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List of contents
List of Illustrations
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Economic Study of Buddhism, Richard K. Payne (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA) and Fabio Rambelli (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA)
Part I: Historical Perspective
1. Monastic Capitalism? The inclusiveness of Tibetan monastic Institutions, William K. Dewey (independent scholar)
Part II: Contemporary Studies
2. Selling Buddhism by Branding Mindfulness and Reiki as Valuable, Secular Services: Three Interacting Economic Models, by Candy Brown (Indiana University, USA)
3. Consciousness Raising, False Consciousness, and Freud: Buddhist Traditions in Contemporary Mental Health Economies in the United States, Ira Helderman (Vanderbilt University, USA)
4. Buddhist Technoscapes: Interrogating “Skillful Means” in East Asian Monasteries, by Courtney Bruntz (Doane University, Nebraska)
5. Perceiving Authenticity: Online Tourism Reviews of Buddhist Tourist Destinations, Kendall Marchman (University of Georgia, USA)
6. Ethics in Small business capitalism of Women Kuan Im followers in Thailand, Mark Speece (Mahidol University, Thailand) and Jitnisa Roenjun (busines owner in Bangkok, Thailand)
7. Economics of Buddhist ‘Connectionwork’: Analyzing the spread and expansion of Buddhism in the global market economy, Elizabeth Williams-Oerberg (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
8. Gross National Happiness: Capitalism under Buddhism in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Barbra Clayton (Mount Alison University, Canada) and Della Duncan (California Institute of Integral Studies, USA)
Part III: Theoretical Reflections
9. Drawing Blood: At the Intersection of Knowledge Economies and Buddhist Economies, by Scott Mitchell (Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA)
10. A Part of or Apart from Globalization? The Ambivalent Relationship between Buddhism and Modern Capitalism, Lionel Obadia (University of Lyon, France)
11. Prolegomena to a Buddhist(ic) Critique of Capitalism, James Mark Shields (Bucknell University, USA)
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Richard K. Payne is Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies at Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, USA. He specializes in Japanese tantric Buddhism, particularly its ritual practices, and is co-editor of Homa Variations (2016). Fabio Rambelli, Professor of Japanese Religions and Cultural History and ISF Endowed
Chair in Shinto Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Summary
This book explores the relationship between global capitalism and Buddhism—both how this economic system has facilitated the spread of Buddhism, and how it impacts Buddhists and Buddhism today.
Edited by two leading scholars in Buddhist studies, the book examines how capitalism and neo-liberalism have shaped global perceptions of Buddhism, as well as specific local practices and attitudes. It analyzes the institutional practices that sustained the spread of Buddhism for two-and-a half millennia, and the adaptation of Buddhist institutions in contemporary, global economic systems—particularly in Europe and the United States over the last century.
Innovative chapters on the interfaces between Buddhism and capitalism will prompt readers to rethink the connection between Buddhism and secular society. Case studies include digital capitalism, tourism, and monasticism, and are drawn from the USA, Tibet, China, Japan, and Thailand.
Foreword
Explores how Buddhism is spreading due to globalized capitalism and how capitalism is shaping Buddhism and Buddhists, covering topics including digital capitalism, tourism, and monasticism.
Additional text
This volume debunks the common misconception that Buddhists and Buddhist institutions are unconcerned with the material world. In reality, as the contributors—who are the foremost experts on this topic—show, Buddhists debate and regulate exactly how to engage with the economy and material possessions, including money, property, loans, and investments.
