Engaging Buddhism in Modern Societies: The Diaspora of Religious Values and Ethics

Dear Colleagues,

Buddhism has evolved and transformed over the past 2500 years, moving throughout the world in a simultaneous diaspora of Buddhist belief and practice. The migration of Buddhism globally has had a profound impact on the cultures Buddhism has encountered, and in turn, the various cultures have had an impact on Buddhist belief and practice. In this special edition of Religions, the aim is to examine the multifaceted ways in which Buddhism has impacted the modern world.

With immigrant and refugee populations coming from predominantly Buddhist cultures, communities often bring their Buddhist practice rooted in their cultural identity. Third and fourth generations of immigrants have created blended families where the dominant culture and religious beliefs come in direct contact with a long-standing religious tradition of Buddhism. This has created both conflict and syncretism for these cultures and families, where Buddhism and other religious traditions have co-existed within families. In these communities, Buddhist temples serving primarily immigrant and refugee populations also become cultural centers where people can engage in their Buddhist faith grounded in their cultural identity. Although these migrant communities are in the minority in the dominant culture, their Buddhist practice has in impact on the greater community around them. How have these communities and their Buddhist practice impacted the greater community would be a key question in examining Buddhism in the modern context of culture and identity.

The practice of Buddhism has also been adopted in the realm of Western heath practices, especially psychotherapy. The Buddhist practice of “mindfulness” has become ubiquitous with many forms of psychotherapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Extensive research had been conducted on the positive impact mindfulness has on helping patients deal with a host of psychological issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and anxiety. The mechanics of Buddhism, such as mindfulness, have been utilized by health practitioners and passed onto people dealing with these psychological issues without the ethical foundation that defines Buddhism. What impact does this have on Buddhism in the modern world, especially when only certain elements of Buddhism such as mindfulness are adopted but the moral and ethical foundation of Buddhism is ignored? Is there an ethical responsibility for health practitioners to acknowledge or even honor the moral values that define the essence of Buddhism? Examining how these contemporary and predominantly Western practices impact the very identity of Buddhism in relation to the modern world would be of particular interest for this Special Issue of Religions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Buddhism with immigrant and refugee populations;
• Buddhism in the realm of health sciences, especially psychotherapy;
• Interfaith dialogue with Buddhism and other religious traditions;
• Buddhism in pop culture

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research in the areas of religious studies related to Buddhism in the modern world, examining the multifacited ways in which Buddhism has impacted culture, identity, and the social sciences.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Daniel Rhodes
Dr. Jeremy A. Rinker
Guest Editors

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