The article offers a critical appraisal of the modernist claim that the Buddha’s teaching (P. Dha... more The article offers a critical appraisal of the modernist claim that the Buddha’s teaching (P. Dhamma) as recorded in the Pāli Canon has rational and empirical character thereby meeting the criteria of scientific knowledge valid from the nineteenth century onwards. Buddhist modernism originated in the middle of the nineteenth century as a reaction to both Western science and religion which – in hands of colonial powers – challenged Buddhism as an instrument legitimizing indigenous political systems and offering a relevant worldview. Many of the arguments introduced by these early reformers are used by Buddhist and Western modernists even nowadays. The author argues that while formalization of the polemical discussion and rational argumentation played an important role in the maintaining and further spreading of the Dhamma and though personal “experience” is presented in the Pāli Canon as a sole means legitimizing the teacher’s activity, these aspects are actually set in a context (e....
This book explores marketing as a genuine component of religious traditions. It investigates the ... more This book explores marketing as a genuine component of religious traditions. It investigates the theme across a large historical and geographical area, and in a variety of expressions, ranging from 3rd BCE Maya stucco friezes, early Christian writings, and 9th CE Cambodian inscriptions, right down to modern-day propaganda and recruitment strategies adopted by the ISIS jihadi movement, Falun Gong, Muslim Varkaris, spirit mediums in India and Thailand, Thai Buddhist monasteries, and the Vatican. The book is unique in its theme and scope. The chapters were written without a single controlling agenda, but all emphasize the need to view our modern consumer society as only one among many historical conditions that have shaped religious marketing. In fact, it will become clear from reading through the chapters that marketing and propaganda are inherent in religions and their teachings. The broad scope of the book shows religious marketing as embedded in and responding to diverse cultural s...
The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconcep... more The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconceptions about religion: Brad Stoddard and Craig Martin’s edited volume Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (2017) and Tenzan Eaghll’s article “Religious Clichés” (2015). It argues that the joint goal becomes problematic due to some empirical and logical distortions, which mainly result from the emphasis on the relativist message offsetting the impartial assessment of facts and their implications. It argues for integrating the biological and cultural explanations of religion and offers some proposals toward identifying the contemporary clichés that impede progress in our understanding of the phenomenon.
In this paper, we want to offer arguments supporting the view that Buddhist
soteriology is based ... more In this paper, we want to offer arguments supporting the view that Buddhist soteriology is based on a set of culturally independent forms of alternate states of consciousness which are interpreted, however, in a unique way. The interpretation denies the substance-attribute structure of the world, the structure which informs our perception, thinking, and oral expression concerning the world, and which all other religious traditions take for granted.
The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconcep... more The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconceptions about religion: Brad Stoddard and Craig Martin’s edited volume Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (2017) and Tenzan Eaghll’s article “Religious Clichés” (2015). It argues that the joint goal becomes problematic due to some empirical and logical distortions, which mainly result from the emphasis on the relativist message offsetting the impartial assessment of facts and their implications. It argues for integrating the biological and cultural explanations of religion and offers some proposals toward identifying the contemporary clichés that impede progress in our understanding of the phenomenon.
CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR CONTEMPORARY RELIGION
In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism al... more In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism along the lines suggested by Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc-Daniel's approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal tradition and his focus on local frames of reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults lie in a disregard for the developments outside the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches to the study of religion. Balancing the over-accentuation of the explanatory power of either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such integration would also permit a move from the socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal and more controlled explanations of religious phenomena. I illustrate my suggestions through an example of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly advertising and ritualistic function of wats' visuals, effigies, and architecture rather than reading them as symbolic expressions of doctrinal tenets.
