xi, 334 pages ; 24 cm; American Buddhism : a brief history -- Shaping the Sangha : developmental issues in American Buddhism -- Seeking American Buddhist Sanghas : North American Buddhist communities -- The silent Sangha : Buddhism in the academy -- The cybersangha : virtual communities -- The future of the American Sangha -- Appendix : A postscript on North American Buddhism.; In Luminous Passage, Charles S. Prebish revisits the expanding frontier of the fastest growing religion in North America and describes its historical development, its diversity, and the significance of this ancient tradition at century's end. More than anything else, this is a book about American Buddhist communities (sanghas) and about life within those communities. Prebish considers various Buddhist practices, rituals, and liturgies, as well as the ways these communities have confronted the changing American spiritual landscape. In profiling several different sanghas Prebish reveals the ways that Buddhism is being both reinvented and Westernized. He includes the first exploration of the American Buddhist "cybersangha," a community that has emerged from recent developments in information-exchange technology, and discusses the growing community of "scholar-practitioners." The interactions of Buddhist identities that are related to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social engagement, and the healing professions are also examined. Finally, Prebish appraises the state of Buddhism at the millennium. Placing the development of American Buddhism squarely in the midst of the religion's general globalization, he argues for an ecumenical movement which will embrace Buddhist communities worldwide. --From publisher's description.; 

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