ISBN:
9780300159127
,
0300159129
Language:
English
Pages:
XI, 148 S.
,
21 cm
Series Statement:
The Dwight Harrington Terry Foundation lectures on religion in the light of science and philosophy
Series Statement:
Terry lectures series
DDC:
294.3/365
Keywords:
Buddhism and science
;
Buddhism and science
;
Buddhismus
;
Naturwissenschaft
;
Geschichte 1800-2000
Abstract:
"This book tells the story of the Scientific Buddha, "born" in Europe in the 1800s but commonly confused with the Buddha born in India 2,500 years ago. The Scientific Buddha was sent into battle against Christian missionaries, who were proclaiming across Asia that Buddhism was a form of superstition. He proved the missionaries wrong, teaching a dharma that was in harmony with modern science. And so his influence continues. Today his teaching of "mindfulness" is heralded as the cure for all manner of maladies, from depression to high blood pressure.In this potent critique, a well-known chronicler of the West's encounter with Buddhism demonstrates how the Scientific Buddha's teachings deviate in crucial ways from those of the far older Buddha of ancient India. Donald Lopez shows that the Western focus on the Scientific Buddha threatens to bleach Buddhism of its vibrancy, complexity, and power, even as the superficial focus on "mindfulness" turns Buddhism into merely the latest self-help movement. The Scientific Buddha has served his purpose, Lopez argues. It is now time for him to pass into nirvana. This is not to say, however, that the teachings of the ancient Buddha must be dismissed as mere cultural artifacts. They continue to present a meaningful challenge, even to our modern world"--
Description / Table of Contents:
A Purified Religion -- The Birth of the Scientific Buddha -- The Problem with Karma -- Interlude: A Primer on Buddhist Meditation -- The Death of the Scientific Buddha.
Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index
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