The Best Kept Secret of Buddhism: The Contextual Situation of Shin Buddhism in America

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The topic title for our discussion today originates from a frequent experience that I and other Shin Buddhists frequently encounter when we meet people interested in Buddhism. When we say that we are Shin Buddhists, we often receive blank stares and responses such as: Is that“nammyohorengekyo�? or: What kind of meditation do you practice? implying some form of Zen or Tibetan Buddhism.

General presentations of Buddhism usually make some brief mention of Shin Buddhism. While it receives more detailed description in studies of Buddhism in America, Zen, Tibetan, Theravada and Nichiren Shoshu movements have attracted more attention in the press and media.

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