Both a demonstration of and critical self-reflection on method, this book explores how methodologies shape our understanding of the diversity of Buddhist traditions in the past and the present. International contributors from the West and Asia explore case studies and reflect on methods in the study of Buddhism, united in their debt to Richard K. Payne, the influential Buddhist studies scholar.
Methods in Buddhist Studies features new translations of Buddhist works as well as ethnographic studies on contemporary Buddhism in the United States and China. Topics discussed include Buddhist practices in relation to food, material culture, and imperial rituals; the development of modern Buddhist universities; the construction of the canon from the perspective of history, textual analysis, and ritual studies; and the ethical obligations of scholars toward the subject of Buddhism itself.
Chapters are drawn from Payne’s students and his colleagues, demonstrating the breadth of his intellectual interests. Payne’s scholarship has left a remarkable impact on the field, making this volume essential reading for students and scholars of contemporary Buddhism and Buddhist studies.
Notes On Contributors Preface, Judith Berling (Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA) Introduction: On Maps, Elephants, and Buddhists, Scott A. Mitchell (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA) Part 1: Historical Studies 1. When Food Becomes Trespass: Buddhism and the Kami in Local Economies, Lisa Grumbach (Ryukoku University, Kyoto, Japan and the Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA) 2. Making the Modern Priest: The Otani Denomination’s Proto-University and Debates about Clerical Education in the Early Meiji Period, Victoria R. Montrose (University of Southern California, USA) 3. Taking the Vajrayana to Sukhavati, Aaron P. Proffitt (, University at Albany-SUNY, USA) Part 2: Textual Studies 4. Yijing’s Sciptural Text about Impermanence (T. 801), Charles Willemen (International Buddhist College, Thailand) 5. Dualistic and Bifunctional Spirits: A Translation of the Oni no Shikogusa, Takuya Hino (Komazawa University, Japan) 6. A Note Concerning Contemplation of the Marks of the Buddha, Charles D. Orzech (Colby College, Maine, USA) Part 3: Ethnographic Studies 7. Buddhism, Consumerism, and the Chinese Millennial, Courtney Bruntz (Doane University, USA) 8. Describing the (Nonexistent?) Elephant: Ethnographic Methods in the Study of Asian American Buddhists, Chenxing Han (Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA) Part 4: Theoretical Concerns 9. Is a Dazang jing a Canon? On the Nature of Chinese Buddhist Textual Anthologies, Charles B. Jones (University of America, Washington, USA) 10. Our Buddhadharma, Our Buddhist Dharma, Franz Metcalf (California State University, USA) 11. On Authenticity: Scholarship, the Insight Movement, and White Authority, Natalie Fisk Quli (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA Notes Bibliography Index
Scott A. Mitchell is the Dean of Students and Faculty Affairs and holds the Yoshitaka Tamai Professorial Chair at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, USA. He is the author of Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts (Bloomsbury, 2016). Natalie Fisk Quli is Research Fellow and Senior Editor of the Pacific World Journal at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, USA. She is co-editor of Buddhism Beyond Borders: New Perspectives on Buddhism in the United States (2015).
Reviews for Methods in Buddhist Studies: Essays in Honor of Richard K. Payne
This remarkable collection is a worthy celebration of Richard K. Payne's academic career and the originality of his work, and at the same time a stimulating springboard for new research endeavors. * Fabio Rambelli, Professor of Japanese Religions and ISF Endowed Chair in Shinto Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA * The rich quality and diversity of research in this volume attest to the incredible inspiration Richard K. Payne has played, not only among these authors, but among a much wider community of scholars. As clearly shown in this collection, his influence will lay its mark for future generations to come. * Elizabeth Williams-Oerberg, Co-director of Center for Contemporary Buddhist Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark * In displaying the interconnections in Richard K. Payne’s work, this text compliments the variety of worldviews articulated across Buddhisms and reflects diversity in their beauty and challenge to Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism. * Phil Henry, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, University of Derby, UK *
