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Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies
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Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2022) | Viewed by 26252

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hiroko Kawanami

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YL, UK
Interests: modernist Buddhism; transnational Buddhism; Myanmar; civil society; pilgrimage; monastic education; mindfulness movement

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is particularly interested in the traits and aspects of modern Buddhism in Asia that can divide communities and become xenophobic as well as unite and enhance peaceful coexistence, which manifests either in a militant communalism or in a non-sectarian collaboration in the spirit of interdependence. The Issue also hopes to examine issues such as the impact of colonial legacy on Buddhist nationalism, social media and the emergence of digital leadership, as well as the framing of universal issues (environment, gender, and human rights) in Buddhist language to appeal to the global audience.

The Special Issue follows the examination in Buddhism and the Political Process (Kawanami, ed., 2016) of how Buddhism played a substantial role in interpreting and informing social and political processes in the Asian context, and aims to engage with a wider range of modern issues that concern Buddhism in the Asian contexts, such as the demise of traditional authority, lay Buddhist activism and new digital leadership, Buddhist nationalism, the politicization of monks, local issues and transnational networks, as well as exploring new definitions and parameters of Buddhism as a religion emerging in Asia today. We invite articles that engage with relevant modern issues and Buddhist movements emerging in Asia and supplement the existing works on Buddhist nationalism and ethnic conflict (Walton 2016), ritual economy and urban Buddhism (Ladwig 2021), trans-regional Buddhist networks and activism of Buddhist monastics (Chia 2020), social media and digital salvation (Tarocco 2017), appropriation of cultural symbols and Buddhist language in the global scene (Darlington 2012), Buddhist women’s local networks and global Buddhist movements (Starkey 2019), and international tourism and the mindfulness movement in the Asian contexts (Schedneck 2015).

Contributors are asked to problematize the basic premises of modern Western discourse that impose progressive and “universalist” values to the understanding of Buddhist politics and movements in Asia, and provide local perspectives and strategies as well as ethnographic case studies to enhance the understanding of socio-political issues and religious landscapes of Buddhist countries in Asia today. 

Dr. Hiroko Kawanami
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Buddhist modernism
  • local and transnational movements
  • new Buddhist networks
  • inter-faith activities of Buddhist nuns
  • Buddhist nationalism
  • political monks
  • appropriation of Buddhist symbols
  • pilgrimage
  • mindfulness movement in Asia

