One scholar who comes to mind here is Robert Wright, author of the 2017 book "Why Buddhism is True". Essentially, Wright - an evolutionary psychologist by profession - makes the argument that many aspects of Buddhist teaching, philosophy, etc., appear to be supported by modern science and psychological research. He promotes the notion that Buddhism is perhaps the most scientifically supported religious tradition thus far, and thus one that modern people can begin to integrate into their own understanding of the human mind. This position appears to be supported by many modern lay-people (as well as monastic).

On the other hand is the position of Evan Thompson, author of the 2020 book "Why I am Not a Buddhist". Thompson - a scholar of religion and cognitive science - makes the argument against Wright's position, claiming that such positions are inaccurate in their characterization of the Buddhist tradition and of science. He makes the argument that Buddhism and science do not share the same goals, and that such an understanding of Buddhism is inherently characteristic of "Buddhist Exceptionalism" - the idea that Buddhism alone is superior to all other religions due to its inherent support from academic/ scientific research. His arguments are founded in many years of scholarly and professional work and I believe it is a very important read for that reason.

Personally, I believe it is up to the individual to determine what is best for themselves in personal practice and understanding. As Thompson says, no one can know with any certainty exactly what the earliest forms of Buddhist practice looked like, and to claim that something is inherently "Buddhist" after passing through countless layers of language, culture, and temporal distance is simply not accurate to reality. However, I personally believe that people should decide what personal practices should be adopted and integrated for themselves, and that making such ideas on the basis of modern psychological research is not at all a mistake.

What do you think based on your own knowledge of Buddhism? What do you make of Buddhist Modernism, and how do you integrate your understanding of Buddhism into a contemporary, modern world?