Buddhism + Modernity = ?

When you think of Buddhism, does the term moderm pop into your mind? Many English-language readers might (myself included before reading Ivy's article) find the pairing of Buddhism with modernity odd given that "for such readers, Buddhism evokes something that is essentially nonmodern and non-Western" (Ivy, 312).

Ivy's refreshing take on Buddhism as being modern due to its transhistorical and historical nature was very interesting to read. I was quite surprised that Buddhism and modernity, seemingly contradicting each other, could be tied together where modernity "is the very ground and possiblity for Buddhism itself" (Ivy, 312) and Buddhism is a component of modernity.

Like modernity, Buddhism can be viewed as both historical and transhistorical. Buddhism is historical and modern in "its forms of social effectivity" (Ivy, 327). It was crucial in the process of establishing "nation-statehood and unified populations, and within the process of asthetic and philosophical modernity," (Ivy, 321) with Japan being the prime example. Buddhism helped shape Japan's national identity, became the "essential religious core of Japanese culture," (Ivy, 323) and assisted Japan in becomming the first non-Western nation to achieve the status of modernity.

However also like modernity, Buddhism can be seen as transhistorical, temporal and free from chronological, cultural, and historical boundaries. As a large part of Buddhism is made up of techniques to quiet the mind and achieving liberation, "it would seem to be all the more mobile and fluid, ready for transport to the global markets of the enlightenment" (Ivy, 313). Buddhism continues to reinvent itself, take new forms, and fit in with the changing times.

I found this video of another branch of Buddhism, the Agon Shu School of Buddhism in Japan that seems to relate to this topic of a modern Buddhism. The modernity of the Agon Shu School of Buddhism is clearly illusrated.
Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Buddhism continues to take on new forms and reinvent itself but it still draws back to its old traditional essence. Buddhism is like a huge tree with a myriad of roots and branches that take different forms and sprout out different ways but still draws itself from the traditional essence of Buddhism.


Ivy, Marilyn. “Modernity.” In Critical Terms for Buddhist Studies, edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr., 311-331. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.