Title

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

Authors

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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