Buddhism and medicine : an anthology of modern and contemporary sources

Description

“The links between Buddhism and health have lately received much attention in English-language academic, scientific, and popular media alike thanks to the increasing visibility of Tibetan meditation techniques in particular, but all of these discussions have thus far failed to contextualize these developments within a larger global framework. A companion to ‘Buddhism and medicine: an anthology of premodern sources’, this work presents a collection of modern and contemporary texts and conversations from across the Buddhist world dealing with the multifaceted relationship between Buddhism and medicine. More than 40 preeminent scholars and translators in the fields of religious studies and history of medicine focus on texts, global in scope, from the modern and contemporary periods (roughly 1600 to the present). This volume will follow the same format as the first anthology. A 500-1000-word introduction to each translation gives an overview of its historical and cultural context as well as its unique features and provides a list of sources for further reading. The editor’s introduction provides a contextual overview as well as a brief summary of the state of the field, and a helpful glossary of key terms is provided for nonspecialists. The book is organized thematically, with a geographical appendix to facilitate navigating the contents. Special attention is given to patently modern themes such as colonialism, science, globalization, and ruptures with tradition. The broad scope of selections concerns Buddhism and healing in modern Asia and throughout the world, including the contemporary US, Europe, and Latin America”– Provided by publisher