The Making of American Buddhism

As of 2010, there were approximately 3-4 million Buddhists in the United States, and that figure is expected to grow significantly. Beyond the numbers, the influence of Buddhism can be felt throughout the culture, with many more people practicing meditation, for example, than claiming Buddhist identity. A century ago, this would have been unthinkable. So how did Buddhism come to claim such a significant place in the American cultural landscape?

The Making of American Buddhism offers an answer, showing how in the years on either side of World War II second- generation Japanese American Buddhists laid claim to an American identity inclusive of their religious identity. In the process they created a place for Buddhism in America. These sons and daughters of Japanese immigrants—known as “Nisei,” Japanese for “second-generation”—produced the Berkeley Bussei, a magazine published from 1939 to 1960. In the pages of the Bussei and elsewhere, these Nisei Buddhists argued that Buddhism was both what made them good Americans and what they had to contribute to America—a rational and scientific religion of peace.

Upcoming Events

How Did Buddhism Become an American Religion?
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion
San Antonio, TX, November 18, 2023
IBS Symposium at the BCA National Council Meeting
Sacramento, CA, February 24, 2024

News & Updates

• Video from the May 2023 book launch is now available on Vimeo.
• An excerpt from chapter four has been published by Buddhadharma and can be read on the Lion's Roar website.
• An interview with Tori Montrose about the book on the New Books in Buddhist Studies podcast.
• Review by Hozan Alan Senauke on Buddhistdoor
• The Making of American Buddhism featured on local news site, Berkeleyside

Past Events

Race, Place, and Religious Labor: a Book Launch Event for The Making of American Buddhism with Chenxing Han
May 24, 2023
Book talk at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple
with Rev. Dr. David Matsumoto
Sunday June 18, 2023 at 11:00

“The Making of American Buddhism is an exciting gift to all who care about Buddhism in America. With previously unpublicized stories, new perspectives on the study of American Buddhism, and a deep understanding of how Pure Land Buddhists participated in and produced Buddhist modernism, Mitchell sets the new standard for work on mid-twentieth century Buddhism in the West.”
Jeff Wilson
Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies, Renison University College, University of Waterloo

“Mitchell shows that recovering the foundational contributions of Japanese Americans in forging a uniquely modern American Buddhism does not just bring more diversity to existing narratives but rewrites the very history of Buddhism in the U.S. A timely, compelling book that will change both the research and teaching of American Buddhism.”
Ann Gleig
Associate Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Central Florida