Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism: a book

[from the web page http://www.sunypress.edu/p-4873-makers-of-modern-korean-buddhis.aspx] Summary
An overview of Korean Buddhism and its major figures in the modern period. The first book in English devoted exclusively to modern Korean Buddhism, this work provides a comprehensive exploration for scholars, students, and serious readers. Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism focuses on three key areas: Buddhist reform, Zen revival, and the interrelationship of religion, history, and politics. In Korea, the modern period in Buddhism begins in earnest in the late nineteenth century, during the closing years of the Chosŏn dynasty, which was characterized by a repressive brand of neo-Confucianism. Buddhist reformers arose to seek change in both Buddhism and Korean society at large. The work begins with a look at five of these reformers and their thought and work. The Zen revival that began at the end of the nineteenth century is covered from that period to contemporary times through an exploration of the life and thought of important Zen masters. The influence of Japanese Buddhist missionaries, the emergence of Korean engaged Buddhism, known as Minjung Buddhism, and the formation of modern Buddhist scholarship in Korea are discussed as well. “This book … is most welcome. It helps to find answers to many of the questions that can be raised on the whereabouts of Buddhism in the Korean Peninsula since the end of the 19th century.” — Journal of Korean Religions “This outstanding collection will be highly valued by the scholarly community for the way it deals comprehensively and insightfully with an important though relatively unexplored topic in the modern era.” — Steven Heine, author of Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? Jin Y. Park is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University. She is the author of Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics and the editor of several books, including Buddhisms and Deconstructions.

Cambodian Buddhism in the United States: a book

from the publisher website:

Summary
The first comprehensive anthropological description of the Khmer Buddhism practiced by Cambodian refugees in the United States over the past four decades. Cambodian Buddhism in the United States is the first comprehensive anthropological study of Khmer Buddhism as practiced by Khmer refugees in the United States. Based on research conducted at Khmer temples and sites throughout the country over a period of three and a half decades, Carol A. Mortland uses participant observation, open-ended interviews, life histories, and dialogues with Khmer monks and laypeople to explore the everyday practice of Khmer religion, including spirit beliefs and healing rituals. This ethnography is enriched and supplemented by the use of historical accounts, reports, memoirs, unpublished life histories, and family memorabilia painstakingly preserved by refugees. Mortland also traces the changes that Cambodians have made to religion as they struggle with the challenges of living in a new country, learning English, and supporting themselves. The beliefs and practices of Khmer Muslims and Khmer Christians in the United States are also reviewed. Carol A. Mortland is a retired professor and the coeditor (with David W. Haines) of Manifest Destinies: Americanizing Immigrants and Internationalizing Americans, and (with May M. Ebihara and Judy Ledgerwood) Cambodian Culture Since 1975: Homeland and Exile. for more information: http://www.sunypress.edu/p-6439-cambodian-buddhism-in-the-unite.aspx

The Face of the Buddha: a book

"Taking up a teaching appointment in Tokyo in 1931, the English poet and literary critic William Empson found himself captivated by the Buddhist sculptures of ancient Japan, and spent the years that followed in search of similar examples all over Korea, China, Cambodia, Burma, India, and Ceylon, as well as in the great museums of the West. Compiling the results of these wide-ranging travels into what he considered to be one of his most important works, Empson was heartbroken when he mislaid the sole copy of the manuscript in the wake of the Second World War. The Face of the Buddha remained one of the great lost books until its surprise rediscovery sixty years later, and is published here for the first time. The book provides an engaging record of Empson's reactions to the cultures and artworks he encountered during his travels, and presents experimental theories about Buddhist art that many authorities of today have found to be remarkably prescient. It also casts important new light on Empson's other works, highlighting in particular the affinities of his thinking with that of the religious and philosophical traditions of Asia."

For table of contents and other details:

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-face-of-the-buddha-9780199659678?prevSortField=8&sortField=8&start=40&resultsPerPage=20&q=buddhism&facet_narrowbytype_facet=Academic%20Research&prevNumResPerPage=20&lang=en&cc=us#

Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies: a book

[from the web page:] Summary

Annotated translation of an essential work of twentieth-century Tibetan Buddhist thought, one that explicates teachings on the Middle Way. This is an essential work of Tibetan Buddhist thought written by an influential scholar of the twentieth century. Drawing upon the Nyingma tradition of the great Tibetan visionary Mipam, Bötrül provides a systematic overview of Mipam’s teachings on the Middle Way. Presenting the Nyingma school within a rich constellation of diverse perspectives, Bötrül contrasts Nyingma views point by point with positions held by other Tibetan Buddhist schools. Bötrül’s work addresses a wide range of complex topics in Buddhist philosophy and doctrine in a beautifully structured composition in verse and prose. Notably, Bötrül sheds light on the elusive meaning of “emptiness” and presents an interpretation that is unique to his Nyingma school. Distinguishing the Views and Philosophies exemplifies a vigorous tradition of Tibetan Buddhist scholarship that is widely practiced in contemporary monastic colleges in Tibet, India, and Nepal. Douglas Samuel Duckworth’s translation will make this work widely available in English for the first time, and his thoughtful introduction and annotations will provide insight and context for readers. Bötrül (1898–1959) was an ordained monk from central Tibet, who was recognized as an incarnate lama. He taught at several monastic colleges in eastern and central Tibet, and many of his students were among the most influential leaders of the Nyingma school. Douglas Samuel Duckworth is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of Mipam on Buddha-Nature: The Ground of the Nyingma Tradition, also published by SUNY Press.

