Tuesday February 9th 2021 | 20:00 – 21:15| Facebook and Youtube|
In the West, we love Asian religions and rituals. Buddhism is popular because of the tolerance and kindness it conveys. As well as the emphasis on self-determination. In great numbers, we do yoga and meditation, and buy our Buddha statue at the store next door. The fact that there is such a thing as the term “Xenos Buddhism” shows that the way we in the Western world deal with Asian religions is an interesting matter. Buddhism has gone through a history of its own in the West. In the colonial period we in the West saw Asian Buddhism as weak, vain, and decadent. But now we see Buddhism as an old wisdom. This evening about Asian religions, specifically Buddhism, we want to discuss the differences and resemblances between how Asia practices these religions and how people in Europe do so. And how came this about?
Paul van der Velde is professor of Asian Religions at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, in Religious Studies. He teaches subjects such as Hinduism and Buddhism and is an avid collector of Asian art.
This talk will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel and will be accessible for everyone to watch. You will be able to ask the speakers your questions in the chat! Check out the following links on February 9th at 20:00:
https://www.facebook.com/utrechtsib/
https://www.youtube.com/user/SIBUtrecht/