NickPetorak

Prof.Blanford
UWRT1103
25October2015

AnnotatedBibliography

Seager,RichardHughes.
BuddhisminAmerica
.NewYork:ColumbiaUP,1999.Print.
ThissourcecoversallaspectsofAmericanBuddhismfromitsrootsandpracticesdating
back2,500yearstothecultureofmodernbuddhisminAmerica.Italsotalksaboutwhich
buddhisttraditionshavemadetheirwayintoAmericanculture.Perhapsthemostinteresting
aspectofthistextisthatitdiscusses,indetail,theriftbetweentraditionaloldworldfollowersof
BuddhismandrecentAmericanconverts.Buddhistimmigrantshadaverytoughtimeadjusting
toAmericancultureatfirst,andthisbookcoverstheirstoryfromthetimetheyarriveduntilthe
present.
ThisbookwillmostlikelyprovidemostoftheinformationIneedformypaper.Itcovers
everythingfromthehistoryofthereligiontoitsassimilationintoourculture.Itisextremely
detailedandspansawiderangeoftopics,soIbelieveIwillbecitingitquiteoften.Ithink
readingthiswillprovidethefoundationandbackgroundknowledgeIneedtowriteacoherent,
informedpaperonAmericanBuddhism.IthinkthemostimportantaspectIdliketoincludeis
itsdiscussionoftheinfluencethetwocultureshavehadoneachotherandhowmodernthinking
convertsareseenbytraditionalists.Itwouldbeinterestingtocoverthevaryingviewpoints
betweentheoldworldthinkingtraditionalistsandthenewagemodernconverts.Italsocovers

howBuddhismhasbecomeAmericanizedovertime,whichIwilldefinitelytalkaboutinmy
paper.
Iknowthissourceiscrediblebecausetherehavebeenmanypositivescholarlyreviewsof
thebook.ItisalsousedasatextbooktoteachModernBuddhismcoursesatmanyuniversities.

Becker,Carl."JapanesePureLandBuddhisminChristianAmerica."
BuddhistChristian
Studies
10(1990):14356.
JSTOR
.Web.24Oct.2015.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/1390196>.
Thissourcegivesasortofbackgroundoroverviewoftherelationshipbetweenbuddhism
andChristianityinAmerica.ItalsogoesintothestrugglesofBuddhistsinAmericaandhow
somehaveassimilatedintoourculture.Thissourcealsotalksabouthowdifferentbranchesor
brandsofbuddhismhaveformedasaresultofcomingintocontactwithourculture,andmore
specificallyChristianity.Italsocomparesandcontraststhetworeligionsandtheideologiesof
theirfollowers.ItalsoshedslightonhowthefirstBuddhistimmigrantsweretreatedby
ChristianswhentheyfirstarrivedinAmericaandwhateffectthathad.
Ithinkthissourcewillbeusefulinmypapertohelpcomparetheexperienceofa
BuddhistinAmericawiththatofaChristian's.Iplantogooversomeofthedifferentsectsor
branchesofBuddhismthathaveformedinAmerica,andtheirphilosophies.Ialsothinkitwillbe
goodtohelpillustratehowthedifferentbranchesofthereligionhaveformedaftercominginto
contactwithourculture.IalsomightwanttotalkaboutJapaneseBuddhismversusothertypes
butthatmightnotbenecessary.
IknowthissourceiscrediblebecauseIpulleditfromJSTOR,acrediblelibrarydatabase.


Machacek,DavidW."ImmigrantBuddhisminAmerica:AModelofReligiousChange."
Nova
Religio:TheJournalofAlternativeandEmergentReligions
5.1(2001):6484.
JSTOR
.
Web.24Oct.2015.<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2001.5.1.64>.
Thissource,likethesecondtalksaboutdifferentbranchesofbuddhismthathaveformed
inAmericanculture,butcoverstheminmoredetail.Italsotalksabouthowthedifferent
branchesarecomparedandclassified.Themainpointofthisjournal,howeveristodiscusswhat
propelsimmigrantreligionstoAmericanize.Itgoesoveringreatdetailthestrugglesmainland
BuddhistshadtryingtoadjusttoAmericancultureandhowtheyadaptedandassimilated.
Ithinkthissourcewillbeuseful,mainlytohelpdiscussbuddhistassimilationintoour
culture.ItcoversimmigrantBuddhistspathtoAmericanizationindetail,whichIthinkwill
becomethemainfocusofmypaper.Itmightalsobeinterestingtotouchonhowsomedifferent
branchesofbuddhismhaveformedinamerica,andwhatinfluencedthosechanges.Icouldalso
touchonthephilosophiesofsomeofthebranchesandhowtheynowinteractwitheachother.I
dontthinkIshouldincludetheveryspecificclassificationsystemsthataretalkedaboutinthis
journal.Itwouldbogdownmyfinalpaperwithtoomuchinformationaboutthescientificstudy
ofreligions,althoughIwouldliketotouchonitverybriefly.
IknowthissourceiscrediblebecauseIpulleditfromJSTOR,acrediblelibrarydatabase.

