THE PHENOMENON OF BUDDHIST POSTMODERNISM: ADAPTATION OF THE TRADITIONAL TO GLOBAL CONDITIONS
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Published:
Apr 1, 2025
Abstract
Abstract. The author explores the phenomenon of Buddhist postmodernism due to the adaptation of traditional Buddhist teachings, ideas, and practices to modern global conditions. The article analyzes the key ideas of modernism and postmodernism, which form a specific coordinate system and create an intellectual background for Buddhist transformations. Special attention is paid to the concepts of postmodern philosophers who critically assess blind faith in progress, economic innovations, and political institutions. Postmodernism, in turn, is considered a critical paradigm that influences the rethinking of Buddhism in a globalized world. The article analyzes new interpretations of Buddhism emerging under the influence of postmodern ideas: deconstruction of traditional doctrines, emphasis on subjectivity, intercultural dialogue, and integration of modern scientific knowledge. Finally, examples of these changes in Western Buddhism are given, particularly in popular meditation practices and ethical approaches. The article offers a theoretical framework for understanding Buddhist postmodernism as a multidimensional phenomenon.
How to Cite
Kolesnyk, I. (2025). THE PHENOMENON OF BUDDHIST POSTMODERNISM: ADAPTATION OF THE TRADITIONAL TO GLOBAL CONDITIONS. Baltic Journal of Legal and Social Sciences, (1), 201-208. https://doi.org/10.30525/2592-8813-2025-1-23
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Keywords
postmodernism, Buddhist postmodernism, intercultural dialogue, Buddhist Geeks, engaged Buddhism, Zen.
References
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2. Bodhi, B. (2010).Towards A Postmodern Model of Buddhism-Part 1 [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDy2G3obN04
3. Bodhi, B. (2015). Facing the Great Divide. Inquiring Mind. https://inquiringmind.com/article/3102_20_bodhi-facing-the-great-divide/
4. Buddhist Geeks on Apple Podcasts. (2024, June 10). Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/buddhist-geeks/id211752923
5. Buddhist Geeks. (n.d.). Buddhist Geeks. Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://www.buddhistgeeks.network/
6. Coward, H. (1990). Derrida and Indian Philosophy. State University of New York Press.
7. Deleuze, G., Guattari, F., & Foucault, M. (2009). Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia (R. Hurley, M. Seem, & H. R. Lane, Trans.; Illustrated edition). Penguin Classics.
8. Derrida, J. (2002). Who’s Afraid of Philosophy?: Right to Philosophy 1 (First Edition). Stanford University Press.
9. Feyerabend, P., & Hacking, I. (2010). Against Method (Fourth Edition). Verso.
10. Foucault, M. (1995). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (A. Sheridan, Trans.; 2nd edition). Vintage Books.
11. Gerth, H. H. & Mills, C. W. (Eds.). (1948). Science as a Vocation. In From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (pp. 129–156). Routledge.
12. Giddens, A. (1998). Conversations with Anthony Giddens: Making Sense of Modernity (1st edition). Stanford University Press.
13. Glass, N. R. (1995). Splits and Gaps in Buddhism and Postmodern Theology. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 63(2), 303–319.
14. Glass, N. R. (1995). Working Emptiness: Toward a Third Reading of Emptiness in Buddhism and Postmodern Thought. Scholars Press.
15. Gleig, A. (2014). From Buddhist Hippies to Buddhist Geeks: The Emergence of Buddhist Postmodernism? Journal of Global Buddhism, 15, 15–33. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1306187
16. Gleig, A. (2019). American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity. Yale University Press.
17. Hagiwara, T. (2014). Derrida and Zen: Desert and Swamp. Philosophy East and West, 64(1), 123–150.
18. Han, C. (2021). Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists. North Atlantic Books.
19. Ingram, M. D. (2018). Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book - Revised and Expanded Edition (Second Edition, Revised). Aeon Books.
20. Lee, D. (2016). The Buddha and the numen: Postmodern spirituality and the problem of transcendence in Buddhism. International Journal of Dharma Studies, 4(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40613-016-0040-x
21. Lutkajtis, A. (2019). Delineating the “Dark Night” in Buddhist Postmodernism.
22. Lyotard, J.-F., & Jameson, F. (1984). The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge (G. Bennington & B. Massumi, Trans.; First Edition). University Of Minnesota Press.
23. McGonigal, J. ‘BG 205: Gaming as Spiritual Practice.’ Available at: www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/01/bg-205-gaming-as-a-spiritual-practice/ (accessed 22 March 2013).
24. McMahan, D. L. (2008). The Making of Buddhist Modernism (1st edition). Oxford University Press.
25. Muir, D. (n.d.). The Empty Metanarrative: Madhyamaka Buddhism And Philosophical Postmodernism. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.academia.edu/730227/The_Empty_Metanarrative_Madhyamaka_Buddhism_And_Philosophical_Postmodernism
26. Olson, C. (2000). Zen and the Art of Postmodern Philosophy: Two Paths of Liberation from the Representational Mode of Thinking. State University of New York Press.
27. Park, J. Y. (2010). Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics. Lexington Books.
28. Pickering, J. (1995). Buddhism and Cognitivism: A postmodern appraisal. Asian Philosophy, 5, 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/09552369508575408
29. Prebish, C. S. (2004). The Cybersangha: Buddhism on the Internet. In Religion Online (pp. 135–150). Routledge.
30. Rinzler, L. (2012). The Buddha Walks into a Bar...: A Guide to Life for a New Generation (1st edition). Shambhala.
31. Rorty, R., Williams, M., & Bromwich, D. (2017). Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature: Thirtieth-Anniversary Edition. Princeton University Press.
32. Roth, H. D. (2008). Against Cognitive Imperialism. Religion East and West, 8. https://www.academia.edu/5770211/Against_Cognitive_Imperialism_A_Call_for_a_Non_Ethnocentric_Approach_to_Cognitive_Science_and_Religious_Studies_1
33. Smith, S. G. (1997). Buddhism and the Postmodern: The Nature of Identity and Tradition in Contemporary Society. 224.
34. Taylor, J. (2021). Buddhism and Postmodern Imaginings in Thailand (1st edition). Routledge.
35. The Second Generation of Mindfulness | by Meditate.io | Medium. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2024, from https://medium.com/@meditateio/the-second-generation-of-mindfulness-e669318c03fc
36. UUCF Livestream (Director). (2021, December 19). Postmodern Buddhisms & American Dharmas [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrgAmONDcs
37. Wallace, B. A. (2000). The Taboo of Subjectivity: Towards a New Science of Consciousness (1st edition). Oxford University Press.
38. Wiegand, J.P. ‘The Buddhist Singularity.’ Available at: www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/08/thebuddhist-singularity/ (accessed 23 March 2013).