Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience
Numen January 1, 1995 Robert Sharf 395 citations
The category of 'experience' has been central to modern Buddhist studies, with scholars often assuming that monastic practice and meditation aim to produce specific religious or mystical experiences. This has led to a phenomenological interpretation of Buddhist technical terms related to stages on the path, treating them as if they describe distinct states of consciousness experienced by historical practitioners. The author argues that this approach may be misguided, questioning whether such a focus on subjective experience accurately reflects Buddhist traditions.