African American Buddhists? Hispanic Buddhists?

MindGate

Please, no one take offense to this, but have you ever met/heard of/seen a Buddhist who was not white/asian?

I haven't.

federica

Yes.
I go to a local sangha and there are plenty of different people there. Last time I went, in a Meditation hall with 36 people in there, there were 9 black people. One of them was a monk.
Last vesak day I attended, there were so many people, I was astounded at the turn out! And there some many black people there too....

buddhajunkie

I've seen Black and Mexican people at meditation centers. I don't know if they were "Buddhist" though.

whiterabbit

There is a vibrant and growing Buddhist center in the east bay of San Francisco area that is a majority black/brown folks. In fact, they hold regular classes, talks, and meditation groups for "people of color" only. I personally find this a bit antithetical to the spirit of Buddhism but since I don't face the same hardships many minorites face, I certainly can't argue.

Mountains

That does seem odd. It also depends on how you define "person of color" I suppose. We all have a color, right?

whiterabbit

There are plenty of "people of color" who distrust and feel uncomfortable around white folks and probably asians too (in fact, asians tend to be more racist towards black/brown people than white people in my experience).

I understand the desire to have groups that are "safe" and comfortable, especially because, in my understanding, black folks who are interested in Buddhism will receive little to no support from their immediate community due to the general fervent Christianity in black culture. I don't necessarily agree that the best way to deal with feelings of oppression and mistrust is to insulate yourself, but like I said, I don't face these problems in my life so personally I just hope that people find what they are looking for and grow spiritually and heal any wounds they have.

I have only been able to get to one Dhamma talk at this center (eastbaymeditation.org), but there was an awful lot of pain and suffering (related both to racism and an awful lot of abusive home situations) amongst many of the black people there and I am glad the center is there for people to go to and hopefully find a place to belong to and a supportive community.

PietroPumokin

mexico and i think the rest of latin america is highly catholic. which means, buddhism will probably flourish there easily in the coming decades, because catholicism is weird like that.. . ..... ...................................

Dakini

A sangha I participated in had a Black university professor as a member. And there's a new movement in CA of young people forming sanghas with emphasis on respect for all, called againstthestream.org that has multi-racial membership. They have adopted the Spirit Rock Center's ethics rules for teachers, to assure safety for female members.

whiterabbit

What do you mean safety for female members? Is there some regular abuse of women in most Sanghas?

Dakini

I don't know about "most", but it does come up. The thread on "Do Speak Ill Of The Three Treasures" addresses this. (abuse of men by female teachers has also been known to come up.)

MindGate

I wouldn't mind getting abused by female teachers. :thumbsup:

compassionate_warrior

mexico and i think the rest of latin america is highly catholic. which means, buddhism will probably flourish there easily in the coming decades, because catholicism is weird like that..

Actually Islam is the fastest-growing new religion in Mexico and Central America. Radical Islam is seeking converts, because of the proximity to the porous US border.

karmadorje

Both Lama Dawa and Rigdzin Dorje Rinpoche have very devout sanghas in Mexico. Chagdud Rinpoche has a thriving sangha in southern Brazil and Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche has a large center in Argentina that he spends a considerable amount of time in.

In general, the situation is much more ripe for the spread of dharma in Latin America than Europe and America because of the strongly devotional bent of the population and their willingness to give generously to support dharma activities. The prevalent disease of intellectualism and individualism that afflicts educated people in the US is much less established in countries with strong Catholic presence, as Pietro notes. Moreover, it is almost always a struggle for dharma centers to survive financially as the kinds of Americans that are attracted to Buddhism are generally antipathetic to giving money to religious institutions.

There is much less penetration into black communities, both in the US and elsewhere though our sangha has several black and mixed members. I think that there is a resonance between certain cultures and socioeconomic strata in the early stages of buddhism's journey to the West. There has been a substantial representation of Jews culturally (JewBu's ), and upper middle class socioeconomically thus far for instance. Without the contribution of Jewish buddhists to building infrastructure over the last 30 years, it is likely many of us would never have been exposed to the teachers we have. Perhaps it is just a matter of time for there to be a wider spread to different classes and cultures.

thelavenderlotus

I don't know if I count in your mind, but I'm biracial (black and white).

Engyo

http://www.nichiren-shu.org/Houston/pages/minister.htm

My temple has a minister of African-American-Japanese descent. We have African-American members in Texas and Florida. We have Latino members in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Our order has two temples in Brazil, and sanghas in Paraguay and Uraguay so far.

LadyFire713

Im born and raised in california, but im of latin descent. Do I count? Im fairy new to buddhism, and although I study hard and practice often, im not sure I can say I am a Buddhist. When do you know? Haha..crud.. im not trying to start a new thread under yours

Dakini

Of course you count! Someone had a thread on "How do you know when you're a Buddhist", or something. Accepting the 4 Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, taking a vow or five (especially the one against killing), and practicing compassion and humility. That's what makes us different from the other religions, no? What do your Latino friends or relatives think of your being a Buddhist (if they know)?

LadyFire713

Well, i'm kind of a weird one. Read what you want, but here's the history : Most Latin cultures are HUGE on religion, most are Catholics. I hate to generalize, but its true. Most of my distant relatives (cousins, great aunts etc) have statues and pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary all over the place. My family wasn't really that way. My great grandmother was a catholic, but not a hardcore practitioner. She did a lot of herbal stuff, if someone had an ailment or illness, they'd come to her for a cure or a tea.Her daughter (my grandma) carried the beliefs, but didn't go to church, she did for a while, but felt there was a lot she didn't agree with, and felt a lot of the preachers were hypocrites. So she decided she didn't need to go to church to show she believed in God. By the time my mom came along, my grandma told her she should choose the religion she wanted to be, practiced what she believed. My mom was baptized catholic and did her communion and all that good stuff, but didn't keep the practice. She told me when i was a kid I could be whatever i wanted to be as long as it didn't involve hurting myself or others. I've done my research and I've decided this is what I want to practice. When I told them, it was about 8 months ago. My mom says "whatever makes you happy" and my grandma says the same. They do love my house decor though and compliment my Buddhas and Buddhist art in my house. It's hard because i get slack from other members of the family, but there's no attachment to what people think about me. They think because im young (23) i'm just going through a faze. I pay no attention though

Thanks for the heads up on the other thread, I'll have to do some research

LadyFire713

I think my great grandma would appreciate my choice. From what I remember, she was the neighborhood helper, she'd give you the shirt off her back if it meant you would be warm. She was happy with not a lot of money, and didn't have a mean bone in her body. She spent a lot of time meditating, sitting quietly in her room and when we'd "disturb" her, she'd tell us everyone needed time to reflect on their lives and their surroundings. When I discovered Buddhism, it reminded me a lot of the way she used to be.

Vincenzi

I'm latin with italian descent (quite close in getting the "european passport; because of the Italian state/province").

and, there's plenty of Buddhist (and Buddhist-inspired practitioners) in Costa Rica.

Dakini

Thank you for the history, LadyFire. I can relate to your grandmother's herbalism. I'm in NM, where the Hispanics and Native Americans are really into herbalism and alternative ("natural")treatments, by tradition. They used to come to me for massage, as a healing modality, and they use the local mineral springs devotedly.

Sounds like you have a cool family.