Buddhism: One Teacher, Many Traditions - a book

"In Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and American Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron map out the convergence and divergence of the two major Buddhist movements—the Sanskrit traditions of Tibet and East Asia and the Pāli traditions of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

The authors consider Buddhism’s core practices and tenets, such as the four noble truths, the practice of meditation, the cultivation of love, and the meaning of nirvāṇa, and how the traditions sometimes agree and sometimes differ in their interpretations. The authors’ respectful approach illuminates the many ways that all forms of Buddhism, amid their rich diversity, share a common heritage and common goals."

http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/buddhism

Teaching Buddhism: New Insights on Understanding and Presenting the Traditions: a book

ABSTRACT

Part of the AAR series on Teaching Religion, this book connects the imagined community of college instructors of Buddhism with the work of leading scholars who are updating, revising, and correcting earlier understandings of Buddhist traditions on a variety of scholarly horizons. Chapters present new content on Buddhism and reflect on how courses can be enhanced with new insights. Part I “Updating Perennial Course Subjects” focuses on central figures and traditions in undergraduate courses on Buddhism: the role of philosophy in the tradition, understanding the philosopher Nāgārjuna, presenting Yogācāra Buddhism using recent insights of the cognitive sciences, and insights on teaching tantric traditions and Zen in light of scholarship on them. Part II “Reimagining the Content of ‘Buddhism’ ” shows how political engagement has been an aspect of this tradition throughout its history and that ritual practices have defined the practice of Buddhism. Part III approaches issues facing instructors in teaching Buddhism: dilemmas for the scholar-practitioner in the academic and monastic classrooms, the tradition’s possible roles in teaching feminism and diversity, and how to present the tradition in the context of a world religions course. In Part IV, contributors summarize content and share experiences in teaching in the American context, regarding the development of courses on American Buddhism, on including course content on family and children, and in incorporating content on “Engaged Buddhism.” The chapters in the final section chart the history and future of Buddhist–Christian dialogue; others discuss the teaching of Buddhist bioethics, environmentalism, economic development, and social justice.

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199373093.001.0001/acprof-9780199373093

The Yogin and the Madman: a book

"The Yogin and the Madman:  Reading the Biographical Corpus of Tibet’s Great Saint Milarepa (Columbia University Press 2014, South Asia Across the Disciplines Series) is the first extended literary history of the biographical tradition surrounding Tibet’s most famous Buddhist saint, the eleventh-century hermit and poet Milarepa. The book likewise presents the first analysis of an entire Himalayan textual tradition by tracing its historical formation, changing narrative voices, eventual canonical status, and enduring legacy across the region."

http://www.andrewquintman.com/the-yogin-and-the-madman/

Alan Watts - Here and Now: a book

"Alan Watts—Here and Now explores the intellectual legacy and continuing relevance of a prolific writer and speaker who was a major influence on American culture during the latter half of the twentieth century. A thinker attuned to the spiritual malaise affecting the Western mind, Watts (1915–1973) provided intellectual and spiritual alternatives that helped shape the Beat culture of the 1950s and the counterculture of the 1960s. "


http://www.sunypress.edu/p-5381-alan-wattshere-and-now.aspx

Assembling Shinto: a book

"During the late twelfth to fourteenth centuries, several precursors of what is now commonly known as Shinto came together for the first time. By focusing on Mt. Miwa in present-day Nara Prefecture and examining the worship of indigenous deities (kami) that emerged in its proximity, this book serves as a case study of the key stages of “assemblage” through which this formative process took shape. Previously unknown rituals, texts, and icons featuring kami, all of which were invented in medieval Japan under the strong influence of esoteric Buddhism, are evaluated using evidence from local and translocal ritual and pilgrimage networks, changing land ownership patterns, and a range of religious ideas and practices. These stages illuminate the medieval pedigree of Ryōbu Shintō (kami ritual worship based loosely on esoteric Buddhism’s Two Mandalas), a major precursor to modern Shinto."

Read more about the book and its authors on the Harvard University Press site:


http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674970571

Sumeru: Buddhist books, art and news

"The Sumeru Press Inc. is dedicated to publishing and distributing Buddhist books and art. We celebrate and support all traditions and lineages.

We are located in Toronto. Follow us on Facebook (SumeruBooks) and Twitter (@SumeruBooks).

In addition to our publishing activities, we also maintain Canada’s leading Buddhist news blog (accessible at the bottom of our home page), and a directory of more than 580 Canadian Buddhist organizations (www.canadianbuddhism.info).

We have also been involved in a variety of Buddhist community development projects over the years. Most recently we collaborated with the University of Toronto Department of Religious Studies to complete a two-year extensive sociological survey of Canadian Buddhist organizations, the key findings of which were published in the Journal of Global Buddhism.

The inspiration for our name is Mount Sumeru, the mountain in the centre of the universe according to Buddhist cosmology."

http://www.sumeru-books.com

Issei Buddhism in the Americas: a book

Issei Buddhism in the Americas

"Rich in primary sources and featuring contributions from scholars on both sides of the Pacific, Issei Buddhism in the Americas upends boundaries and categories that have tied Buddhism to Asia and illuminates the social and spiritual role that the religion has played in the Americas."

University of Illinois Press - for more description, use the link below to go to the publisher's site.

http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/97fbh6yn9780252035333.html