Blue Pine Books logo imageBlue Pine Books is pleased to offer the following free open source contributions to Buddhist Studies.

Living in Peace, Buddhism and Peace, Mediators and Meditators, Buddhist Exploration of Peace and Justice


Living in Peace: Insights from Buddhism edited by

Living in Peace: Insights from World Religions, edited by Chanju Mun and Ronald S. Green, book cover  This book is a collection of academic essays on Buddhism and peace. The writings reflect Buddhist activism around the world and characterize regional activities. Articles deal with Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, and Myanmar Buddhism using a variety of methodologies including literary, comparative, political, philosophical ecumenical, and philological. There are articles that describe actions of ecumenicists and those that reflect the activities of specific Buddhist traditions. While many of the articles in this collection are written in a tone of approval, some are overly critical. The diversity of the articles and their assessments form a thought provoking collection and provide valuable new angles from which to view the growing literature on Buddhism and peace.

Download the entire book free here:
https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/Living_in_Peace_Insights_from_Buddhism.pdf


Living in Peace: Insights from World Religions edited by and

Purification Buddhist Movement by Chanju Mun book cover  Religious communities are among the largest social networks in the world. With billions of people across the globe aligning themselves with these communities, the world's religions hold a great potential for spreading peace and justice throughout the planet. Unfortunately, religions have too often pitted their affiliates in wars against those of other world religions and we continue to suffer from those conflicts today. In contrast, most major religions propagate messages of peace, loving kindness, and an end to afflictions around the world. In the modern era of easy global travel and communication, it is clear that such goals can only be realized when people come to respect religious differences and celebrate common human values. This book is a resource for understanding the peace philosophies and activities of world religions. It is hoped that readers might gain an understanding of the potentials religions hold for uniting large numbers of people in order to curtail violence and suffering.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/Living_in_Peace_Insights_from_World_Religions.pdf


Purification Buddhist Movement, 1954-1970:
The struggle to restore celibacy in the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
by

Purification Buddhist Movement by Chanju Mun book cover  This book is the first academic work to adopt the two contradictory concepts of sectarianism and ecumenism and academically discuss the Purification Buddhist Movement, 1954-1970 from a non-sectarian and philosophical perspective. The celibate monastic group of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest and dominant order of Korean Buddhism officially established in 1941, developed the movement with the strong support of two rulers, I Seungman (1875-1965) and Bak Jeonghui (1917-1979), and successfully removed from the order married monks originated during the colonial period, 1910-1945.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/Purification_Buddhist_Movement.pdf


Ha Dongsan and Colonial Korean Buddhism: Balancing Sectarianism and Ecumenism by

Ha Dongsan and Colonial Korean Buddhism: Balancing Sectarianism and Ecumenism by Chanju Mun book cover  Ha Dongsan (1890-1965) served as the highest patriarch of the Jogye Order twice. His life and ideas discussed in this book were extremely influential in the formation of the current order. This book is the first academic work that extensively discussed the two seemingly-contradictory key issues of modern Korean Buddhism, ecumenism and sectarianism.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/ha-dongsan.pdf


Buddhist Roles in Peacemaking: How Buddhism Can Contribute to Sustainable Peace edited by

Buddhist Roles in Peacemaking: How Buddhism Can Contribute to Sustainable Peace, edited by Chanju Mun and Ronald S. Green book cover image  Drawing from Theravada and Mahayana traditions, this volume is a resource for thinking about and acting upon peacemaking from vital positions. Some of the contributors turn a critical gaze even upon Buddhism in hopes of building better future applications. Others look back to the earliest words of the Awakened One, finding specific teachings of utmost importance for our tasks today. Buddhists and scholars from a variety of religious traditions and academic disciplines have contributed these articles based on scholastic research and personal experience.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/buddhist_roles_in_peacemaking.pdf


Mediators and Meditators edited by

Mediators and Meditators edited by Chanju Mun book cover image  The essays in this volume look at Buddhist doctrine, the Bodhisattva ideal and historical precedence in Buddhism for applications to modern peacemaking. For Buddhists, liberation is closed linked to wisdom and compassion. Like, in making rational decisions about what actions we should take in response to social conditions in our troubled world, we are wise to take into account the opinions of religious and political leaders as well as lessons from the past and present on ending war and bringing peace. These seeking the vision that comes with such instruction will find here, details of the struggles of Buddhist leaders from around the world and across the varieties of Buddhist traditions, all intent on preventing and ending war. In addition, social scientists and scholars from various academic backgrounds have contributed their knowledge of the connections between Buddhism and peacemaking.
Readers will find in this book that among the leaders and lessons best suited for peacemaking are those arising from Buddhist traditions. Buddhists, among people of the strongest moral convictions, have stood firmly against wars of past and present and details of their struggles are highly instructive. The writers share their valuable ideas, textual traditions, practices and experiences in terms of Buddhism and peacemaking.

Download the entire book free here:
https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/mediators_and_meditators.pdf


The World is One Flower edited by

The World is One Flower, edited by Chanju Mun, book cover image  This book contains details of the struggles and ideas of Buddhist leaders from around the world, intent on preventing and ending war. At the time of the current publication, clergy of all religious traditions as well as laity throughout the world are expressing deep disappointment and moral outrage at the utter waste of lives and resources incurred by the continuation of the violence in Iraq and other nations. In making rational decisions in response to these concerns, it is wise to take into account the opinions of religious and political leaders as well as lessons from the past on ending war and restoring peace. The book is composed of thirteen articles submitted to the seminar on Buddhism and Leadership for Peace.
These articles come to us from such important historical junctures as during the Cold War era, when the threat of nuclear annihilation loomed near; when tensions, which continue to escalate to this day, were arising from the artificial division of the Korean people into Northern and Southern nations; from frictions developing from the differences in ideology and ambitions of the United States and the Soviet Union. Each contributor provides valuable insights into the subject of Buddhism and leadership for peace, through unique experiences and viewpoints. The reader will be struck by the profound significance these articles have on current conditions and those we are likely to face in the future.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/one_flower.pdf


Buddhism and Peace: Theory and Practice edited by

Buddhism and Peace: Theory and Practice, edited by Chanju Mun, book cover image  A collection of thirty-one articles by leading scholars and Buddhist activists. These papers were originally presented at the Seventh International Seminar on Buddhism and Leadership for Peace in Honolulu, June 3rd through the 8th of 1995, on the theme. We can now see that the ideas contained in them continue to be particularly momentous in the advancement of perhaps the most significant development in Buddhist philosophy and practice in our time: socially engaged Buddhism. The articles are divided into five themes: (1) the Individual and Peace, (2) Society and Conflict Resolution, (3) the Environment, (4) Health and (5) East Asian Buddhism. From these points of reference, the authors directly address and contribute to the theory and practices of socially engaged Buddhism.

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https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/buddhism-peace.pdf


Buddhist Explaration of Peace and Justice edited by

Buddhist Exploration of Peace and Justice edited by Chanju Mun and Ronald S. Green, book cover image  This book is composed of the five special speeches and twenty-three articles by leading scholars and Buddhist activists. These were originally presented in the Fifth International Seminar on Buddhism and Leadership for Peace on the theme of "Exploration of Ways to Put Buddhist Thought into Social Practice for Peace and Justice," during November 18 - 21, 1991. This is the most comprehensive book on the theme of peace and justice in Buddhist contexts to date. The number of distinguished contributors nearly equally came from the two major Buddhist traditions, Theravada and Mahayana. These speeches and articles investigate peace and justice from insights of the vast array of Buddhist traditions.

Download the entire book free here:
https://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/buddhist_explaration.pdf