In this paper the author proposes a model for the study of Thai Buddhism radically de-emphasizing... more In this paper the author proposes a model for the study of Thai Buddhism radically de-emphasizing Buddhist soteriology in favor of magic. Magic is characterized by suppressing the symbolic value of objects and acts as well as superseding the standard causal expectations with »weak causation« based on perceptual features of similarity, contagion contiguity, force dynamics and essence. De-emphasis of soteriology undermines Tambiah’s explanation of Buddhist charisma as a product of regulated practice and explains the apparent paradox of monks of deriving ritual-empowering charisma from adherence to rules which prohibit monks performing these rituals.
In this paper, I am assessing Julia Cassaniti’s (2012, 2015) claim that Buddhists in Thailand per... more In this paper, I am assessing Julia Cassaniti’s (2012, 2015) claim that Buddhists in Thailand perceive religious concepts (specifically “kamma”) as natural entities, comparable to natural laws. Her claim is based on, and intended to lend empirical support to, Don Handelman’s thesis that the formal character of cosmologies determines the emphasis a religious tradition puts on “belief”. Cassaniti expands on the thesis, proposing that cosmology and belief are connected through people’s representation of agency. I am arguing that Cassaniti misrepresents the relationship between public discourse and real representations of religious concepts and, more specifically, discounts cultural conventions informing the Thai way of using language. Thai religious and cultural practices also clearly indicate a situation incongruent with Cassaniti’s assertion that agency is perceived by Thai Buddhist as inherent to the acting subject. Lastly, I am pointing out some problems related to her analysis of data collected through interviews.
Addressing the issue of ritual manipulation of kamma in Thai Buddhism, the author argues that the... more Addressing the issue of ritual manipulation of kamma in Thai Buddhism, the author argues that the doctrinal formulation of kamma—underdetermined in terms of action-representation, irresponsive to contemporary rituals while reinforcing the intuitions of non-obvious causal connections—is unlikely to survive the process of cultural transmission unchanged. Ritual helps internalize the concept and makes it relevant on a larger cultural scale.
In this paper I make proposals regarding
further advances in the studies of Theravada
Buddhism al... more In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism along the lines suggested by Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc- Daniel’s approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal tradition and his focus on local frames of reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults lie in a disregard for the developments outside the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches to the study of religion. Balancing the over-accentuation of the explanatory power of either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such integration would also permit a move from the socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal and more controlled explanations of religious phenomena. I illustrate my suggestions through an example of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly advertising and ritualistic function of wats’ visuals, effigies, and architecture rather than reading them as symbolic expressions of doctrinal tenets.
The article offers a critical appraisal of the modernist claim that the Buddha’s teaching (P. Dha... more The article offers a critical appraisal of the modernist claim that the Buddha’s teaching (P. Dhamma) as recorded in the Pāli Canon has rational and empirical character thereby meeting the criteria of scientific knowledge valid from the nineteenth century onwards. Buddhist modernism originated in the middle of the nineteenth century as a reaction to both Western science and religion which – in hands of colonial powers – challenged Buddhism as an instrument legitimizing indigenous political systems and offering a relevant worldview. Many of the arguments introduced by these early reformers are used by Buddhist and Western modernists even nowadays. The author argues that while formalization of the polemical discussion and rational argumentation played an important role in the maintaining and further spreading of the Dhamma and though personal “experience” is presented in the Pāli Canon as a sole means legitimizing the teacher’s activity, these aspects are actually set in a context (e....
This book explores marketing as a genuine component of religious traditions. It investigates the ... more This book explores marketing as a genuine component of religious traditions. It investigates the theme across a large historical and geographical area, and in a variety of expressions, ranging from 3rd BCE Maya stucco friezes, early Christian writings, and 9th CE Cambodian inscriptions, right down to modern-day propaganda and recruitment strategies adopted by the ISIS jihadi movement, Falun Gong, Muslim Varkaris, spirit mediums in India and Thailand, Thai Buddhist monasteries, and the Vatican. The book is unique in its theme and scope. The chapters were written without a single controlling agenda, but all emphasize the need to view our modern consumer society as only one among many historical conditions that have shaped religious marketing. In fact, it will become clear from reading through the chapters that marketing and propaganda are inherent in religions and their teachings. The broad scope of the book shows religious marketing as embedded in and responding to diverse cultural s...
