Or: A World Religion thats neither a religion, nor a

religion

B U D D H IS M S : E P LU R IB U S
UNUM
Buddhist M odernism

Modernism: late 19th-mid 20th century

movements based on
industrialization and cosopolitanism
In this context, Modernism refers to a
re-thinking of religion and society,
informed in part by the influx of new
ideas (including Buddhist ideas)
M cM ahans M ethod

Geographic shifts cause traditions to

be called on to answer new
questions, meet novel needs, and
uphold-or join with those who
oppose- the new cultures axiomatic
assumptions (McMahan 62)
Scientific Naturalism
Romanticism
Monotheism
TheoreticalU nderpinnings

Protestant and Theosophical Rhetoric:

the Indefatigable Spirit of Science
Papacy Superstitions, Saints, Dogma
and Power
Early missionaries to Buddhist countries:
wrote of dogmatism, bland ritual
superstitions, rote memorization
Shift from outright dismissal of Buddhism
to critiques of the corruption of Original,
Pure Buddhism.
Protestant Critiques ofCatholicism Inform Secular
Critiques ofReligion (w rit large).

Original Buddhism, like Original (i.e.,

Protestant) Christianity, should be
based on:
Personal experience
Primary Texts, Purged of Later Addenda
Lack of Rituals, Dogma, etc.
O lcott and Blavatsky
Itinerary to India-SriLanka

Arrived in Sri Lanka in May 1880, first

Westerners (by all accounts) to not only
become Buddhist, but to treat it with respect
Olcott called himself a regular Buddhist,
rather than a debased modern Buddhist
Our Buddhism was that of the Master-Adept
Gautama Buddha, which was identically the
Wisdom Religion of the Aryan Upanishads
and the soul of all the ancient world faiths.
Our Buddhism was, in a word, not a creed
but a philosophy. (cit. Fields, 97)
O lcotts contributions

Widely read and studied Buddhist

Catechism, emphasizing Buddhisms
relationship with (Olcotts interpretation
of) science.
Founded the (relatively short lived) Young
Mens Buddhist Association (YMBA)
Invented the Buddhist Flag
Tried, without much success, to unite all
Buddhists as Buddhist, visiting (e.g.)
Japan, Burma, India
Blue (Nila): Loving kindness, peace and
universal compassion
Yellow (Pita): The Middle Path - avoiding
extremes, emptiness
Red (Lohita): The blessings of practice -
achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and
dignity
White (Odata): The purity of Dharma -
leading to liberation, outside of time or
The W orld Parliam ent ofReligion,1893

Apex of Protestant Triumphalism

Catholics were no-shows
Greater Context: Worlds Fair
Museum of Science and Technology,
showcase of various peoples of the
world
E.g., 25 Cents buys you and your child
admittance to a show of Arabian
Horseman
Soen Shaku and scientifi
c rationalism

Buddhas teachings are in exact

agreement with modern science
(cit. McMahan 64)
Problems: Buddhist cosmology, view of
spirits and other worlds, is not exactly in
sync with modern science
Reformat rebirth into Darwinian
evolution
Core vs accretions model
D harm apala at the Parliam ent

History is repeating itself. Twenty-

five centuries ago India witnessed an
intellectual and religious revolution
which culminated in the overthrow of
monotheism, priestly selfishness,
and the establishment of a synthetic
religion Dhamma Philosophical
Religion. All that was good was
collected from every source and
embodied therein, and all that was
bas discarded.
Anagarika D harm apala
Parliam ent
D harm apala redux:Reverse O rientalism

Exploited liberal, upper middle-class,

Protestant prejudices against Catholicism,
ritual, superstition (McMahan 96)
Missionaries should be educated, should
teach scientific and rational principles,
rather than antiquated theological
dogmas
Buddhism as the Rational, Scientific
alternative to Christianity
Dharmapala and Vivekananda stole the
show
M ahabodhiSociety

Founded by Dharmapala (1891)

Now includes medical, educational,
social welfare offices
Pre-20th Century history of Bodh
Gaya
Returned to Buddhist control in 1949
First head monk: Anagarika Munindra
(Joseph Goldsteins teacher)
TheoreticalRedux

Pizza Effect!
Buddhism has been, since the 19 th
century, the scientific, rational answer
to Christianity
Likewise, Buddhism is non-violent,
vegetarian, eco-friendly
Buddhism has become, and continues
more and more to become, these
things but this is a product (per
McMahan) of modernity; it is not, and
need not be, an excavation of some
pure, Ur-Buddhism.
M odern Buddhism

Buddhism came to be portrayed

as a world religion, fully the equal of
Christianity in antiquity, geographical
expanse, membership and
philosophical profundity, with its own
founder, sacred scriptures and fixed
body of doctrine. (Lopez, xi)
McMahan: Modern Buddhism is a
subset of Buddhism
So. Jonang, Soto, Nichiren Modern?
D ebates that Rem ain

What is Dharma, anyway?

(Religion, Philosophy, Science
Atomism? Jurisprudence, mayhaps?)

What are we doing when we call

Buddhism a Religion, amongst a
set of World Religions?