1. Research Articles 2. Author Affiliations: School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures University of Manchester Manchester M13 9PL England
摘要
This article raises problems with the use of advocacy in Buddhist Studies, and critiques those who bring their Buddhist beliefs into the classroom and into their research. It argues that the foundations of the academic discipline (Religious Studies) within which Buddhist Studies is located are grounded in the search for an objective, non-confessional approach to the study of religion, one that distinguishes Religious Studies from Theology, and that this perspective is what gives the field its integrity. It cites examples of the problems that occur in teaching and research when such objectivity is replaced by confessional approaches, and provides an example from another field (the study of new religious movements) in which immense problems have occurred because some scholars have become advocates rather than analysts, to warn of the problems that can arise when confessional approaches become a dominant field paradigm.
目次
Introduction 81 Buddhism and the impetus to study it 86 Buddhists in the classroom: problems and pitfalls 89 Scholars as Buddhists: when personal commitment and academic identity overlap 94 New religions, cult wars and the dangers of advocacy 102 CONCLUDING COMMENTS 107