Gregory,PeterN."DescribingtheElephant:BuddhisminAmerica."
ReligionandAmerican
Culture:AJournalofInterpretation
11.2(2001):23363.
JSTOR
.Web.24Oct.2015.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/rac.2001.11.2.233>.
ThissourcemainlytalksaboutthearrivalofBuddhisminAmericaandwhatitmeansto
bothcultures,includingthestudyofreligionitself.Thissourceisdifferentthanmostasitnot
onlydiscusseshowamericanculturehasinfluencedbuddhistculturebutalsohowtheirculture
hasinfluencedours.ItcomesfromthejournalReligionandAmericanCulturewhichisan
ongoingdiscussionoftheinteractionbetweenreligionsinourculture.Italsolooksatthestudy
ofreligioningeneralinamorescientificcontextratherthanfromareligiousbackground.Italso,
likemostofmyothersources,coverstheassimilationprocessthatBuddhistimmigrantswent
throughandhowthathasaffectedtheirculture.
ThissourceisoneoftheonlyonethatIhavefoundsofarthattalksabouthowbuddhist
culturehasinfluencedourown,insteadofjusthowoursaffectedtheirswhentheyfirst
immigrated.Ithinkitwillbeextremelyusefultohelpillustratetheimpactthatthearrivalof
buddhisminAmericahashadonourcultureandnotjusttheotherwayaround.Idliketorelate
thisinformationtosomepopculturereferencesofbuddhism,suchasinthemovie,
TheBig
Lebowski.
TherearehoweveralotofspecificsaboutthestudyofreligionthatIshouldprobably
leaveoutofmypaperastheycangetverytechnicalandIliketofocusmoreontheinteraction
betweenthetwocultures,andsetsofphilosophies.
IknowthissourceiscrediblebecauseIpulleditfromJSTOR,acrediblelibrarydatabase.


Aiken,Bill,andClarkStrand."TheHistoryofTheravadaBuddhisminAmerica."
TheFirst
GenerationofTheravadaBuddhisminAmericaHeartwood
(2004):1948.2005.Web.2015.
<
https://www.sgiusa.org/newsandevents/newsroom/americanbuddhist.pdf
>.
Thissourcecoversindetail,someofthemanydifferentvarietiesofBuddhismpracticed
inAmerica.Italsobrieflyexplainstheoriginsofthereligion,inparticularcoveringwhothe
Buddhawas.ItalsodiscussessomeofthecorephilosophiesofBuddhismsuchasthedharma.
Ithinkthissourcewillbeespeciallyhelpfultoreferencewhentalkingaboutthemajor
divisionsofthereligion.ImhopingIcanusethisinformationtoillustratehowdiverse
BuddhismisinAmerica.
IknowthissourceiscrediblebecauseItcomesfromacrediblewebsiteandcitesitsown
sources.

Buddhistsacredtexts.
ReligionFacts.com.
10Nov.2015.Web.Accessed9Dec.2015.
<
www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/texts
>
ThisisashortwritinginvolvingthevarioustextsimportanttoBuddhism.Itcoversafew
ofthemajorworksthatarereferencedbythereligion.Italsodescribesomeofthemanysectsof
Buddhismthatsubscribetoeachtext.
Thissourcewasveryhelpfulformeinillustratinghowvariedthereligionis.Italsowas
helpfulinshowingthatscripturesmightnotbeasimportanttoBuddhismassacredtextsarein
otherreligions.

Iknowthissourceiscrediblebecausethewebsitethatitcomesfromhasbeenfact
checkedandcitedpreviously.