Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics Kindle Edition
by Jin Y. Park (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.1 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
Buddhism and Postmodernity is a response to some of the questions that have emerged in the process of Buddhism's encounters with modernity and the West. Jin Y. Park broadly outlines these questions as follows: first, why are the interpretations and evaluations of Buddhism so different in Europe (in the nineteenth century), in the United States (in the twentieth century), and in traditional Asia; second, why does Zen Buddhism, which offers a radically egalitarian vision, maintain a strongly authoritarian leadership; and third, what ethical paradigm can be drawn from the Buddhist-postmodern form of philosophy? Park argues that, as unrelated as these questions may seem, the issues that have generated them are related to perennial philosophical themes of identity, institutional power, and ethics, respectively. Each of these themes constitutes one section of Buddhism and Postmodernity. Park discusses the three issues in the book through the exploration of the Buddhist concepts of self and others, language and thinking, and universality and particularities. Most of this discussion is drawn from the East Asian Buddhist traditions of Zen and Huayan Buddhism in connection with the Continental philosophies of postmodernism, hermeneutics, and deconstruction. Self-critical from both the Buddhist and Western philosophical perspectives, Buddhism and Postmodernity points the reader toward a new understanding of Buddhist philosophy and offers a Buddhist-postmodern ethical paradigm that challenges normative ethics of metaphysical traditions.
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Editorial Reviews
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Jin Y. Park's work is a major achievement of phenomenological hermeneutics. It is indeed of exceptional quality which is capacious and deep in scope, lucid and erudite in style, and poignant and engaging in argumentation. Park is at ease with surfing the ineffable and seemingly contradictory expressions of Zen Buddhism and with scaling the rugged terrains of postmodern thought. Park's most creative, incisive, and discerning moments are found in her very attempt to transversalize the borders of Eastern Buddhism and Western philosophy both modern and postmodern. To put it simply, it is intercultural and interdisciplinary. I find that her appropriation of postmodern philosophy in Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Derrida, and Lyotard is judicious and discriminating. Among the notable features of Park's work is a singularly prominent place of Korean Buddhism, the 'Zen hermeneutics' of language, silence and violence, and most importantly her ambitious and promising vision of creating a new paradigm of ethics at the crossroads of Buddhism and postmodern philosophy. -- Hwa Yol Jung, Moravian College
Buddhism and Postmodernity is a fascinating journey into the field of Buddhist philosophy. Jin Park skillfully negotiates a variety of discourses including Buddhist studies, feminism, and postmodernism. She masterfully unmasks prejudices about Buddhist traditions and their alleged lack of propensity for systematic thought, and presents a convincing case for a Zen ethics by demonstrating affinities between Zen and deconstruction. Her mastery of the material is impressive, her sketch of Zen philosophy visionary. For everyone with interest in Buddhism and/or postmodernism, Buddhism and Postmodernity is a must-read. -- Gereon Kopf, Luther College
...Admirably concise and yet complex... Professor Park carefully exemplifies her own conclusions regarding the centrifugal potentials of Buddhist thought and practice by offering us clearly presented prospects on a yet-to-come ethics of non-dual interdependence. The wide ambitions of Buddhism and Postmodernity are skillfully threaded together through recurring contrasts of centripetal/centrifugal and hermeneutical/existential dynamics at play both historically and philosophically, in the West and its encounters with Buddhism, and in the global transit from modernity to postmodernity . . . Buddhism and Postmodernity raises important questions, opening promising avenues for further conversation. ― Sophia: International Journal of Philosophy and Traditions, November 2009
The dialogue between Buddhism and postmodernity is one of the most exciting developments in contemporary philosophy, with important implications for ethics. Jin Y. Park's insightful study of their relationship is grounded in a deep understanding and appreciation of both traditions. Her book is a welcome addition to the growing literature. -- David R. Loy, Xavier University --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Jin Y. Park is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at American University. --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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Product details
ASIN : B00BZAN3QM
Publisher : Lexington Books (October 28, 2010)
Publication date : October 28, 2010
Print length : 296 pages
3.1 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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Jin Y. Park
Jin Y Park is Professor of philosophy and religion and Founding Director of Asian Studies Program at American University in Washington DC, US. Park specializes in East Asian Buddhism (with a focus on Korean Buddhism), Buddhist-Western comparative philosophy, Buddhist ethics, and philosophy of religion, and modern East Asian philosophy.
Park is the author of Buddhism and Postmodernity, Women and Buddhist Philosophy, and translator of Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun, and editor of Buddhisms and Deconstructions, Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism, and co-editor of Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism.
Park's journal articles and book chapters can be found in:
https://american.academia.edu/JinPark
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Gary Landau
1.0 out of 5 stars Leave it for the philosophersReviewed in the United States on October 5, 2017
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In the Sutras there is an example of the power of subjectivity: whatever we humans see as a glass of water, a god perceives the same object as a glass of ambrosia, and a hungry ghost sees a glass of pus. Similarly, Jin Y Park's work on Buddhism and postmodern ethics may be earthshattering and insightful for a graduate or doctoral student in philosophy/semiotics, but for anybody else it's absolutely impenetrable without the help of a professor's commentary.
I realize now (after buying the book) that I bought the ethical equivalent of a mathematical proof. I can't read a single page of this and come away with much of anything I can relate to existing social crisis, identity politics, or any number of other things I really hoped the book would comment on, or at least give me some ability to comment on.
Ethics being the study of righteous action, I was hoping for something that would, at least by the end of the text, begin to draw some connections to the material world, make some assertions about something, but after reading I couldn't tell you a thing about what the contents of this book mean for feminism(s), public policy, queerness, social justice, indigenous rights, postcolonialism or any number of other postmodern ethical arenas; its contents remain utterly indecipherable largely because the author makes no attempt to use metaphor, example, or lay terminology to give these ideas concretion or form that will allow crossdisciplinary readers to gain something from it.
IN other words, the pedagogy sucks. By all means, take a course on it, but don't buy it for your personal edification.
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