I would like to draw further attention to a recent debate. This debate is important for several reasons. First, it reveals a real, a serious, and an ever-widening fault line within contemporary western Buddhism. Second, as such, it exposes the outline of two compelling narratives about Buddhism that, I suspect, will increasingly compete for the attention of prospective converts in the coming decades. Third, it highlights the rhetorical approaches, values, assumptions, agendas, and animating impetus behind each approach. Finally, it can be used to further illuminate my project here by contrasting an aporetic-speculative argument with one that seeks to stoke Buddhism’s charism.
Some background. In the October-December 2010 edition of Mandala Magazine, there appeared an article Read the rest of this entry »
