Author Archives: Bradford Albert Bouley

Charles Prebish discusses Buddhism in North America

–“The Swans came to Penn State too,” a talk by Charles S. Prebish, will be presented on Wednesday, February 4, noon to 1 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, Penn State University Park.

 

Following the change in immigration law by Canada and the United States in the mid-twentieth century, Buddhism exploded on the North American continent. Buddhism is now found everywhere: from the cover of “Time” magazine to the Simpson’s TV show; from Leonard Cohen practicing as a Zen priest to the Dalai Lama visiting the White House.

Some estimates place the number of Buddhists on the continent as high as six million. This presentation traces the development of the study of North American Buddhism as it became a legitimate sub-discipline in the larger discipline of Buddhist Studies. It looks at the early pioneering works of the past half-century, examining the Buddhist communities in North America, the theories that have developed to understand their growth and development, the scholarly and popular studies that have appeared in the literature, the scholars and scholar-practitioners who have offered seminal studies, Buddhist teachers—Asian and Western—who have appeared on the scene, and the new emphases that have recently appeared that may shape Buddhism’s development in North America in our new century. In broad perspective, this presentation will provide a new insight into the current shape of the North American Buddhist landscape.

Prebish is professor emeritus of Religious Studies at Penn State, where he served on the faculty from 1971 until 2006. He is also Charles Redd Chair in Religious Studies Emeritus at Utah State University, where he served from January 2007 until December 2010.

Exhibition highlights Prebish Buddhism Collection

“The Way is in the Heart,” an exhibition of publications from the Charles S. Prebish Buddhism Collection, is on display January 6 to March 6, 2015, in the Franklin Atrium, first floor Pattee Library, Penn State University Park. Charles S. Prebish will discuss his collection, “The Swans came to Penn State too,” on Wednesday, February 4, noon to 1 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.

“Between the Yes and the No”: Ibn Arabi and Mystical Disruptions of Gender

Sa’diyya Shaikh, University of Cape Town
Drawing on the ideas of pre-modern Sufi thinker Muhyi al-Din Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), this paper focusses on ways that mystical language and
method enable a dynamic model to engage human nature and genderedness. Mystical language is characteristically defined by fluidity and paradox in
order to facilitate receptivity and experiential openness. I examine how these linguistic and existential modes facilitate spaces ripe for feminist
reflections. Ibn Arabi’s use of paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction – organic elements of his Sufi epistemology – results in generative spaces of tension that creatively interrupt fixed conceptions of gender.
Sa’diyya Shaikh is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her areas of research include gender-sensitive readings of hadith and Quran; theoretical debates on Islam and feminism; religion and gender-based violence; and an empirical project entitled “South African Muslim Women, Marriage, Gender and Sexuality.”
The Harshbarger Lecture in Religious Studies is an annual lectureship made possible by a generous donation in honor of Luther H. Harshbarger, former professor and head of the Religious Studies Department at Penn State.
Please see the attached file for a sample of Dr. Shaikh’s work: Shaykh.art-1

Kahat Hai Sānjhrang, The story of a return home

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Original compositions in Indian classical music by Guru Arijit Mahalanabis (Sanjhrang) presented by the students, guest accompanists and storytellers for the Society for Indian Music and Arts (SIMA).

Sunday, November 9 @ 4:00 pm

Schwab Auditorium

Penn State University

For more information call (425) 736-4652

Tickets: $12 General/$10 Students

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