Mind Cure and Meditation at Greenacre and Beyond

Summary

New Thought, often seen as an American metaphysical movement, was shaped by transnational exchanges with Asian religions. Leaders encountered Buddhism and Vedanta through European Orientalists and the Theosophical Society, then through direct contact with missionaries like D. T. Suzuki, Anagarika Dharmapāla, and Swami Vivekananda. Key meetings occurred at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions and the Greenacre conferences in Maine, fostering relationships that influenced New Thought's development.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter examines the practices of Buddhist meditation and Raja yoga in New Thought. Leaders of New Thought were first exposed to Buddhism and Vedanta philosophy through the publications of European Orientalists and the Theosophical Society and, later, though personal contacts with Asian Buddhist and Hindu missionaries. In addition to D. T. Suzuki, who helped to spark American interest in Japanese Zen, other important early missionaries were Anagarika Dharmapāla, a Sri Lankan Buddhist and Theosophist, and Swami Vivekenanda, an Indian monk of the Ramakrishna Order who launched the Vedanta Society in North America. New Thought leaders, Theosophists, and Asian missionaries met in person at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions and continued to develop relationships for more than a decade, particularly at the Greenacre conferences in Eliot, Maine. This chapter reveals the transnational nature of New Thought, which is typically considered to be an American metaphysical religious movement.