American Buddhism [Paperback]

Charles S Prebish (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Duxbury Press (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878722254
• ISBN-13: 978-0878722259
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,874,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Prebish came to Utah State University in January 2007 following more than thirty-five years on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure at Utah State University, he was the first holder of the Charles Redd Endowed Chair in Religious Studies and served as Director of the Religious Studies Program. During his career, Dr. Prebish published more than twenty books and nearly one hundred scholarly articles and chapters. His books Buddhist Monastic Discipline (1975) and Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (1999) are considered classic volumes in Buddhist Studies. Dr. Prebish remains the leading pioneer in the establishment of the study of Western Buddhism as a sub-discipline in Buddhist Studies. In 1993 he held the Visiting Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary, and in 1997 was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation National Humanities Fellowship for research at the University of Toronto. Dr. Prebish has been an officer in the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and was co-founder of the Buddhism Section of the American Academy of Religion. In 1994, he co-founded the Journal of Buddhist Ethics, which was the first online peer-reviewed journal in the field of Buddhist Studies; and in 1996, co-founded the Routledge "Critical Studies in Buddhism" series. He has also served as editor of the Journal of Global Buddhism and Critical Review of Books in Religion. In 2005, he was honored with a "festschrift" volume by his colleagues titled Buddhist Studies from India to America: Essays in Honor of Charles S. Prebish. Dr. Prebish retired from Utah State University on December 31, 2010, and was awarded emeritus status. He currently resides in State College, Pennsylvania.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 30+ YEARS OLD, BUT STILL AN INTERESTING SURVEY OF AMERICAN BUDDHISM, August 4, 2011

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This review is from: American Buddhism (Paperback)

At the time this book was published in 1979, Charles S. Prebish taught at Pennsylvania State University. He is also the author of books such as "Introducing Buddhism," "Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America," "Buddhism: A Modern Perspective," etc.

He wrote in the Introduction, "The idea for this book was born in the spring of 1972 when one of my students asked me what I thought of Philip Kapleau... I realized that for me, prior to that moment, there was no Philip Kapleau---only a faceless force that had authored a reasonable book... When I realized how little I knew about Buddhist groups in America I asked myself what I was going to do about my ignorance... This book is intended to document the nature of this transition in America.'

Prebish begins with a historical introduction, then surveys eight different Buddhist groups (with subtopics such as "Sectarian Affiliations"; "History"; "Key and/or Special Doctrines"; "Rituals, Services, and Practices"; "Future Plans"; "Publications," etc.), including the Buddhist Churches of America; Nichiren Shoshu; San Francisco Zen Center; Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center; Shasta Abbey, etc., and ends with a chapter about the future of American Buddhism.

Here are some quotations from the book:

"(Philip) Kapleau remains one of the most sincere, hard working and effective teachers of Zen in America." (Pg. 12)
"In designating the figure of Amida Buddha as the object of worship, it should be noted that when worshippers bow in reverence before the statue, they are not praying to Amida but are revering the wisdom and compassion of Amida, which the statue symbolizes." (Pg. 61)
"A quick glance at the geographical dispersal of the Buddhist Churches of America movement reveals at once that the South and Midwest are not cultivated at all... Further, the East is poorly represented by church affiliates." (Pg. 69)
"More than any other Buddhist group in America, Nichiren Shoshu emphasizes AMERICAN culture. Talk about Japan is discouraged, enabling its members to firm the underpinnings of their own cultural heritage." (Pg. 80)
"Nichiren Shoshu appeals more than any other Buddhist organization in America to minority groups." (Pg. 82)