The American Encounter with Buddhism, 1844-1912
Victorian Culture and the Limits of Dissent
Thomas A. Tweed
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 10/2005
Pages: 280
Subject: Religion, History
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9.78E+12
eBook ISBN: 9780807876152
DESCRIPTION
The book, first published in 1992, traces the efforts of various American interpreters to make sense of Buddhism in Western terms. Tweed demonstrates that while many of those interested in Buddhism considered themselves dissenters from American culture, they did not abandon some of the basic values they shared with their fellow Victorians. In the end, the Victorian understanding of Buddhism, even for its most enthusiastic proponents, was significantly shaped by the prevailing culture. Although Buddhism attracted much attention, it ultimately failed to build enduring institutions or gain significant numbers of adherents in the nineteenth century. Not until the following century did a cultural environment more conducive to Buddhism's taking root in America develop.
In a new preface, Tweed addresses Buddhism's growing influence in contemporary American culture.