Killing the Buddha

KillingTheBuddha.com (also known as "KtB") is an online literary magazine about religion. Killing the Buddha publishes journalism, fiction, and poetry that explore religious ideas from all traditions. According to the manifesto which appears on the site: "Killing the Buddha" is a religion magazine for people made anxious by churches, people embarrassed to be caught in the "spirituality" section of a bookstore, people both hostile and drawn to talk of God." Founded in 2000, the magazine is part of a movement R. Joseph Hoffmann of the Council for Secular Humanism diagnoses as "Spiritual Libertarianism." Other representatives of this literary movement include the online magazine SoMA and activists such as Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping] . Spiritual libertarians are defined by an irreverent, sometimes satirical approach to religion that often gives way to more serious analysis. They are neither anti- nor pro- religion. Contributors include Charles Bowden, Tom Bradley, Steve Almond, Bia Lowe, and others.

The idea of "killing the Buddha" comes from the Zen sayings of the 9th century Chinese sage, Lin Chi. Contrary to the teachings of other schools of Buddhist thought, Lin Chi advocated questioning the authority of even his own tradition. In addition to his suggestion that Buddhist practitioners "kill the Buddha", he challenged those who revered the Buddhist scriptures "to burn the sutras." KillingTheBuddha.com is not a Buddhist publication but uses Lin Chi's approach to Buddhism as a method for exploring all traditions.

KillingTheBuddha.com helped launch the careers of several young writers, including its founding editors, Peter Manseau, author of "Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son" (Free Press, 2006), and Jeff Sharlet, a contributor to Harper's. In 2004, Manseau and Sharlet co-authored "Killing the Buddha: A Heretic's Bible" (Free Press), an experimental book comprised of their own work and 13 more established writers invited to collaborate by writing modern versions of books of the Bible. Participants included Francine Prose, Rick Moody, Haven Kimmel, A.L. Kennedy] , Eileen Myles, Melvin Jules Bukiet, Darcey Steinke, Randall Kenan, and others. Publishers Weekly named the book one of the ten best religion titles of the year and it was widely and positively reviewed, but the book achieved only modest sales.

Other editors of the magazine include Jeremy Brothers, Paul Morris, Laurel Snyder, and Irina Reyn. In 2004, KillingTheBuddha.com won the Utne Reader/Alternative Press Association Award for Best Online Cultural Commentary.

References

* [http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=library&page=hoffman_26_6 "Spiritual Libertarianism."]
* [http://www.somareview.com/ Soma]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1785326 NPR "Morning Edition" story on Killing the Buddha]

External links

* [http://killingthebuddha.com Killing the Buddha - Homepage]
* [http://personals.valleyadvocate.com/articles/killingbuddha.html "An Online Magazine Serves Up God for the Godless," by Amy Kroin in Valley Advocate]