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Collaborative or Independent? : Buddhist Monks’ Perceptions of Nonconflict Between Religion and Science

Lu, Yulin LU orcid and Joosse, Paul (2024) In Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 63(3). p.617-637
Abstract
Few studies have explored religious professionals’ interactions with scientific authority in work settings. Fewer still examine professionals outside Western contexts. We analyze the science-religion interface as it exists in Shaolin Temple—an ancient Chan Buddhist temple with a worldwide reputation for Shaolin Kungfu. Drawing on a near-exhaustive survey within Shaolin monastery and 23 interviews with Shaolin monks, we discern and differentiate two modes of nonconflict operating in monks’ psychic lives. One group understands Buddhism and science as comprising independent realms—nonconflictual by virtue of their noninteractivity. Another views science and religion as being interpenetrative and nonconflictual in the sense of being mutually... (More)
Few studies have explored religious professionals’ interactions with scientific authority in work settings. Fewer still examine professionals outside Western contexts. We analyze the science-religion interface as it exists in Shaolin Temple—an ancient Chan Buddhist temple with a worldwide reputation for Shaolin Kungfu. Drawing on a near-exhaustive survey within Shaolin monastery and 23 interviews with Shaolin monks, we discern and differentiate two modes of nonconflict operating in monks’ psychic lives. One group understands Buddhism and science as comprising independent realms—nonconflictual by virtue of their noninteractivity. Another views science and religion as being interpenetrative and nonconflictual in the sense of being mutually constitutive. These differing orientations, which reflect established categories of “transcendentalist” versus “immanentist” religion, further correlate with different facets of religiosity: Monks with high religious knowledge tend to view Buddhism and science as independent, while monks with high levels of piety tend to see them as collaborative or mutually constitutive. (Less)
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Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
volume
63
issue
3
pages
21 pages
external identifiers
  • scopus:85189618261
DOI
10.1111/jssr.12915
language
English
LU publication?
no
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83c2d689-4567-44a7-abbf-0df518f36a90
date added to LUP
2025-03-09 20:41:17
date last changed
2025-05-14 04:00:53
@article{83c2d689-4567-44a7-abbf-0df518f36a90,
  abstract     = {{Few studies have explored religious professionals’ interactions with scientific authority in work settings. Fewer still examine professionals outside Western contexts. We analyze the science-religion interface as it exists in Shaolin Temple—an ancient Chan Buddhist temple with a worldwide reputation for Shaolin Kungfu. Drawing on a near-exhaustive survey within Shaolin monastery and 23 interviews with Shaolin monks, we discern and differentiate two modes of nonconflict operating in monks’ psychic lives. One group understands Buddhism and science as comprising independent realms—nonconflictual by virtue of their noninteractivity. Another views science and religion as being interpenetrative and nonconflictual in the sense of being mutually constitutive. These differing orientations, which reflect established categories of “transcendentalist” versus “immanentist” religion, further correlate with different facets of religiosity: Monks with high religious knowledge tend to view Buddhism and science as independent, while monks with high levels of piety tend to see them as collaborative or mutually constitutive.}},
  author       = {{Lu, Yulin and Joosse, Paul}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{617--637}},
  series       = {{Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion}},
  title        = {{Collaborative or Independent? : Buddhist Monks’ Perceptions of Nonconflict Between Religion and Science}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12915}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/jssr.12915}},
  volume       = {{63}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}