The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconcep... more The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconceptions about religion: Brad Stoddard and Craig Martin’s edited volume Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (2017) and Tenzan Eaghll’s article “Religious Clichés” (2015). It argues that the joint goal becomes problematic due to some empirical and logical distortions, which mainly result from the emphasis on the relativist message offsetting the impartial assessment of facts and their implications. It argues for integrating the biological and cultural explanations of religion and offers some proposals toward identifying the contemporary clichés that impede progress in our understanding of the phenomenon.
In this paper, we want to offer arguments supporting the view that Buddhist
soteriology is based ... more In this paper, we want to offer arguments supporting the view that Buddhist soteriology is based on a set of culturally independent forms of alternate states of consciousness which are interpreted, however, in a unique way. The interpretation denies the substance-attribute structure of the world, the structure which informs our perception, thinking, and oral expression concerning the world, and which all other religious traditions take for granted.
The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconcep... more The article reviews the most recent systematic effort to correct some of the widespread misconceptions about religion: Brad Stoddard and Craig Martin’s edited volume Stereotyping Religion: Critiquing Clichés (2017) and Tenzan Eaghll’s article “Religious Clichés” (2015). It argues that the joint goal becomes problematic due to some empirical and logical distortions, which mainly result from the emphasis on the relativist message offsetting the impartial assessment of facts and their implications. It argues for integrating the biological and cultural explanations of religion and offers some proposals toward identifying the contemporary clichés that impede progress in our understanding of the phenomenon.
CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR CONTEMPORARY RELIGION
In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism al... more In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism along the lines suggested by Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc-Daniel's approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal tradition and his focus on local frames of reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults lie in a disregard for the developments outside the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches to the study of religion. Balancing the over-accentuation of the explanatory power of either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such integration would also permit a move from the socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal and more controlled explanations of religious phenomena. I illustrate my suggestions through an example of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly advertising and ritualistic function of wats' visuals, effigies, and architecture rather than reading them as symbolic expressions of doctrinal tenets.
In this paper the author proposes a model for the study of Thai Buddhism radically de-emphasizing... more In this paper the author proposes a model for the study of Thai Buddhism radically de-emphasizing Buddhist soteriology in favor of magic. Magic is characterized by suppressing the symbolic value of objects and acts as well as superseding the standard causal expectations with »weak causation« based on perceptual features of similarity, contagion contiguity, force dynamics and essence. De-emphasis of soteriology undermines Tambiah’s explanation of Buddhist charisma as a product of regulated practice and explains the apparent paradox of monks of deriving ritual-empowering charisma from adherence to rules which prohibit monks performing these rituals.
In this paper, I am assessing Julia Cassaniti’s (2012, 2015) claim that Buddhists in Thailand per... more In this paper, I am assessing Julia Cassaniti’s (2012, 2015) claim that Buddhists in Thailand perceive religious concepts (specifically “kamma”) as natural entities, comparable to natural laws. Her claim is based on, and intended to lend empirical support to, Don Handelman’s thesis that the formal character of cosmologies determines the emphasis a religious tradition puts on “belief”. Cassaniti expands on the thesis, proposing that cosmology and belief are connected through people’s representation of agency. I am arguing that Cassaniti misrepresents the relationship between public discourse and real representations of religious concepts and, more specifically, discounts cultural conventions informing the Thai way of using language. Thai religious and cultural practices also clearly indicate a situation incongruent with Cassaniti’s assertion that agency is perceived by Thai Buddhist as inherent to the acting subject. Lastly, I am pointing out some problems related to her analysis of data collected through interviews.
Addressing the issue of ritual manipulation of kamma in Thai Buddhism, the author argues that the... more Addressing the issue of ritual manipulation of kamma in Thai Buddhism, the author argues that the doctrinal formulation of kamma—underdetermined in terms of action-representation, irresponsive to contemporary rituals while reinforcing the intuitions of non-obvious causal connections—is unlikely to survive the process of cultural transmission unchanged. Ritual helps internalize the concept and makes it relevant on a larger cultural scale.
