Thu, 03 Jul 2008
Modern Buddhism
'Western' Buddhism: 'Modern' Buddhism represents the form of Buddhism that has emerged since about 1850 in response to the challenges of Christianity, modernism and westernism.
Modern Buddhism has two strands,
- the response of traditionally Buddhist peoples to the challenges of the West (colonialism, western religions, consumerism), and
- the increasing introduction of Buddhism into the western world.
The most interesting aspect is the degree to which these two strands are similar — that both east and west have sought a similar response to the challenges of the modern world.
