[Buddha-l] Bourgeois Buddhism

[Stefan Detrez]

Dear Franz,

You wrote and you quote:



> In a paper I wrote, soon after, I responded to this idea, promoted by Quli
> rather differently than it was here, that we are not, as scholars, to
> legitimize or delegitimize forms of (non)Buddhism. I append my words, in
> case anyone wants to dive in. The brief version is that we as Western
> scholars should not decide what is Buddhism because such decisions
> perpetuate colonialist discourse. Here is how she puts it:
>
> > Although issues of “real” Buddhism and “counterfeit” Buddhism may be
> reasonable and important for Buddhists themselves, it is not our job as
> scholars to make such determinations. Our role is to describe and understand
> Buddhists—of whatever persuasion. To do otherwise is to attempt to silence
> the native, the old colonialist strategy of controlling the native through
> controlling her history, ensuring that only elite, academic experts have the
> knowledge necessary to “speak” for Buddhism (Quli 2009, 15).
>

I am not a scholar, but I am confident in the expertise Western scholars
have in the field of Buddhism. Quli is wrong. Western scholars can
legitimize or delegitimize forms of Buddhism. Buddhology as an academic
discipline was developed by Western scholars and has set the tone for
similar scientific study around the globe. In fact, buddhology around the
world, as practiced in universities, is qua format a Western discipline.
There is no need for selfincrimination by Western scholars of by apologetic
folks like Quli. That's a postmodernist approach to any scientific study.
Basically it attempts to reduce anything Western to 'power play' or
'heuristic totalitarianism' or marxist rhetoric. I have had enough of this
European inferiority complex. Western scholars have done a tremendous lot of
work to study Buddhism and grant it its intellectual merit, putting Buddhism
on the global map. Reducing Western buddhology to a 'colonialist strategy'
is poisoning the well. So, I'm still very confident that the scientific
study of Buddhism as initiated by Westerners is solid and trustworthy.
Scholars can describe, but they can also prescribe and it's intellectually
dishonest,  even cowardly, and a missed chance not to take a position in
such issues.

Stefan

Antwerp, Belgium.