Unmasking Buddhism

Bernard Faure is Kao Professor in Japanese Religion at Columbia University. He has published a number of books in French and English, including: The Rhetoric of Immediacy: A Cultural Critique of Chan/Zen Buddhism (1991); Chan Insights and Oversights: An Epistemological Critique of the Chan Tradition (1993); Visions of Power: Imagining Medieval Japanese Buddhism (1996); The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality (1998); The Power of Denial: Buddhism, Purity, and Gender (2003); and Double Exposure (2004). He is presently working on a book on Japanese Gods and Demons.

Introduction. Part I Buddhism in History:. "Buddhism is both one and many". "The Buddha is only a man who achieved Awakening". "Buddhism is an Indian religion". "Buddhism is the cult of nothingness". "Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion". "All Buddhists are seeking to achieve Awakening". "Buddhism teaches the impermanence of all things". "The belief in karma leads to fatalism". "Buddhism denies the existence of a self". "Buddhism teaches reincarnation". Part II Buddhism and Local Cultures:. "Buddhism is an atheistic religion". "Buddhism is above all a spirituality". "The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Buddhism". "To be Buddhist is to be Zen". Part III Buddhism and Society:. "Buddhism is a tolerant religion". "Buddhism teaches compassion". "Buddhism is a peaceful religion". "Buddhism affirms that we are all equal". "Buddhism is compatible with science". "Buddhism is a kind of therapy". "Buddhism advocates a strict vegetarianism". "Buddhism is a universalist teaching". "Buddhism is a religion of monks". "Conclusion: Buddhism or Neo-Buddhism?". Glossary. A Short Bibliography. Index