ABSTRACT
The essays in this section examine the ongoing definition and contestation of Buddhist ideologies. These rich case studies of medieval and modern Buddhist communities in China, Tibet, and Japan illuminate ideological con flicts that reveal Buddhists as social and political actors. They demonstrate how political and religious concerns are inextricably intertwined, and how competitions for power in particular historical circumstances both give rise to new ideological expressions and lead to the suppression of others. As these studies show, Buddhist ideas and ideals are strategically deployed in service of the promulgation of Buddhism during times when fundamental ideologies are understood to be in question or under attack. Conflict, whether it arises among Buddhists themselves or in response to a perceived external threat, frequently generates innovation. In such contestations of power, the very notion of “tradition” is constantly reinvented. Studying the construction of Buddhist ideologies provides us with important insights into the processes by which multiple Buddhisms are generated and transformed in relation to one another and to social and political forces.
