Buddhism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781851097821)

A comprehensive overview of modern Buddhism across cultures, showing how this ancient religion has adapted to recent social and political change.

Collecting the work of leading authorities on Buddhism in different societies around the world, this book details the state of the religion in Asian countries where it is a major cultural influence and in North America. The religion has changed to meet the challenges of modernity; its practitioners have incorporated those innovations and this work examines those changes in-depth.

A comprehensive overview of historical Buddhist practice grounds the reader for the entire nine chapters, each of which is organized by geographical area and follows the path Buddhism took as it spread across Asia and into North America. Each chapter presents field research and critical reflection on what constitutes modern Buddhism in one of nine countries or regions. Histories of Buddhism are common; this is the only source for in-depth information on modern Buddhism.

Author: Stephen Berkwitz
ISBN-10: 1851097821
ISBN-13: 9781851097821
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Language: English
Published: 01/01/2006
Pages: 392
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.15lbs
Size: 10.08h x 7.18w x 1.16d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2006 pg. 27
Rec Ref Bks for Small/Med Libr 01/01/2007 pg. 265
American Reference Bks Annual 01/01/2007 pg. 535