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Buddhism In America: What Is The Future?
DaltheJigsaw
Mountain View Veteran
GARRISON, N.Y. -- Backed by the nation’s largest Buddhist magazines and meditation centers, a recent invite-only gathering at an old monastery in this riverside hamlet north of New York City included a guest list of crimson-robed monks of Buddhism’s Tibetan line, tattooed “Dharma Punx,” professors and Japanese-influenced Zen Buddhists that read as a "who’s who" of Buddhism in America.
But the "Maha Council" (maha means “great” in Sanskrit) has created buzz and sparked soul-searching among members of the growing Buddhist religion in the United States for different reasons.
Who speaks for "western Buddhism," many attendees and observers of last weekend's event have asked, and how accurately and honestly are elder Buddhists passing on their knowledge to new generations?
What is the relation of U.S. Buddhists to those in India and other parts of Asia, where the spiritual practice was born from Hindu roots in the 5th century B.C.?
And in a society where traditional Buddhist concepts such as "mindfulness," mental wellness and spiritual health are now a common part of corporate health programs, what role is left for Buddhism to play?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/america-buddhism_n_876577.html
But the "Maha Council" (maha means “great” in Sanskrit) has created buzz and sparked soul-searching among members of the growing Buddhist religion in the United States for different reasons.
Who speaks for "western Buddhism," many attendees and observers of last weekend's event have asked, and how accurately and honestly are elder Buddhists passing on their knowledge to new generations?
What is the relation of U.S. Buddhists to those in India and other parts of Asia, where the spiritual practice was born from Hindu roots in the 5th century B.C.?
And in a society where traditional Buddhist concepts such as "mindfulness," mental wellness and spiritual health are now a common part of corporate health programs, what role is left for Buddhism to play?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/america-buddhism_n_876577.html
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Comments
Buddhism is a lot more than this, so if meditation becomes more mainstream and commonplace Buddhism can shift its focus to the morality aspect and some of the deeper meditative concentrations.
Great thread topic!
Love to read your comments everyone!
I'm in Australia so I can't talk specifically about Buddhism in America, but maybe we can widen up the topic to Buddhism in the Western World. One of the main things that His Holiness the Dalai Lama mentioned on the weekend in Melbourne is that we as Buddhists need to be active. He also very strongly stated that it is much better for people to find solace in their own religion rather than convert to something other. Conversion can lead to religious competition and distrust which is the opposite of what Buddhism is trying to develop. He also strongly suggested that parents should show more affection to their children as this will result in a much kinder generation in the future, and after all, the future will be in their hands.
Taking these ideas in mind, I see that some areas Buddhism can constructively contribute to are the spheres of ethical behaviour, scientific research and mental well-being.
From the point of view of ethical behaviour, I think Buddhism has a long way to go to argue against the materialist needs of society. What use is there to buy the latest 50 inch TV when there is only rubbish on it in the first place? No longer are we wasting all our time on the computer, but now we're doing it on our phones as well and cannot ever get away!
The superficialness of the media is another problem, there has been a continual simplification in the way the media relates to people to such a degree that even the news is just about irrelevant these days, I really wonder what sort of journalistic resources are available to the reporters or whether they just google things (there are exceptions of course). It’s almost like the media believe that the public are all ADHD and make their programs with that in mind. Everything is tending towards short attention span interactions, it’s almost deliberate anti-mindfulness teaching. Unfortunately this disease has infected politicians and they just operate to the media's tune instead of truly representing the people and the people's best interest.
Lack of forgiveness is rampant as well, there seems to be a situation where anyone with a certain amount of following is turned upon when they make a mistake. I think Buddhism can make a strong stand here and show how forgiveness is not a form of weakness but is actually a great strength and something to be proud of.
