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Abstract

Mediating Buddhism wants to “simply” study what the entity named “Buddhism” is and how to approach it. This leads to the following research questions: (1) What could be the starting point for studying Buddhism without focusing on religion alone, and what role could Buddhist mediators — images, concepts, or events — play in this? (2) Could the understanding of Buddhism be improved by comprehending it not as religion or secularism alone but also through other perspectives like science, art, technology, or ethics? (3) What impact does the study of mediational Buddhism have on religious studies as a discipline? (4) What are the implications of this study for the material religion approach, and how could these be improved? (5) Is Buddhism an object somewhere “out there,” and how can we better understand what Buddhism is, if it is anything? (6) How are actors like scientists, things, and events, gathered by Buddhist mediators, and vice versa? (7) Why was Bruno Latour (1947–2022) chosen as the theoretical background, not anyone else? (8) When studying Buddha brands, what is the relationship between religious studies and realism: representative, critical, or agnostic?

The importance of Mediating Buddhism lies in its irrealist approach to studying Buddhism, which challenges traditional scientific realism in religious studies and explores the role of Buddhist mediators beyond the “religion vs. secularism” paradigm, ultimately shedding new light on understanding what Buddhism is. Mediating Buddhism aims to challenge traditional views of Buddhism by exploring its empty nature and how to approach it, with the support of Bruno Latour’s theoretical framework, which offers new perspectives and insights into this exciting field of study.