A must-read for modern sanghas--Asian American Buddhists in their own words, on their own terms.
CHENXING HAN is a Bay Area-based writer whose publications have appeared in Buddhadharma, Journal of Global Buddhism, Lion's Roar, Pacific World, Tricycle, and elsewhere. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MA in Buddhist studies from the Graduate Theological Union. After studying chaplaincy at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California, she worked in spiritual care at a nearby community hospital in Oakland. Be the Refuge is her first book.
"In this impressive debut, Buddhist chaplain Han offers an
illuminating analysis of the intersection of race and privilege
within American Buddhist communities."
-Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Be the Refuge is first and foremost a celebration. Han’s
interviewees descend from numerous
countries, followed various paths to their faith,
practice in different ways, and often question the validity of
their own identity; but Han argues—compellingly and joyfully—that
all contribute to a diverse and thriving American Buddhism."
–Booklist
"An eye-opening read for anyone under the false impression that
American Buddhism is primarily the province of
Whites."
-Kirkus Reviews
“Han’s contribution to this overlooked aspect of the Asian American
experience is an important one as it gives a voice to many
invisible people in American society.”
–Library Journal
“In Be The Refuge, Buddhists from all backgrounds will
find truth in the words of like-minded people from various Asian
streams, dealing squarely with the complexity of
‘betwixt-and-between’ racial identities and life experiences.” –San
Francisco Book Review (5/5 stars)
“Be the Refuge opens the door for deep and difficult
conversations about race, religion, and representation.”
–Tricycle
“Each section of Han’s groundbreaking volume traces the history of
important Asian American Buddhists’ contributions in the West—from
the initial trailblazers, to the bridge-builders, to the
integrators, to the refuge-makers.” –Lion's Roar
"Chenxing Han writes with a singular grace, missing nothing in a
work that draws from a well of academic origins, while merging
cultural critique and luminous voices into a moving memoir. No
doubt many an Asian American Buddhist will find themselves heard
and championed here, even as the book’s careful sifting of
histories and possibilities makes it valuable reading for future
scholarship. Above all, Be the Refuge lives up to its
name."
—erin Khuê Ninh, author of Ingratitude: The Debt-Bound Daughter in
Asian American Literature
"Be the Refuge brings us stories of complexity and
multiplicity from Buddhist Asian America. Reflected in this net of
jewels is the heart of the American sangha—a transmission of
culturally engaged Buddhism."
—Duncan Ryuken Williams, author of American Sutra: A Story of
Faith and Freedom in the Second World War
"A book destined to be a classic, setting the bar high for future
studies on Asian American Buddhism."
—Jonathan H. X. Lee, author of Asian American Religious
Cultures
"In this vivid and nuanced presentation of Asian American voices,
Han offers what many of us have been longing for: young voices
grappling in deep and caring ways with one of the central issues of
our time: how we might build a more inclusive Buddhist
community—one big enough to hold our multiple identities, whether
of race, ethnicity, and culture, or of gender and tradition. This
book is both impressive and necessary."
—Jan Willis, author of Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist and Buddhist
"A challenging, poignant, and powerful detailing of the young Asian
American Buddhist experience, Be the Refuge beautifully
interweaves academic research, personal narrative, and advocacy. A
deeply valuable contribution to the discussion of Buddhism’s
development in the West."
—Sumi Loundon Kim, author of Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young
Buddhists
"Be the Refuge connects the dots linking Dharma, ethnic studies,
and the politics of erasure and inclusion. At last, we hear the
voices of Asian Americans which, for far too long, have been
missing from the conversation about American Buddhism. Han’s work
is refreshing, lyrical, amusing, honest, and immensely personal,
all while challenging underrepresentation, misrepresentation, and
the standard typologies of who counts as Buddhist and why."
—Karma Lekshe Tsomo, author of Women in Buddhist Traditions
"Be the Refuge not only raises the voices of Asian American
Buddhists, but makes space for many other communities who feel
unseen, erased, or forgotten in our tradition."
—Lama Rod Owens, author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation
through Anger
"Han makes two vital contributions to the study of American
Buddhism: her rich, textured ethnography centers and celebrates the
depth and diversity of Asian American Buddhist lives, and her
incisive theoretical work undoes essentialist typologies of
Buddhism in the U.S. and the racial hierarchies too often
undergirding them. Timely and compelling, Be the Refuge is
essential reading for both religious studies and ethnic studies
scholars and Buddhist practitioners and teachers."
—Ann Gleig, author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond
Modernity
"Be the Refuge empowers the emergent generation of Asian
American experience to reclaim, restore, and reconnect streams of
practice, lineage, and history for all generations of Asian
descent—without the narratives of Western bias—thus providing us
all paths of healing and growth for all of our futures."
—Larry Yang, author of Awakening Together: The Spiritual
Practice of Inclusivity and Community
"This groundbreaking book powerfully reveals the voices of Asian
American Buddhists. These personal accounts and Chenxing Han's
incisive reflections reveal how important the Asian American
Buddhist experience is in understanding American Buddhism. Han’s
book inspires all Buddhists to both be their own refuge and to
respect the valuable ways others become their own refuge."
—Gil Fronsdal, author of The Buddha before Buddhism: Wisdom
from the Early Teachings
"This important, insightful book focuses on the experience of Asian
American Buddhists and calls us toward a Western Buddhism that
offers refuge in a truly inclusive way."
—Tara Brach, author of Radical
Acceptance and Radical Compassion
"Be the Refuge is a call to rescue the soul of Buddhism in the
western world… throughout this amazing and comprehensive work, Han
disrupts the habitual and hegemonic Buddhist discourse with the
question, 'Whose Buddhism are we talking about?'"
—Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, author of The Way of Tenderness: Awakening
Through Race, Sexuality and Gender
“Readily accessible to all readers... personal, intimate, and
urgent.”
–Seth Zuihō Segall, author of Buddhism and Human Flourishing
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