Buddhism And Cultural Studies: A Profession Of Faith
by Edwin Ng /
2016 / English / PDF
2.4 MB Download
This book explores the reciprocity between Buddhist, Derridean, and
Foucauldian understandings about ethics, subjectivity, and
ontological contingency, to investigate the ethical and political
potential of insight meditation practice. The book is narrated from
the perspective of a postcolonial ‘Western Buddhist’ convert who,
despite growing up in Singapore where Buddhism was a part of his
disaporic ‘Chinese’ ancestral heritage, only embraced Buddhism when
he migrated to Australia and discovered Western translations of
Buddhist teachings. Through an autoethnography of the author’s
Buddhist-inspired pursuit of an academic profession, the book
develops and professes a non-doctrinal understanding of faith that
may be pertinent to ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’ alike, inviting
the academic reader in particular to consider the (unacknowledged)
role of faith in supporting scholarly practice. Striking a careful
balance between critical analysis and self-reflexive inquiry, the
book performs in all senses of the word, a profession of faith.
This book explores the reciprocity between Buddhist, Derridean, and
Foucauldian understandings about ethics, subjectivity, and
ontological contingency, to investigate the ethical and political
potential of insight meditation practice. The book is narrated from
the perspective of a postcolonial ‘Western Buddhist’ convert who,
despite growing up in Singapore where Buddhism was a part of his
disaporic ‘Chinese’ ancestral heritage, only embraced Buddhism when
he migrated to Australia and discovered Western translations of
Buddhist teachings. Through an autoethnography of the author’s
Buddhist-inspired pursuit of an academic profession, the book
develops and professes a non-doctrinal understanding of faith that
may be pertinent to ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’ alike, inviting
the academic reader in particular to consider the (unacknowledged)
role of faith in supporting scholarly practice. Striking a careful
balance between critical analysis and self-reflexive inquiry, the
book performs in all senses of the word, a profession of faith.