And of equal importance is the ethics of Business. From karmic cause and effect you can predict that actions based on collective greed and distrust will result in negative consequences to the business in question. The challenge is to see how the opposite can be shown to help businesses in their eyes. Remembering that intention has a larger influence on the outcome, maybe it is enough to try to encourage those engaging in business to have a more wholesome mindset when working. In theory that should help produce more beneficial outcomes to the business. Interdependence needs to be considered here as well, businesses need to widen their outlook from the shareholders to a more inclusive stake holding including the general public, environment and the workers. We badly need to reassess what constitutes growth, continual growth is impossible so businesses need to understand this and work on a paradigm shift to satisfy this limitation.
So here are a few ideas where I think Buddhism can make some sort of positive impact on the West in the future. None of this is specifically Buddhist, it’s just using Buddhist theories to the benefit of others. Of course, especially in the ethical sphere, Buddhism needs to work close with their brothers and sisters in other religions to find common ground and support in these endeavours.
Cheers, WK
"My fear is that Buddhism in America is going exactly the same direction as punk did when it became codified into a single prevailing fashion and sound. There is an accepted group of tastemakers and trendsetters within American Buddhism. They are entrenched as such and seek constantly to reify their positions and to expand their influence."
http://suicidegirlsblog.com/blog/brad-warners-hardcore-zen-uninvited-to-the-buddhist-party/.
The worst offender, IMO, is Noah Levine (Dharma Punx founder who attended the meeting and son of the best selling Buddhist author, Stephen Levine). He's done some good, but profit seems to be his main interest now. :buck:
I think if Buddhism is to have a solid future in the West, it needs to clean up its act and respect the norms of professional behavior for clergy, and its proponents need to be familiar with Western legal norms with respect to clergy and spiritual guides. Buddhist teachers need to walk their talk, or people will become disillusioned with Buddhism, and might come to view it as a religion of "poseurs". Or else they'll just study at home, as so many already do, avoiding the sangha or temple scene.
@Leon But just because meditation (aka the relaxation response) and other techniques have been secularized and mainstreamed doesn't mean humanity will abandon its need for spiritual sustenance. Or are you saying, Leon, that Buddhism doesn't have a spiritual component? Can it be reduced to a collection of secular practices and logical analysis of one's foibles? This would be a good subject for a new thread. (Or for this thread, maybe.)
His organization seems to be quite good.
However, they will do what Christians have done for decades.
Take what they see fit.
Buddhist or should I say American Buddhist seem to take what they like and leave the rest.
I don't think Buddhism will wither just because doctors are teaching meditation or mindfulness, or because corporate health programs are requiring it. Probably a fair number of those corporate workers are Christians, so they wouldn't be interested in Buddhism anyway. I don't think we need to worry about Buddhism in the West, it'll do fine.
But, like I said, his OFFENSE is being part of what Brad Warner calls a "group of tastemakers and trendsetters within American Buddhism..., entrenched as such..., seek[ing] to constantly to reify their positions and to expand their influence" (http://suicidegirlsblog.com/blog/brad-warners-hardcore-zen-uninvited-to-the-buddhist-party/).
"How To Recognize Fraudulent Buddhist Teachers...
9. It is not possible for an authentic Buddhist teacher to ask for money from his/her disciples. Authentic Buddhist teachers are extraordinary human beings in that they possess sharpened intellectual acuity, developed through many years of focused meditative concentration. As such, they are capable of analyzing any situation, and thus see the most proper way to go through it. In case there is a need for obtaining financial means, such teachers have clever and often times surprising ways of devising a plan that will satisfy the need while at the same time minimizing the suffering of the beings involved. There is never a need to ask one's disciples, point blank, for any kind of financial contributions. Keep in mind that authentic Buddhist teachers are extremely resourceful human beings who can utilize each and every situation to its most optimal outcome; they are extremely self reliant. In other words, if they end up relying completely on you, the disciple, it is time to part company with such fraudulent impostor."
Source: http://choosenot.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-recognize-fraudulent-buddhist.html
What was the "going further" about?
