Unmasking Buddhism (eBook)

Bernard Faure is Kao Professor in Japanese Religion at Columbia University. He has published a number of books in French and English, including: The Rhetoric of Immediacy: A Cultural Critique of Chan/Zen Buddhism (1991); Chan Insights and Oversights: An Epistemological Critique of the Chan Tradition (1993); Visions of Power: Imagining Medieval Japanese Buddhism (1996); The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality (1998); The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender (2003); and Double Exposure (2004). He is presently working on a book on Japanese Gods and Demons.

Introduction 1

Part I Buddhism in History 5

"Buddhism is both one and many" 7

"The Buddha is only a man who achieved Awakening" 11

"Buddhism is an Indian religion" 18

"Buddhism is the cult of nothingness" 23

"Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion" 27

"All Buddhists are seeking to achieve Awakening" 34

"Buddhism teaches the impermanence of all things" 39

"The belief in karma leads to fatalism" 44

"Buddhism denies the existence of a self" 49

"Buddhism teaches reincarnation" 52

Part II Buddhism and Local Cultures 57

"Buddhism is an atheistic religion" 59

"Buddhism is above all a spirituality" 66

"The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Buddhism" 71

"To be Buddhist is to be Zen" 76

Part III Buddhism and Society 83

"Buddhism is a tolerant religion" 85

"Buddhism teaches compassion" 89

"Buddhism is a peaceful religion" 93

"Buddhism affirms that we are all equal" 99

"Buddhism is compatible with science" 104

"Buddhism is a kind of therapy" 112

"Buddhism advocates a strict vegetarianism" 118

"Buddhism is a universalist teaching" 122

"Buddhism is a religion of monks" 129

Conclusion: Buddhism or Neo-Buddhism? 139

Glossary 143

A Short Bibliography 151

Index 153

"An ideal introduction to the tradition that debunks many of the
Orientialist stereotypes by relentlessly highlighting the
complexity and diversity of Buddhism in its localized and
ritualized forms. It serves as an excellent way for readers to
understand the work of one of the leading and groundbreaking
scholars of Buddhist studies of this generation."

-Steven Heine, Florida International University

"Many people know something about Buddhism, but, for interesting
historical reasons, much of what they know is wrong. In
Unmasking Buddhism, Bernard Faure offers a clear catalogue
of these misconceptions and then compassionately dispels the
darkness of ignorance."

-Donald S. Lopez, University of Michigan