tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32039977549183214952012-02-16T17:18:11.874-08:00A fresh and provocative way of looking at contemporary Buddhism(s) in societies around the world todayJohn Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09992990926123229757noreply@blogger.comBlogger31100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3203997754918321495.post-69271016760610246802010-10-12T21:29:00.000-07:002010-10-13T08:38:16.186-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XfbJeZK7dkU/TLW8Rbq2NuI/AAAAAAAAAB4/YwWre_uZxI0/s1600/Osaka+temple:mansion.jpg"><span><span></span></span><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XfbJeZK7dkU/TLW8Rbq2NuI/AAAAAAAAAB4/YwWre_uZxI0/s320/Osaka+temple:mansion.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527531125338420962" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Imagine a "Buddhism" that is...</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">continually reinvented and reworked</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">actively selected and shaped by a variety of actors, in a trial-and-error approach, for relevance that may be both social and religious</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">in synch with historically unprecedented social conditions</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">liberated from conventional teachings, methods, and organizational structures </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">seeking new applications that have relevance for men and women today</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">unafraid to explore unfamiliar themes that challenge the relevance of religion</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">embedded in the social and cultural context in which a person’s life is situated</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">a resource rather than a blueprint for action and meaning</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">pragmatic and rational</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">empirically grounded in the realities of contemporary society</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">aligned with and conditioned by the shifting dynamics of the current day</span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">These points and many more are discussed in detail in my essay, found in the section to the right. I plan to make available chapters of my book as well.</span></div><p></p> <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:Times;font-size:12.0pt;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3203997754918321495-6927101676061024680?l=experimentalbuddhism.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>John Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09992990926123229757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3203997754918321495.post-79061651436649262592010-10-12T19:21:00.000-07:002010-10-12T19:32:40.319-07:00<div><br /></div><div>Thanks to <i>Tricycle Magazine</i> for providing a kick in the *!#+ to get this Blog in gear! They're publishing my slightly subversive essay about Experimental Buddhism in the 2010 Winter issue, (out Nov. 1st.)</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a wonderful privilege, and I'm most appreciative. A big and special thanks to editor Andrew Cooper for helping the essay land smoothly and without incident.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now that you're here, maybe you'll linger two minutes and--in that time--have your conception of Buddhism supplemented and extended via Japan's innovative and activist priests.</div><div><br /></div><div> Curiosity? Doubt? Affirmation? WTF? All welcome here!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3203997754918321495-7906165143664926259?l=experimentalbuddhism.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>John Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09992990926123229757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3203997754918321495.post-56620253761953467802009-10-18T14:07:00.000-07:002009-10-18T14:17:05.075-07:00Welcome to the world of Experimental Buddhism! (More about the concept in a moment...)<div><br /></div><div>This site will try and incorporate ideas, trends, practices, and people engaged in new forms of Buddhism in contemporary cultures and societies worldwide.</div><div><br /></div><div>It will serve as an exploratory forum for making sense of the diverse approaches to "Buddhism," which can range from forest-dwelling monks in Thailand to activists promoting same-sex marriage in Oregon.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Actually, there is no single entity or organization called "Buddhism," so perhaps it's more accurate to add an "s" to word, although it sounds a bit awkward.)</div><div><br /></div><div>At any rate, this site is hereby officially launched at 2:15 Sunday afternoon, October 18, 2009, with the sound of a temple bell to commemorate the occasion.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3203997754918321495-5662025376195346780?l=experimentalbuddhism.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>John Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09992990926123229757noreply@blogger.com0