Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts. By Scott A. Mitchell. Bloomsbury Academic, September 8, 2016. 320 pages. ISBN-10: 1472581938 ISBN-13: 978-1472581938
摘要
With Buddhism in America, Mitchell has produced what should be and deserves to become the standard textbook on the subfield of American Buddhism. Well organized, clearly written and up to date, the text manages to cover a wealth of material comprehensively without overwhelming the reader. It is organized into three main sections: Part 1 presents a short but effective introduction to Buddhism and traces its historic dissemination from Asia to America. Part 2 offers a more focused examination of the main Buddhist lineages in the United States: the classical schools of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana as well as an additional interesting chapter on “Postmodern Horizons,” which tracks the unfolding of the multiple permutations of Buddhist modernism. Part 3 harnesses a more analytic and theoretical lens to highlight the main issues and debates engaging American Buddhist practitioners and scholars: social and political engagement; racial, gender, and sexual identity issues; the secularization of Buddhism; and the dissemination (and some feel desecration) of Buddhism in popular culture. Included in the text are helpful pedagogical aids such as illustrations, chapter summaries, and discussion questions. The text has three main advantages: first, it is the most up‐to‐date collection available. Although Hughes Seager updated his overview on Buddhism in America in 2012, the majority of work in this area was done in the late 1990s/ early 2000s, and much has altered on the American Buddhist landscape since. Second, Mitchell gives equal attention to the multiplicity of traditions within the varied landscape of American Buddhism and connects “immigrant” and “convert” communities and histories in new ways. Third, the book is both easy and fun to read yet has theoretical and analytical depth. Hence, while its main function will be as a required text in an undergraduate class on American Buddhism or Buddhism in the West, it also provides a wealth of information that will serve researchers as well as students. This text is an important contribution to the study of American Buddhism and is highly recommended for both pedagogical and research purposes.
