Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Constructio - Discussion
Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Constructio
Alan Smithee, modified 12 Years ago at 1/17/12 4:21 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/17/12 4:21 AM
Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Constructio
Posts: 310 Join Date: 4/2/10 Recent Posts
Has anyone read Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Construction of Power by Ingrid Jordt? It looks interesting and relevant for those who have utilized practices derived from Burma, as well as those interested in Buddhism's continuing evolution generally.
Here is what the back cover says the book is about:
"Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Construction of Power describes a transformation in Buddhist practice in contemporary Burma. This revitalization movement has had real consequences for how the oppressive military junta, in power since the early 1960s, governs the country.
Drawing on more than ten years of extensive fieldwork in Burma, Ingrid Jordt explains how vipassana meditation has brought about a change of worldview for millions of individuals, enabling them to think and act independently of the totalitarian regime. She addresses human rights as well as the relationship between politics and religion in a country in which neither the government nor the people clearly separates the two. Jordt explains how the movement has been successful in its challenge to the Burmese military dictatorship where democratically inspired resistance movements have failed.
Jordt’s unsurpassed access to the centers of political and religious power in Burma becomes the reader’s opportunity to witness the political workings of one of the world’s most secretive and tyrannically ruled countries. Burma’s Mass Lay Meditation Movement is a valuable contribution to Buddhist studies as well as anthropology, religious studies, and political science."
Also, if you do a text search, Mahasi Sayadaw appears a number of times in the book...
http://www.amazon.com/Burmas-Mass-Lay-Meditation-Movement/dp/0896802558/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326795268&sr=1-7#_
Here is what the back cover says the book is about:
"Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Construction of Power describes a transformation in Buddhist practice in contemporary Burma. This revitalization movement has had real consequences for how the oppressive military junta, in power since the early 1960s, governs the country.
Drawing on more than ten years of extensive fieldwork in Burma, Ingrid Jordt explains how vipassana meditation has brought about a change of worldview for millions of individuals, enabling them to think and act independently of the totalitarian regime. She addresses human rights as well as the relationship between politics and religion in a country in which neither the government nor the people clearly separates the two. Jordt explains how the movement has been successful in its challenge to the Burmese military dictatorship where democratically inspired resistance movements have failed.
Jordt’s unsurpassed access to the centers of political and religious power in Burma becomes the reader’s opportunity to witness the political workings of one of the world’s most secretive and tyrannically ruled countries. Burma’s Mass Lay Meditation Movement is a valuable contribution to Buddhist studies as well as anthropology, religious studies, and political science."
Also, if you do a text search, Mahasi Sayadaw appears a number of times in the book...
http://www.amazon.com/Burmas-Mass-Lay-Meditation-Movement/dp/0896802558/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326795268&sr=1-7#_
Alan Smithee, modified 12 Years ago at 1/17/12 2:37 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/17/12 2:27 PM
RE: Burma's Mass Lay Meditation Movement: Buddhism and the Cultural Co
Posts: 310 Join Date: 4/2/10 Recent Posts
By the way, author Ingrid Jordt was a Buddhist nun in Burma for a few years. Here is an interview with her on NPR, where she talks about Burma and the lay vipassana meditation movement. She talks about some interesting things, such as the history of Buddhism in Burma, how Buddhism and political power and political struggle interplay in the country, how Burma as had a culture of meditation practice amongst prisoners, etc.
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/burma/index.shtml
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/burma/index.shtml