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This article considers the role that armed Plong (Pwo) Karen Buddhist strongmen play as moral authorities in their home communities, rather than their coercive and extractive qualities. Based on eighteen months of fieldwork in Hpa-an district, Karen State, it demonstrates that their ability to act as moral authorities in their home communities is embedded in elaborate social notions of interdependency. These are related to the specific formation of Karen personhood and the importance of being 'faithful' (in Plong Karen, thout kyar) to each other. In describing how one strongman and his extractive debt relations are configured according to Plong Karen social ethics, the article demonstrates that a core feature of their moral authority is interwoven in a Buddhist cosmological understanding of moral leadership and the public performance of merit-making activities. It argues that the use of public performances of morality through donation ceremonies play a powerful role in mitigating the ways in which illicit economic activities and extractive debt relations are regarded as incommensurate with Plong Karen values. Keywords: Myanmar, Karen, conflict, strongmen, moral authority., A long-running ethno-nationalist conflict has deeply affected life in Karen State, Myanmar. Soon after the country achieved independence from the British in 1948, Karen nationalists commenced an armed struggle against [...]

This paper (1) is intended to examine the accounts of Buddhist thought in Kalam literature and its influence on the early Mutakallimun. I shall focus on the Samaniyya's view on [...]

As Souvankham Thammavongsa admits, her poetry collections Small Arguments (2003), Found (2006) and Light (2013) have suffered from a lack of thorough criticism, as critics seem primarily interested in exploring Thammavongsa's refugee origins rather than the intricacies of her poetry. However, there is room and reason to read Thammavongsa's work through a Buddhist lens and in the context of other Buddhist-influenced Canadian poets, such as Phyllis Webb and Roo Borson, as Buddhist tenets are to be found not only in Thammavongsa's subject matter, but also in her minimalist aesthetic. Keywords: Souvankham Thammavongsa, Roo Borson, Phyllis Web, Canadian poetry, Buddhism, nature, feminism, In this article, I wish to redress the lack of significant critical content in the scant criticism of Souvankham Thammavongsa's poetry collection Small Arguments (2003) by exploring the Buddhist underpinnings [...]

This article introduces the primary beliefs about ancestor worship, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese medicine that have influenced Chinese people for thousands of years, particularly in relation to death and dying. These cultures and traditions remain important for Chinese people wherever they live. Over a long period, Chinese people have integrated these philosophies and religions to form the basis of their culture and traditions. Although they agree that death is a natural part of the life span, a unique belief about death and dying has emerged among the Chinese from this integration. From this, the people find a significant definition of death and dying.

From 1987 to 1994, Zhou Long composed in a manner he declared 'Buddhist'. A work that exemplifies this period--and its aesthetic preoccupations--is the quintet Dhyana. This article investigates that work in close technical detail, exploring how key concepts inherent in the term 'dhyana' are reflected in the music. Most centrally, 'dhyana' implies the oneness of concentration of thought and expansion of consciousness--and concentration and expansion prove to be primary opposites in Zhou Long's compositional technique. Buddhism (especially Chan Buddhism) asserts the inseparability of these opposites. So does the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu, in whom Zhou Long has had an abiding interest. And so does Aesthetic Realism, the philosophy of the arts founded by Eli Siegel, which serves as the methodological framework for this article. Central to Aesthetic Realism is Siegel's statement: 'In reality opposites are one, art shows this'. Keywords: Zhou Long (b. 1953); Dhyana; Buddhism; Chan; Eli Siegel (1902-1978); Aesthetic Realism; Du Fu (712-770)

A manual-guided, spirituality-focused intervention--spiritual self-schema (3-S) therapy--for the treatment of addiction and HIV-risk behavior was developed as part of a Stage I behavioral therapies development project. It is theoretically grounded in cognitive and Buddhist psychologies and may be suitable for individuals of diverse faiths. The therapy development process began with focus groups to assess addicted clients' perceived need for a spirituality-focused intervention. The therapy was then codified in manual format, and a controlled clinical trial was conducted. Here the authors report on inner-city, methadone-maintained clients' personal experiences that were recorded in semistructured interviews following completion of the therapy. Findings from this qualitative study support the value of integrating spirituality-focused interventions into addiction treatment for the purpose of increasing motivation for drug abstinence and HIV prevention. Keywords: spirituality, addiction, HIV prevention, Buddhism, meditation

The key features of 'Buddhist economics' are discussed. The relationship between economic aspects of human life and the philosophy, world view and practice of Buddhism is examined.

