FROM THERAVADA TO TANTRA: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN TANTRIC BUDDHISM?

    Authors

    A. Gleig

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Contemp. Buddhism

    Keywords

    Philosophy; Religion

    Abstract

    This paper examines recent innovations in the American vipassana or insight community, specifically a current I identify as West Coast Vipassana' that has revisioned the Theravadin Buddhist goal of liberation, from a transcendental condition that demands a renunciation of the world, to an embodied enlightenment' that affirms everyday householder life as a site for awakening. I draw on Jeffrey J. Kripal's tantric transmission thesis to advance an essentially tantric hermeneutic of West Coast Vipassana. I argue that while West Coast Vipassana is originally based in Theravada Buddhism, an Asian renouncer tradition that sharply differentiates between the immanent and transcendent, it has taken a markedly tantric turn in America. I also note, however, that it considerably differs from traditional Buddhist tantric traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism or esoteric Japanese Buddhism in being distinctively modern and American.

    Journal Title

    Contemporary Buddhism

    Volume

    14

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2013

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    221

    Last Page

    238

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000327475800003

    ISSN

    1463-9947

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