International Conference on Buddhist Education(9th)=國際佛教教育研討會(第9屆)
出版日期
1994.07.16-20
頁次
8
出版者
Institute for Sino-Indian Buddhist Studies=華梵佛學研究所
出版地
臺北市, 臺灣 [Taipei shih, Taiwan]
資料類型
會議論文=Proceeding Article
使用語言
英文=English
附註項
Chinese and English Abstracts=中英文提要; 中文論文提要:頁7
關鍵詞
貝卻; Bechert, Heinz
摘要
The importance of the "Academic Teaching of Buddhism:for Buddhist communities in Western countries has recently become a subject of controversial discussions within these communities. It has also been a subject of legal examination concerning the status of Buddhist "ministers" in Western societies. The question has to be understood on the background of the history of "Western" Buddhism,its growth, its transformation and its place in emerging multi-religious societies. The present paper investigates the situation in two Central European Countries, via. Germany and Austria. The study of Buddhism originated here in two basically different contexts:(1) the study of Indian,East and Southeast Asian as well as Central Asian literatures and cultures, i.e. in the context of Indian studies ("Indology"),Chinese studies, Tibetan studies etc.,and (2) the study of world religions. Historically the situation was determined by the need for professional specialists within the given structures of Western societies. The present situation of Buddhism in the countries in question is characterized by the growing importance of East Asian Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist traditions and by Tibetan traditions outnumbering the followers of the Theravada tradition,which dominated the early phases of the European Buddhist movement. Some remarks on the relevant teaching facilities provided by the academic institutions in both countries as well as on the approach towards the question of the status of the academic teaching within the context of the Buddhist communities are also added.