Site Author: Justin Whitaker
Justin Whitaker is a student of Philosophy at the University of Montana, Missoula. He is 22 years old and a life-long resident of Montana. Justin's interests in Buddhism go back at least as far as the Fall of 2000 when he took an introduction to Buddhism class and meditation lab at the University. However, he notes that numerous previous experiences, including his mother teaching him visualization excercises at a very young age, have contributed greatly to his interest.
Today Justin is pursuing his B.A. in Philosophy with plans of getting his doctorate in the field. His goals in religion include developing systems in Western philosophy based on Buddhist models, correlating historical Western philosophers' ideas with those of Buddhists, constructing practical theories of furthering the progress of Buddhism in the West, and, of course, deepening his own personal practice. In philosophy his current interests are: Philosophy of Mind and Artificial Intelligence, the history of Western philosophy, and how to get a job in philosophy.
Credits:
This site obviously owes itself to countless sources, but 3 of the most obvious to me at this point are:
Lama Surya Das: For his essay on TEN EMERGING TRENDS of Western Dharma. This is a concisely written and thought provoking article and is recommended to everyone. It also is the source of the key terms on the main page of this web site (though I have altered the wording on some of them).
James William Coleman: Author of "The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition". This is an excellent look at Buddhism in the West, including an introductory chapter on the history of Buddhism and a thoughtful conclusion. The book is not as dry as most academic views of Buddhism, while still laying out the sociology, history, and philosophy of this intriguing topic. It was the reading of this book that led me to actually begin work on this website.
Dr. Alan Sponberg; Saramati: A Buddhist Scholar and member of the Friends of The Western Buddhist Order. Dr. Sponberg's Introduction to Buddhism and Buddhist Ethics courses have been instrumental in furthering my understanding of Buddhism. His work can be found in the Journal of Buddhist Ethics, The Western Buddhist Review, as well as numerous other places.
More credits are sure to follow as the site and my knowledge develop. I have just purchased Stephen Batchelor's "The Awakening of the West:..." and will add it to the above list if its insights are reflected elsewhere in the site.
Please don't hesitate to make suggestions for either future readings or alterations and corrections on this site.