Duncan Ry?ken Williams, Christopher S. Queen

'Each one of the authors contributes to the present volume, making this work represent the whole state of the field. So, how does the book (and the field) look? In a word, vibrant. The quality of inquiry and the variety of methodological approaches in the field are remarkable. The chapters ividly capture the field's breadth.' - Franz Aubrey Metcalf, Japanese Journal of Religios Studies'Consisting of thirteen contributions, this volume is the most comprehensive scholarly treatment of American Buddhism to date.' - Traditional Yoga Studies'Buddhism and Buddhist Studies in America have come a long way, and this volume traces some of their historical pathways in addition to providing the best available demographics and sociological overview.' - Traditional Yoga Studies

• Part 1 Asian American Buddhist Identities; Chapter 1 Issues of Ethnicity in the Buddhist Churches of America, Kenneth K. Tanaka; Chapter 2 Japanese American Zen Temples: Cultural Identity and Economics, Senry? Asai, Duncan Ry?ken Williams; Chapter 3 Placing Palms Together: Religious and Cultural Dimensions of the Hsi Lai Temple Political Donations Controversy, Stuart Chandler; Chapter 4 Ritual and the Performance of Buddhist Identity among Lao Buddhists in North America, Penny Van Esterik; Part 2 Profiling the New Buddhists; Chapter 5 Night-Stand Buddhists and Other Creatures: Sympathizers, Adherents, and the Study of Religion, Thomas A. Tweed; Chapter 6 The New Buddhism: Some Empirical Findings, James William Coleman; Chapter 7 Supply and Demand: The Appeal of Buddhism in America, Phillip Hammond, David Machacek; Part 3 Modes of Dharma Transmission; Chapter 8 Local Inter-Buddhist Associations in North America, Paul David Numrich; Chapter 9 The Pacific Buddha’s Wild Practice: Gary Snyder’s Environmental Ethic, Charles R. Strain; Chapter 10 The Internet as Window onto American Buddhism, Richard P. Hayes; Part 4 The Scholar’s Place in American Buddhist Studies; Chapter 11 The Academic Study of Buddhism in America: A Silent Sangha, Charles Prebish; Chapter 12 Buddhist Studies at Naropa: Sectarian or Academic?, Robert E. Goss; Chapter 13 Buddhist Worlds in the U.S.A.: A Survey of the Territory, Richard Hughes Seager;