This paper argues against the current view that the apsidal form was Buddhist in origin and that apsidal Hindu temples are essentially Buddhist shrines subsequently converted to Hinduism. It also counters the linear view of religious change, which suggests that the Hindu temple came into its own after the decline of Buddhism in the fourth-fifth centuries AD. Instead, the paper establishes that the apsidal form was part of a common architectural vocabulary widely used from the second century BC onwards not only for the Buddhist shrine, but also for the Hindu temple and several local and regional cults. The historical development of the apsidal shrine is traced at three levels. One is at the macro-level of the Indian subcontinent from the second century BC to the nineteenth century AD. Second is the location of the apsidal form in the religious landscape of a particular site, viz. that of Nagarjunakonda in the lower Krishna valley in Andhra. Finally, the paper highlights the archaeological excavations conducted at the apsidal temple of Gudimallam also in Andhra to trace the history of the religious site from the second century BC to the twelfth century AD, the objective being to highlight the changing nature of the Hindu temple. The paper thus makes a case for plurality of religious beliefs and practices in ancient South Asia as against the prevailing view that these local and regional cults were gradually subsumed under the mantle of Sanskritization starting from the fourth-fifth centuries onwards. Keywords Hinduism; Buddhism; Nagarjunakonda; Gudimallam; Sanskritization.

Postmodernist critiques and feminist insights are congruent. Both groups believe gender is a social construct, not an intrinsic reality. Buddhism urges religious action and moral responsibility through recognition of the diluted self. Some Buddhist arguments represent the most sophisticated critique of all essentialist conceptions.

Buddhism enabled the second-generation Buddhist Japanese Americans of California, also called Bussei, to construct their identities as Japanese Americans during the years 1924-1941. Buddhist temples and affiliated organizations provided Bussei with avenues for community involvement. They promoted ethnic solidarity and helped Bussei cope with racial prejudices. As a survival strategy, Bussei selectively modified Buddhist terms and forms to make them mirror Protestant Christianity. The resulting Japanese American Buddhism which emerged from this offered the Bussei meaning and support.

Bessie Head's 'A Question of Power' is an exploration of the social and psychological reality of oppression from a Buddhist perspective. The novel, which is set in the mind of the protagonist, Elizabeth, is Buddhist in the way it links the mind to the physical environment. In presenting Elizabeth's alienation as a colored woman in exile, Head follows certain tenets of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism. The characters of Sello and Dan seem to represent the Mahayana and Vajrayana approaches to life in the way they guide Elizabeth's responses to good and evil. Elizabeth's mental journey provides insights into the concept of power.

The courtesan known as Lady Eguchi in the Japanese medieval No play 'Eguchi' is perceived as an illustration of the perception of medieval Japan of the wisdom and sexuality of women. Although Eguchi is transformed into a powerful deity at the end of the play, it is a subversion of womanhood since the deity is male, implying that females are incapable of deification. The effect of the Buddhist philosophy, which considers women as sinful, is seen as particularly pervasive in this play.

The Asian traditions of meditation with particular attention given to Buddhism are explored to introduce these values into American higher education.

The content and powerful expression of butoh, a Japanese form of dance, inspired by the Buddhist value of compassion and its meaning in the present day situation is explained.

Religious revelation and experiences through dreams were important parts of Christian evangelization in Ming and Qing China. Article discusses holy dreams and their interpretation in the creation and consolidation of a religious community.

Researchers have speculated about the growing influence of Buddhists and Buddhism in the United States, but little has been done to estimate the scope of this influence or to consider alternative ways of understanding it. We present data collected from a large, nationally representative survey completed in 2003. The data show that one American in seven claims to have had a fair amount of contact with Buddhists and that one person in eight believes Buddhist teachings or practices have had an important influence on his or her religion or spirituality. We describe three perspectives from which variations in exposure to Buddhists and being influenced by Buddhism may be understood: two versions of the 'strictness hypothesis' from the religious economies literature and a broader argument about institutional embeddedness. We find empirical support for each of the three perspectives.