INTEGRATING THE LOTUS SUTRA AND MODERNITY

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Leo Rivers
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INTEGRATING THE LOTUS SUTRA AND MODERNITY

Post by Leo Rivers »

INTEGRATING THE LOTUS SUTRA AND MODERNITY

“The Saddharmapundarikasutra in Chinese History and Its Significance in the 21st Century"
“Is Tendai Buddhism Relevant to The Modern World?”

You may already well know these but because I found them and read them in the same 24 hours they seemed to malke sense together and so I thought I’d share. These are 2 articles about integrating the Lotus Sutra and modernity. Both I think have interesting approaches to reinventing thinking about the Lotus Sutra and its presentation to maintain the meaning.

Both provide a different approach to presenting a survey course to the doctrines, texts and chief leaders and history of Tendai Buddhism as centered on the Lotus Sutra.

I think “Significance” is aimed at identifying the attitudes you yourself need towards keeping the meaning alive. It understands that just as much as any ideas there may be in ancient forms of Buddhism or modern thought, it's really the amount of openness in us that will determine the success of a project to bring the Lotus Sutra into the 21st century. He identifies the core ideas of the Lotus Sutra as a 1st step in getting the ball rolling.

“Relevant” presents a psychological comparison that isn't trivial, because he goes beyond simply comparing a system of old religion to a system of new psychology to identifying the core shared approach used by both in using a human “developmental” context for a healing and spiritual path - a method which could be modified and applied by you taking whatever factors you think are more important into account.


1.) Yang Zengwen, The Journal of Oriental Studies, V. 10 (2000), pp. 20-30

“The Saddharmapundarikasutra in Chinese History and Its Significance in the 21st Century?
web-page:
http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-JOS/jos94083.htm

2.) David W. Chappell (1940–2004), Journal of Religious Ethics 24 (2):351 - 375 (1996)
The author of “Searching for a Mahāyāna Social Ethic”.

“Is Tendai Buddhism Relevant to The Modern World?”
Pdf download:
http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/DavidC254.pdf
DGA
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Re: INTEGRATING THE LOTUS SUTRA AND MODERNITY

Post by DGA »

I particularly like the Chappell article.
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Seishin
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Re: INTEGRATING THE LOTUS SUTRA AND MODERNITY

Post by Seishin »

I've read the second article but have to say I got lost a couple of times. I'm not much of reader and being dislexic I found it a bit weighty.

I'll print off the first artcle to read over at a later date. Thank you for that :D

Gassho,
Seishin.
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