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6788 KiB  
Article
Umandawa: Buddhist Transformation in Modern Sri Lanka
by Gihani De Silva
Religions 2023, 14(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14010118 - 13 Jan 2023
Viewed by 4050
Abstract
Charismatic Buddhist monks are instrumental in modernising Buddhism as they have been entrusted with an important role of resurrecting religion and Sinhala society throughout the course of Sri Lankan history. Ven. Pitaduwe Siridhamma, later known as Siri Samanthabhadra Arahat Thero, is known as [...] Read more.
Charismatic Buddhist monks are instrumental in modernising Buddhism as they have been entrusted with an important role of resurrecting religion and Sinhala society throughout the course of Sri Lankan history. Ven. Pitaduwe Siridhamma, later known as Siri Samanthabhadra Arahat Thero, is known as a cosmopolitan modernist monk figure who envisions a modernised form of Buddhism in recent times, which is derived creatively from the discourses and practical ideals in traditional Buddhism. He went further by founding his style initiatives to address Buddhist transformations in modern Sri Lanka. Samanthabhadra revolutionised the monastery space, allowing his supporters to embrace ideals and incorporate them into their everyday life. His project includes a wide range of such activities, expanding opportunities for Buddhist women to pursue their religious vocations, favouring traditional forms of meditation over farming and similar activities. The mission to reform Buddhism in Sri Lanka is not entirely modern, as it also incorporates elements of tradition, as shown in the case study at Umandawa. The modernist ideals and societal demands that define contemporary Buddhism are reflected in the transformation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies)
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16 pages, 909 KiB  
Article
Buddhist Modernism and the Piety of Female Sex Workers in Northern Thailand
by Amnuaypond Kidpromma
Religions 2022, 13(4), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13040350 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6640
Abstract
This paper highlights Thailand’s distinctive form of Buddhist Modernism through an exploration of religious piety among female sex workers in the city of Chiangmai. The generally accepted key basis of Buddhist Modernism, as depicted by certain Western Buddhist scholars, is interaction and engagement [...] Read more.
This paper highlights Thailand’s distinctive form of Buddhist Modernism through an exploration of religious piety among female sex workers in the city of Chiangmai. The generally accepted key basis of Buddhist Modernism, as depicted by certain Western Buddhist scholars, is interaction and engagement with modernity. More specifically, it is seen as incorporating modern science into the Buddhist worldview, and as regarding meditation as a core practice of ‘true Buddhism’. Crucial components of popular Buddhism, such as magical monks and mystical rituals, are excluded from this depiction of Buddhist Modernism, and even decried as ‘false Buddhism’, despite their canonical basis and long-term acceptance. Using ethnographic methods, this paper argues instead that the result of interactions with modernity by popular Buddhists always includes engagement with and mythologizing of traditional cosmology. That is, rather than solely involving global networks and scientific rationalism, Thai Buddhist Modernism is the product of complex patterns of interaction among local beliefs, mystical practices, and modernity. The purpose of this integration of modern and popular Buddhism in the religious practices of sex workers is to create loving-kindness (metta). Metta, in turn, is held to bring luck and attractiveness to practitioners, allowing them to earn an income to support their impoverished families and live well in modern society, as well as to accumulate good merit (bun) to improve their religious lives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies)
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17 pages, 5303 KiB  
Article
The Secularization of Religious Figures: A Study of Mahoraga in the Song Dynasty (960–1279)
by Chen Fan and Yanghuan Long
Religions 2022, 13(2), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020177 - 17 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5760
Abstract
Mahoraga dolls, a type of figurine showing a child holding a lotus leaf, are sacrifice utensils that were commonly used in the Qixi Festival to pray for reproduction throughout the Song Dynasty in China. Scholars pay great attention to the Buddhistic origins of [...] Read more.
Mahoraga dolls, a type of figurine showing a child holding a lotus leaf, are sacrifice utensils that were commonly used in the Qixi Festival to pray for reproduction throughout the Song Dynasty in China. Scholars pay great attention to the Buddhistic origins of Mahoraga, relating it to different figures within Buddhism and discussing its religious artistic values. This paper focuses on the transformation of this cultural appropriation in Chinese society by discussing the localization of Mahoraga as well as the reasons behind the use of Mahoraga in worship in Qixi in particular. We believe that the population crisis and national population policies in the Song Dynasty stimulated Chinese people’s longing for procreation and this desire was responded to by the secularization and popularization of Buddhism in China, together with the increased prosperity of citizen culture, which ultimately promoted the popularity of Mahoraga in Song society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies)
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19 pages, 292 KiB  
Article
Multiple Buddhisms in Ladakh: Strategic Secularities and Missionaries Fighting Decline
by Elizabeth Williams-Oerberg, Brooke Schedneck and Ann Gleig
Religions 2021, 12(11), 932; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110932 - 27 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4087
Abstract
During fieldwork in Ladakh in July–August 2018, three authors from Asian studies, anthropology, and religious studies backgrounds researched “multiple Buddhisms” in Ladakh, India. Two case studies are presented: a Buddhist monastery festival by the Drikung Kagyü Tibetan Buddhist sect, and a Theravada monastic [...] Read more.
During fieldwork in Ladakh in July–August 2018, three authors from Asian studies, anthropology, and religious studies backgrounds researched “multiple Buddhisms” in Ladakh, India. Two case studies are presented: a Buddhist monastery festival by the Drikung Kagyü Tibetan Buddhist sect, and a Theravada monastic complex, called Mahabodhi International Meditation Center (MIMC). Through the transnational contexts of both of these case studies, we argue that Buddhist leaders adapt their teachings to appeal to specific audiences with the underlying goal of preserving the tradition. The Buddhist monastery festival engages with both the scientific and the magical or mystical elements of Buddhism for two very different European audiences. At MIMC, a secular spirituality mixes with Buddhism for international tourists on a meditation retreat. Finally, at MIMC, Thai Buddhist monks learn how to fight the decline of Buddhism through missionizing Theravada Buddhism in this land dominated by Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Paying attention to this multiplicity—to “multiple Buddhisms”—we argue, makes space for the complicated, ambiguous, and at times contradictory manner in which Buddhism is positioned in regards to secularism and secularity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies)
31 pages, 85202 KiB  
Article
The Material Culture of Buddhist Propagation: Reinstating Buddhism in Early Colonial Seoul
by Seunghye Lee
Religions 2021, 12(5), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12050352 - 14 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4131
Abstract
The restrictive measures against Buddhism under the Neo-Confucian Chosŏn dynasty resulted in the decline of Korean Buddhism at the start of the twentieth century. As the Chosŏn government started to make sweeping changes in the name of modernization, Korean Buddhist monks found an [...] Read more.
The restrictive measures against Buddhism under the Neo-Confucian Chosŏn dynasty resulted in the decline of Korean Buddhism at the start of the twentieth century. As the Chosŏn government started to make sweeping changes in the name of modernization, Korean Buddhist monks found an opportunity to revitalize their tradition through measures of reform. This paper examines one instance of attempts to bring Korean Buddhism back to the center of the country in the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Buddhist Central Propagation Space in 1920, examined thoroughly for the first time in this study, shows a meaningful yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt at modernizing Korean Buddhism in the dynamics of the colonial Buddhism. Moving beyond the nationalist critique of its founder Yi Hoegwang, who has been heavily criticized for his pro-colonialist undertakings in later historiography, I reconsider the significance of this propagation space in the history of Buddhist propagation and respatialization of Seoul during the early colonial period. My analysis of Three Gates in a Single Mind commissioned for this urban Buddhist temple in 1921 not only shows the diversity of modern Korean Buddhist paintings but also reveals a new role assigned to Buddhist icons in the changing context of Pure Land practice. I also discuss the seminal contribution of the court lady Ch’ŏn Ilch’ŏng to the founding of the propagation space, thereby restoring the voice of one important laywoman in the modernization of Korean Buddhism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhism and Modernity in Asian Societies)
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