Abstract
The teaching tactics of the Ch’an and Forest Tradition are examined and shown to have marked similarities. The tactics are grouped in a list of descriptive categories with overlapping functions that drive forward the pragmatic-soteriological project. The inter-personal techniques noted are: utilization, indeterminate and indirect language, paradoxical speech and commands, contradiction/deconstruction, confrontation, compassionate frustration, and modeling behavior. They engender shock and confusion in the actor, which is a disruption of old cognitive templates, and under appropriate conditions, a preparation for new learning. The tactics demand the actor’s active engagement. The teaching style is person centered, situational, immediate, and pragmatic as opposed to doctrinal. The teaching tactics are a manifestation of the larger principle of soteriological pragmatism under the direction of charismatic authority.
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Lopez, A.R. (2016). Fish Sauce and Plums: Teaching Tactics. In: Buddhist Revivalist Movements. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54086-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54086-7_3
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