American Buddhist Education and Pedagogy, The Oxford Handbook of American Buddhism (original) (raw)

This chapter surveys diverse currents in American Buddhist education ranging from children's Sunday schools, teacher training programs, textual study institutes, entire universities, and elementary schools. Adopting the metaphor of currents of a river, the chapter acknowledges that American Buddhist communities have had a diversity of needs, perspectives, and contexts that have shaped their educational initiatives. This chapter traces themes and trends of these initiatives, identifying ve related currents-acculturation, authenti cation, transmission, professionalization, and social transformation-following the arc from congregational or monastic focus to broader educational visions serving a larger society of laypeople and non-Buddhists in the United States. The chapter demonstrates the innovative and constantly changing ways in which Buddhism is in uencing and is being in uenced by American society. American Buddhism's diverse educational programs include children's Sunday schools, teacher training programs, textual study institutes, and entire universities, as well as mainstream Buddhist studies degree programs, elementary schools, and adaptations of Buddhist teachings in the civic square in the form of secular mindfulness and compassion programs. This chapter traces American Buddhism's shift from more congregational or monastic focus to broader educational visions serving a larger society of laypeople and non-Buddhists in the United States. It discusses ve currents in American Buddhist educationacculturation, authenti cation, transmission, professionalization, and social transformation