Flowers on the Rock: Global and Local Buddhisms in Canada

by John S. Harding, Alexander Soucy, Victor Sogen Hori

Overview

When Sasaki Sokei-an founded his First Zen Institute of North America in 1930 he suggested that bringing Zen Buddhism to America was like "holding a lotus against a rock and waiting for it to set down roots." Today, Buddhism is part of the cultural and religious mainstream. Flowers on the Rock examines the dramatic growth of Buddhism in Canada and questions some of the underlying assumptions about how this tradition has changed in the West. Using historical, ethnographic, and biographical approaches, contributors illuminate local expressions of Buddhism found throughout Canada and relate the growth of Buddhism in Canada to global networks. A global perspective allows the volume to overcome the stereotype that Asia and the West are in opposition to each other and recognizes the continuities between Buddhist movements in Asia and the West that are shaped by the same influences of modernity and globalization. Flowers on the Rock studies the fascinating and ingenious changes, inflections, and adaptations that Buddhists make when they set down roots in a local culture. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Buddhism, religious life in Canada, and the broader issues of multiculturalism and immigration. Contributors include Michihiro Ama (University of Alaska), D. Mitra Barua (University of Saskatchewan), Paul Crowe (Simon Fraser University), Melissa Anne-Marie Curley (University of Iowa), Mavis Fenn (University of Waterloo), Kory Goldberg (Champlain College), Sarah F. Haynes (Western Illinois University), Jackie Larm (University of Edinburgh), Paul McIvor (independent), James Placzek (University of British Columbia), and Angela Sumegi (Carleton University).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780773590496
Publisher:	McGill-Queens University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

John S. Harding is associate professor of East Asian religions at the University of Lethbridge.

Victor Sōgen Hori, a former Buddhist monk, is associate professor of Japanese religion at McGill University.

Alexander Soucy is associate professor of religious studies at Saint Mary's University.

Table of Contents

Conventions vii

Acknowledgments xi

Illustrations xiii

Introduction John S. Harding Victor Sögen Hori Alexander Soucy 3

1 Buddhist Globalism and the Search for Canadian Buddhism Alexander Soucy 25

Part 1 Taking Root

2 Flying Sparks: Dissension among the Early Shin Buddhists in Canada Michihiro Ama 55

3 For the Benefit of Many: S.N. Goenkas Vipassana Meditation Movement in Canada Kory Goldberg 79

4 Sitavana: The Theravada Forest Tradition in British Columbia James Placzek 101

5 Making a Traditional Buddhist Monastery on Richmond's Highway to Heaven Jackie Larm 129

6 Dharma on the Move: Vancouver Buddhist Communities and Multiculturalism Paul Crowe 150

7 Buddhist Monasticism in Canada: Sex and Celibacy Victor Sogen Hori 173

Part 2 Communicating the Buddhadharma

8 Teaching Buddhism to Children: The Evolving Sri Lankan Buddhist Tradition in Multicultural Toronto D. Mitra Barua 201

9 Reflections on a Canadian Buddhist Death Ritual Angela Sumegi 225

10 Buddhist Prison Outreach in Canada: Legitimating a Minority Faith Paul Mcivor 245

11 Correspondence School: Canada, Fluxus, and Zen Melissa Anne-Marie Curley 267

12 Shaping Images of Tibet: Negotiating the Diaspora through Ritual, Art, and Film Sarah F. Haynes 287

Part 3 Buddhist Lives

13 Dhammadinna and Jayanta: Daughters of the Buddha in Canada Mavis L. Fenn 313

14 Thay Pho Tinh: A Vietnamese Nuns Struggles in Canada Alexander Soucy 333

15 Leslie Kawamura: Nothing to Add, Nothing to Take Away John S. Harding 355

Bibliography 385

Contributors 421

Index 427

Editorial Reviews

Flowers on the Rock discusses innovative expressions of Buddhism in Canada and will appeal to a wide audience. Scholars and students of Buddhist studies will benefit greatly from the authors’ position that Buddhism is a living culture, constantly changing.” Mathieu Boisvert, Département de sciences des religions, Université du Québec à Montréal


“This volume is more than simply an anthology of essays about the history of Buddhism’s transmission to Canada. The collection’s essays also question some of the assumptions about how Buddhism was changed by its transmission to Western cultures. Of part

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