Zachary E. Whittington Wins the Best Undergraduate Paper in Buddhist Studies for 2014–15

Best Undergraduate Paper on Buddhism 2014–15 entitled “Zen and the Art of the Startup” by Zachary E. Whittington

This paper addresses the question of whether Silicon Valley can benefit from Zen Buddhist ideology in a meaningful way. It finds that while most “Zen” services in the area are currently commercialized perversions of Buddhism, there is realistic hope for deeper interaction. There exists both a promising philosophical groundwork and a documented historical precedent for a deeper ideological marriage of Zen Buddhism and Silicon Valley culture.