Exactly, who cares? So when, beyond introductory retreats, all the retreats they encouraged were in some way or another segregated (male or female retreats, gay men retreats, disabled retreats etc), I just got the feeling that the FWBO cares, even if I don't. And this practice just made me realise I do care!
What difference? Well, apparently, it was said, it can be distracting for the meditation if people of the opposite sex were there, so single-sex retreats seen as beneficial. I didn't get much of an answer to my question, "So, do gay men on gay men's retreats not get distracted? Is it only heterosexuals who get distracted?"
I would much rather be in an inclusive environment. They have male retreat centres, and they have female retreat centres. That's the FWBO, since renamed something else, but the practices haven't changed apparently.
1. Have a side job,
2. Own a business,
3. Live off pre-existing wealth
4. Get donations from non-students.
I don't see how this makes a lay teacher more suspect or less effective than a high ranking member of a Monastic order.
I also don't see why Levine should be singled from people such as Fronsdal, Kornfield, Thich Nhat Hanh, etc etc.
Some authentic Buddhist teachers do have wealthy sponsors, like in the old days. Some receive donations, including donations of real estate, which they can use, or rent for income. I know one who got an MA in psychology and has a therapy practice (he was able to get academic credit for Buddhist psychology he learned as a monk) to earn a living. He runs a sangha evenings and weekends.
In the future I think people will feel they can no longer relate to strict dogmatic religions, so they will either have their own mix of personal beliefs flavored with some aspects of current popular religions(they will draw from the positive things they can relate to), and I think Buddhism will gain more attention. I think the future Buddhism in America may focus less on *how to say it*... mysticism (maybe the wrong word), and more on application of scientific method as related to the body and mind, cause and effect, and similarities with modern psychology. The reason why I see Buddhism growing in America is because holistic approaches to life (whole body-including the mind's influence on the physical body), have been gaining popularity in healthcare, the media, and in our consumer products.
I sit with DPunx frequently, so don't think I'm bashing DPunx. There are those who have interacted with him who feel that the organization is too often like a 12-step program, authoritarian and hierarchical. Others believe that since he was born after punk died, that he has co-opted the punk scene as part of a slick marketing campaign, and that his "bad boy" image is just more of the same. Some think he has a rock-star mentality. Some say his books are just Kornfield re-hashed. Some are of the opinion that perhaps since he was born into a family of professional Buddhist teachers and their connections within the greater Buddhist community, that he has entitlement issues brought on by their treatment of him as the "Golden Boy" of "American Buddhism." :buck:
"There is still a pretty big divide between temples and teachers whose communities are of immigrants and those who are called convert Buddhists. I don’t know how to address this," he said."
This is important.
I think that the tools associated with Buddhism, such as meditation and mindfulness, are confused for being themselves Buddhism. Many people are practicing some form of meditation with no thought at all to overcoming attachment, or even a clue that attachment is the root of their unhappiness.
However this emphasis on the tools of Buddhism, and a white washing of most of the "religious stuff" in suttas/Sutras is a big part of "western buddhism" and is not so much a part of Asian Buddhism which is very much "religion."
I also see a lot of intellectuals who convert to Buddhism it seems, so they can impress others with how smart they are. These sorts of course will also tend to distance themselves from the more overtly religious aspects of Buddhism.
Some of this is because many western people who turn to Buddhism, have also rejected Christianity, and so they don't want a buddhism that resembles Western "organized religion"...a term which is now an insult.
For myself, I am a Caucasian convert to Buddhism who is heavily involved in an Asian Temple, so I have a foot in both ponds so to speak. Westerners who ignore Asian Buddhists for their own invented and homogenized version I think are missing out.
As for the future, I think there probably is a good chance "western" Buddhism will indeed be reduced to a few feel good retreat centres and best selling books which come into vogue when a celebrity endorses them, and people who are more serious about Buddhist training will seek out Asian Temples.
The only problem being that western materialism is spreading quickly, and many Asian Temples of all denominations, have essentially become funeral homes and little more.
