1. Author affiliation: University of Ottawa 2. Special Issue on Buddhism and Politics
摘要
This article argues that Buddhists still lack an international organization that could help them present a unified voice the way that the World Council of Churches does for non-Catholic Christians, or the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, for all Muslims, whether they are Sunni or Shia. There exist international organizations that claim to speak on behalf of Buddhists the world over, but they compete against each other. The basis of this competition has little to do with the differences between the Mahāyāna, Theravāda, and Vajrayāna schools, but owes a lot more to competition between Asian great powers, in particular China and India. The article will demonstrate this by first presenting an historical account of the different attempts to create a unified Buddhist international organization, along with different transnational Buddhist institutions. Then it will review the divisions that have prevented, so far, the creation of such an organization.
目次
Introduction 396 The Attempts to Achieve a Unified Buddhist International Presence 398 Why Has an International Organization for All Buddhists Eluded Them So Far? 411 The impact of the Cold War 412 The pull of nationalism 416 Conclusion 420 Bibliography 422
