopolitics to negotiate their individual and collective goals of socio-economic mobility and cultural continuity. Through the study of lived experiences of three generations of Tibetan exiles living as “stateless” people in India, the study investigates historical and contemporary expressions of nation-state, homeland, cultural and ethnic identity within the Tibetan exile communities in India with reference to two …

What Is Buddhist Law? Opening Ideas, Rebecca Redwood French

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

What Is Buddhist Law?, Rebecca Redwood French

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Ancient Magic And Modern Accessories: Developments In The Omamori Phenomenon, Eric Teixeira Mendes

Masters Theses

This thesis offers an examination of modern Japanese amulets, called omamori, distributed by Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan. As amulets, these objects are meant to be carried by a person at all times in which they wish to receive the benefits that an omamori is said to offer. In modern times, in addition to being a religious object, these amulets have become accessories for cell-phones, bags, purses, and automobiles. Said to protect people from accidents, disease, loneliness, failure, computer viruses, among many other things, these objects are one of the few material aspects of religion that are a …

Public Philosophy: Cross-Cultural And Multi-Disciplinary, Anand Jayprakash Vaidya

Comparative Philosophy

In this paper I propose a future direction for comparative philosophy on which it enters the space of public philosophy by capitalizing on the fact that it is already cross-cultural, and adding multi-disciplinary research to its proper foundation. This is not a new thesis. Rather, it is an ideological articulation of thought that is already underway in what is sometimes called fusion philosophy, as found in the work of Evan Thompson, Jay Garfield, or Christian Coseru. My articulation begins with a non-exhaustive delineation of distinct types of public-philosophy that are already well known in the public space. One core distinction …

Which Medicine? Medicine-Taking And Changing Sherpa Lives, Susan Heydon

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

An increasing quantity of medicines, including medicines of different healing systems, have become available since the nineteen fifties to the mainly Sherpa inhabitants of the Mt. Everest region of Nepal. Considerable change and economic development has occurred in which this mountainous and remote area has become one of Nepal’s principal tourist destinations and people have gained access to education, health services, and modern means of communication. Many Sherpa travel regularly in Nepal and overseas, especially for work, education, or pilgrimage, or have migrated permanently. Focusing on oral histories, this article explores factors that have influenced people’s use of different medicines …

Review Of A Cultural History Of Japanese Buddhism By Brian Ruppert And William E. Deal, Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Identity-Based Conflict And The Role Of Print Media In The Pahadi Community Of Contemporary Nepal, Sunil Kumar Pokhrel

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Despite the formal abolishment of the discriminative caste system in Nepal in 1963, caste still influences social, economic, and political sectors of Hindu society. Indicators and existing research suggest that caste-based discrimination remains one of the major sources of unrest in a Hindu majority nation such as Nepal. Questions remain, however, about the media‘s role in caste-based identity conflict. This dissertation seeks to answer the question: How do various print media outlets (i.e., public vs. private) depict Pahadi identity-based conflicts in contemporary Nepal? In this study, I employed focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with Nepalese opinion leaders. Further, I …

The Fruits Of Shady Grove: Seeing The Forest For The Trees, Glenn S. Koppel

Akron Law Review

Part II will sketch the facts of the case to prepare for an exploration of the roots of Shady Grove in Part III, which traces the evolution of the Court’s Erie jurisprudence. At various points along the way, I will stop to anticipate where one or more of the several opinions in Shady Grove will shed light, in Part IV, on the meaning of Shady Grove

Compassion & Social Justice: 14th Sakyadhita International Conference On Buddhist Women, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

The 14 Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is an extraordinary crosscultural opportunity. Focusing on the theme “Compassion and Social Justice,” the conference introduces activists of the social justice movements in Indonesia and other Asian countries to Buddhist feminist wisdom, social analysis, lives, and experiences. At the same time, it introduces Buddhist communities to Indonesian activists and local social justice movements. The conference provides a space for attendees, volunteers, interpreters, and seminar and workshop presenters of different backgrounds to interact and break down perceived barriers. It creates a foundation for future collaborations among Buddhist feminists and social …