I needed a good laugh this morning, and this was it. It's total nonsense. None of these values are part of corporate health program. The corporate "motivational training" programs are all about working together as a team under the corporate leadership to accomplish corporate goals. Individual spiritual growth is actually counter to their needs. And even the best corporate funded health program defines mental health in basic "Are you generally happy or sad?" scales.
I don't understand why the article gives the impression that teaching Buddhism boils down to teaching meditation and mindfulness. That sounds far from accurate. Are there large numbers of people who participate in meditation retreats just for the meditation, and they dispense with the rest of the Buddhism package? Is this a trend? If so, I'd say that's not Buddhism, so it isn't relevant to a discussion of "Western Buddhism".
too vague... too general... the "west" neither invented nor has a monopoly on such "materialism" No. It's just Shutoku's opinion.
As far as I can tell, the Buddha did not teach Buddhism. Buddhism came after Gotama's parinibbana. :buck:
They jump on spirituality as it was some intellectual idea instead of a practice.
I don't think it's fair to characterize "American Buddhism" with such sweeping generalizations. :buck:
I am simply pointing out my opinion.
As I followed Christianity and have met many individuals who do this.
Once again, "MY OPINION.":)
Come back in another hundred years, and ask the same question.
The reporter and apparently a lot of the invited guests of this council seem to confuse meditation and mindfulness for Buddhism. You'd think they would know better. But I notice posters have already brought that up.
So what's the future of Buddhism in the West? Well, it will remain a minority religion for a long time and attract a certain type of person unsatisfied with the more mainstream choices. Meditation and mindfulness as nothing but a healthy lifestyle choice will remain in a class of activities like dieting and not drinking that most people will ignore because they're too busy chasing after selfish desires.
And somewhere, someone will continue to prostrate before an altar and seek the elimination of suffering.
Kornfield mentions a divide between Asian Temples...meaning temples whose membership are largely ethnic.
For example my temple is Jodo Shinshu, and at least 95% of the membership is Japanese or Japanese-Canadian. We are part of a network of Temple across Canada and in the US, and Japan (and other countries as well) and I think i can safely say that every Temple in BCA and JSBTC all have a large majority of Japanese or Japanese-American/Canadian members.
I was looking at a video of a Chinese pure Land Temple in Richmond bosting thousands of members. Badsed on their own video I saw hundred and hundreds of Chinese members, and maybe 3 Caucasians.
My niece is a member of a Vietnamese Zen/Pure Land Temple, and lo and behold, the vast majority of members are of Vietnamese descent. I agree very much with Kornfield on this, there definitely is a divide in the popular growing Buddhist schools in the west, and the more ethnic Temples. I'd love to see that change. but right now it is there.
My negative comments regarding Western Buddhism were not related to specific teachers or authors, but more the idea that meditation and mindfulness has become so mainstream that there may no need for Buddhism in the West.
These are the views I am referring to as confusing some of the tools of Buddhism for Buddhism itself.
Many public schools in Canada include Hatha yoga in physical education, but I don't think we can then call the children yogi's or Hindu.
Regarding "Western Materialism" I"m not sure where I claimed the West invented materialism, but perhaps I should have added the word "culture" as well. People in many parts of the world... especially young people want very much to imitate and adopt many aspects of western culture. For example, in Japan it became very fashionable to have a western style Christian wedding, even though the bride and groom are not Christians.
I feel (and of course you can disagree with me...I don't mind at all) that some of this thirst for western culture is probably not helping to strengthen Buddhist traditions in those areas, particularly for younger people.. As a result many Japanese now think of Buddhist Temples as essentially funeral homes. At least this is what I have been told by Temple members and Ministers.
Anyway I am not a fortune teller so I won't try to guess what the future of western Buddhism will be.
I apologize for not being clearer in my initial post.
Individuals take what they want and they throw everything else out the window.
I think Buddhism will be like that.
It's like food, people take bacon and then make garlic ice cream.LOL.
And I am not joking, I seen garlic ice cream...