In this paper I make proposals regarding
further advances in the studies of Theravada
Buddhism al... more In this paper I make proposals regarding further advances in the studies of Theravada Buddhism along the lines suggested by Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc- Daniel’s approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal tradition and his focus on local frames of reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults lie in a disregard for the developments outside the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches to the study of religion. Balancing the over-accentuation of the explanatory power of either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such integration would also permit a move from the socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal and more controlled explanations of religious phenomena. I illustrate my suggestions through an example of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly advertising and ritualistic function of wats’ visuals, effigies, and architecture rather than reading them as symbolic expressions of doctrinal tenets.
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Papers by Milos Hubina
soteriology is based on a set of culturally independent forms of alternate states of consciousness which are interpreted, however, in a unique way. The interpretation denies the substance-attribute structure of the world, the structure which informs our perception, thinking, and oral expression concerning the world, and which all other religious traditions take for granted.
expectations with »weak causation« based on perceptual features of similarity, contagion contiguity, force dynamics and essence. De-emphasis of soteriology undermines Tambiah’s explanation of Buddhist charisma as a product of regulated practice and explains the apparent paradox of monks of deriving ritual-empowering charisma from adherence to rules which prohibit monks performing these rituals.
out some problems related to her analysis of data collected
through interviews.
transmission unchanged. Ritual helps internalize the concept and makes it relevant on a larger cultural scale.
further advances in the studies of Theravada
Buddhism along the lines suggested by
Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and
the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc-
Daniel’s approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal
tradition and his focus on local frames of
reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults
lie in a disregard for the developments outside
the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the
integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches
to the study of religion. Balancing the
over-accentuation of the explanatory power of
either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such
integration would also permit a move from the
socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal
and more controlled explanations of religious
phenomena.
I illustrate my suggestions through an example
of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these
suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the
doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly
advertising and ritualistic function of
wats’ visuals, effigies, and architecture rather
than reading them as symbolic expressions of
doctrinal tenets.
Books by Milos Hubina
soteriology is based on a set of culturally independent forms of alternate states of consciousness which are interpreted, however, in a unique way. The interpretation denies the substance-attribute structure of the world, the structure which informs our perception, thinking, and oral expression concerning the world, and which all other religious traditions take for granted.
expectations with »weak causation« based on perceptual features of similarity, contagion contiguity, force dynamics and essence. De-emphasis of soteriology undermines Tambiah’s explanation of Buddhist charisma as a product of regulated practice and explains the apparent paradox of monks of deriving ritual-empowering charisma from adherence to rules which prohibit monks performing these rituals.
out some problems related to her analysis of data collected
through interviews.
transmission unchanged. Ritual helps internalize the concept and makes it relevant on a larger cultural scale.
further advances in the studies of Theravada
Buddhism along the lines suggested by
Justin McDaniel in his The Lovelorn Ghost and
the Magical Monk (2011). The benefits of Mc-
Daniel’s approach lie in his de-emphasis of doctrinal
tradition and his focus on local frames of
reference in explaining Thai Buddhism. Its faults
lie in a disregard for the developments outside
the socio-cultural paradigm. I argue for the
integration of socio-cultural and naturalist approaches
to the study of religion. Balancing the
over-accentuation of the explanatory power of
either socio-cultural or cognitive concepts, such
integration would also permit a move from the
socio-cultural metaphorical models to causal
and more controlled explanations of religious
phenomena.
I illustrate my suggestions through an example
of a Thai wat (shrine/monastery). One of these
suggestions, implied by the de-emphasis of the
doctrinal tradition, is to recognize the predominantly
advertising and ritualistic function of
wats’ visuals, effigies, and architecture rather
than reading them as symbolic expressions of
doctrinal tenets.