Buddhism in Dialogue with Contemporary Societies

2021, Religionen im Dialog, Band 20, 316 pages, paperback, 37,90 €, ISBN 978-3-8309-4073-9

With contributions by
Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā, Jay L. Garfield, Huimin Bhikshu, Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Sallie B. King, Volker Küster, Miao Guang, Thea Mohr, Mario Poceski, Yangsi Rinpoche, Jan-Ulrich Sobisch, Sander G. Tideman, André Van der Braak, Michael von Brück, B. Alan Wallace

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The growing pluralization of religion and culture in Europe means that we encounter an increasing number of Buddhist immigrants as well as ‘Western’ converts. Against this background, in June 2018, the Academy of World Religions and the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of Hamburg (Germany), invited scholars of Theravāda, East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. The questions discussed referred to:
- Does Buddhism matter today? What can it contribute?
- Must Buddhism adapt to the modern world? How can Buddhism adapt to a non-Asia context?
- When Buddhism travels, what must be preserved if Buddhism is to remain Buddhism?

The contributions in this volume show not only that Buddhism matters in the West but that it already has its strong impact on our societies. Therefore, universities in Europe should include Buddhist theories and techniques in their curricula.