Modern Buddhisms

Under the influence of globalisation and the accompanying cultural contacts and diverse transcultural flows, that which often is essentialised as Buddhism, has been transformed and many new forms, described as modern Buddhism, have emerged. This term describes both the different modern forms of Buddhist traditions in the Asian countries of origin and diverse new formations which have come about in the urban centres of industrialised nations. The assumed compatibility of Buddhism with the natural sciences, rational thinking and the values of democracy, peace and equality as well as the supposed focus on meditation and therapeutic potential and wellbeing, is a defining characteristic of modern Buddhism, especially outside Asia. The trust in the power of Buddhist Dharma and Buddhist saviours, the pursuit of worldly and otherworldly benefits and the close alliance to state and rulers, which play a significant role in Asian Buddhist traditions, have been forgotten and in part are dismissed by modern representatives as magic or superstition. At the same time, the ideas about a de-mythologised and psychologised Buddhism transform the perception and practices of Buddhism in its Asian countries of origin. At the Heidelberg Institute for Religious Studies we are particularity interested in the popularity, reception and practices of formations inspired by Buddhism in Germany and northern Europe.