Reconfiguring Western Zen
Eco-Engagement in Japanese (American) Zen Buddhism-Case Studies of Zen Peacemakers Germany and Akazienzendo Berlin
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3337696 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hanyi Zhang (0009-0007-0822-8893, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Ruotong Shi (0009-0007-0467-3615, Nanjing Normal University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1191 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16091191 |
| OpenAlex | W4414289319 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 16 |
This article examines how two contemporary Zen Buddhist communities in Germany-Zen Peacemakers Germany and Akazienzendo Berlin-engage in ecological activism through the lens of eco-Buddhism. Drawing on eco-Buddhism, the study investigates how these communities integrate traditional Zen teachings with socially engaged responses to the ecological crisis. It argues that eco-Buddhism, when situated within the Mahāyāna framework of interdependence, offers a pathway for reconciling the tension between Western Buddhism's emphasis on personal liberation and the collective ethical imperative of addressing environmental suffering. Using a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews and ethnographic insights, the article compares the different modalities of ecological engagement practiced by the two groups: Zen Peacemakers' ritualized and activist forms of bearing witness, and Akazienzendo's localized, community-oriented environmental projects. By analyzing how ecological practice becomes a vehicle for negotiating Buddhist identity, ethics, and modernity, this study contributes to the growing field of eco-Buddhism and sheds light on how spiritual communities respond to planetary crisis in socially meaningful ways
Buddhism · Ecological crisis · Ethnography · Islam · Negotiation · Situated · Chinese history and philosophy · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Practice
The History and Current State of Japanese Zen Buddhism in Europe
Zen Buddhism and the Spiritual-Intellectual Potential of Japan (second half of the 19th – 20th cent.)
Race and Religion in American BuddhismWhite Supremacy and Immigrant Adaptation
Zen and the mindfulness industry
From Chinese Chan to Japanese Zen
Sanbōkyōdan
Virtual Orientalism
Teaching and Learning in the Rinzai Zen Monastery
"American Zen's "Japan Connection
For the First Time in Japan
Dōgen on Language and Experience
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |