[Buddha-l] The Case for God

[Piya Tan]

Joanna,

I was thinking of some buddhologists or sociologists who might one day do
some fieldwork in contemporary Buddhism in an emergent first world country
(Singapore). Something like what McRae and Adamek have done for Chan in
China.

Your even more cryptically,

Piya Tan


On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 10:32 PM, jkirk <jkirk at spro.net> wrote:

> "moneytheist"--now there's a term whose time is long overdue,
> including here in the USA :)
>
> "I have been reading William Pietz's entry on "Person" in Donald
> Lopez Jr's "Critical Terms for the study of Buddhsm" (2005), and
> feel compelled that we need to do more than let the centuries of
> monastic slavery, oppression and tartuffism politely rest (or
> grow)."
>
>         I don't have this book--would you kindly explain what you
> or Lopez are
>        getting with respect to monastic slavery,. etc. ? There
> must be scope for
>        a list discussion with this one.
>
> What are the local Buddhist moneytheists doing that disillusions
> the professional youths?
>
> "the materialism and mega-churchism of Singapore." Is SG any more
> materialistic than is China, or the US and the EU? Megachurchism
> has been in my country for at least 2-3 decades; perhaps the biz
> people of SG are late-arriving wannabes?
>
> You seem to enjoy writing in cryptic one or two liners---how
> about fewer "summary sweeps," and more details of the scene in
> Singapore?  For ex., I'm wondering how exactly is your Buddhist
> tradition being attacked there by the  moneythesists?
>
> Joanna
> ============================
>
>
>
> Bernard Faure's new "Unmasking Buddhism" (2009), comes to mind
> here. Faure, in his "zen insights and oversights" tack, is
> interesting and useful reading if we discount his sometimes too
> summary sweeps of the details.
>
> We are in a very exciting cameo in the local history of Buddhism
> as the moneytheist monastics of Singapore are quietly ganging up
> against those who, influenced by the noon radiance of the forest
> monks (mostly Ajahn Chah's pupils), trying to isolate them
> (includig myself).
>
> Are we seing symptoms of chinks and cleavages in a new Buddhist
> chrysalis?
> Butterflies, like good dharma, do not live long, but they are
> beautiful as they fly in the light, and we watch them.
>
> It is an exciting moment here, yet a terrifying one, too, when we
> realize this is not textbook Buddhism or academic Buddhism, but
> real-life spirituality.
>
> I have been reading William Pietz's entry on "Person" in Donald
> Lopez Jr's "Critical Terms for the study of Buddhsm" (2005), and
> feel compelled that we need to do more than let the centuries of
> monastic slavery, oppression and tartuffism politely rest (or
> grow).
>
> In Singapore the money monastics are employing armies of
> professionally qualified youths. The more thinks one, who value
> mental health over money, in no time leave, often deeply
> disillusioned to find the monastic heart not only dark but empty.
>
> Don't get me wrong: I only agree with people like Schopen, where
> they are not too summary in his writing. WIll someone tell him to
> visit India one day, or better go for a good meditation retreat,
> so that he could see the other brighter side of Buddhism?
>
> I am all for early Buddhism and forest dharma, as I think they
> are good anthitheses, even cure, for the materialism and
> mega-churchism of Singapore.
> (There is a wide range of mediaevally virulent forms of
> evangelism, here, too. Frankly I fear the SInhalese nayaka my
> family and I pushing a large TV at Giant, a popular mart here,
> more!)
>
> I am now working on an article on "The Body in Buddhism" which
> inspired me to reflect on "The Person in Buddhism." I have to
> work on the former for a good doctrinal ground, but more enjoy
> writing the latter.
>
> Thanks for reading this, and good for you if you feel some deligh
> about it.
> There are less than a handful ears here in this philistine
> Singapore that I can speak so richly with.
>
> Asalha Puja (the fullmoon day commemorating the teaching the
> First
> Discourse) was on Tuesday. The monastic rains retreat is now well
> on its way.
>
> With the blessing of the vars.aavaasa,
>
> Piya Tan
>
>
>
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