Buddhist Responses to Globalization

Reviews / Votes

I feel the book is a coherent study that should be welcomed by those interested in socially engaged Buddhism and globalization. * Journal of Global Buddhism * Buddhism's millennia-long eastward journey has, especially over the course of the last century, reached all the way around the globe to the West. The question is, how can Buddhism contribute to resolving the problems and developing the possibilities of the globalizing world. It is this question that this volume boldly begins to answer, effectively addressing, from various Buddhist perspectives, critical contemporary issues such as economic inequality, racism, feminism and womanism, postcolonial reparations, and the very meaning of globalization and glocalization. -- Bret W. Davis, author of Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism This volume offers groundbreaking treatment of the interaction between globalization and Buddhism. The authors explore a rich array of topics, including the "glocalization" of religious practices, "fierce compassion," tension between expanding freedoms and deepened inequality, new forms of nonviolent engagement generated by Buddhist dialogue with Womanist thought, and other Buddhist resources for responding to the injustices of globalization. With both descriptive and constructive approaches, these interdisciplinary essays will pique the curiosity of a wide range of readers. -- Christopher Ives, Stonehill College Historically, the various Buddhist traditions have proven adept at cultural transmigration, and this is abundantly evident today on a global scale. Nonetheless, the terms and conditions of the current regimes of globalization also pose profound challenges to Buddhist practice. In this timely, innovative, and groundbreaking collection of essays, voices within these traditions respond, articulating radical and philosophically provocative elements (cultural, womanist, post-colonial, economic, etc.) of a Buddhist critical engagement with globalization. This is a collection of genuine importance. -- Jason M. Wirth, Seattle University The essays gathered in this volume will prove to be an essential resource for understanding the diverse ways in which Buddhists have sought to come to terms with the challenges of globalization and modernity. -- Eric Nelson, University of Massachusetts, Lowell