Buddhism is made of more than meditation, monks and monasteries

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[humanitas]

By Quentin Kilpatrick, General Reporter
Published: February 04, 2010

The Buddhism that comes to mind for many Americans -- ancient wise-men in robes, peaceful monks in isolated mountaintop monasteries and meditation -- is a romanticized and partial understanding of the religion.

"Americans generally have a positive image of Buddhism and Buddhist meditation," said Madeleine Duntley, director of the Chapman Learning Community, whose Ph.D. is in religious studies. "They tend to associate it with peace, a lack of stress, and a feeling of one with the universe."

One of the most common misconceptions is that Buddhism is the only world religion that has never fought a war, Duntley said. This idea, she said, is absolutely false, as Buddhist-practicing countries have been fighting each other and others for centuries.

For many who come from a Judeo-Christian background, Buddhism is a radical departure from what is even considered religion.

"Buddhism is different in that its founder was not a God, so it's non-theistic," Duntley said.

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the fifth century B.C. in India, according to important.ca, a Web site devoted to religion. The traditions were passed down orally for several centuries until they were written down.

Siddhartha Guatma is not seen as a god and he never claimed his teachings were divinely inspired. Because of this, Buddhism does not have a common scripture like Christianity or Judaism.

"He claimed to be not a personal savior, but a teacher to guide those who choose to listen," the Web site states.

Buddha, rather than a deity, is a title for any person who has been "enlightened," according to the Web site. So, like there have been many presidents of the United States, there have been many Buddhas.

Buddhism first entered the United States with Asian immigrants in the late 19th century, but it wasn't until the 1950s that it entered white American culture through the works of "Beat generation" writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg.

Since the 1960s, the United States has seen a growing number of "Seekers," or people who were raised in traditional Judeo-Christian backgrounds but converted to Buddhism.

"Buddhism tends to appeal to people who had been practicing another religion," Duntley said.

In Western cultures today, there is usually a split between the various ethnic forms of Buddhism practiced by immigrant communities and the Buddhism practiced by white converts, who tend to be wealthy and educated.

"In the West, it's generally an upper-middle class phenomenon," Duntley said, adding there are a large portion of converts who come from Jewish backgrounds.

Westerners drawn to Buddhism tend to be most interested in forms that emphasize meditation such as Zen and Tibetan, Duntley said, but Buddhism is not solely meditation and not all meditation is Buddhist.

The Buddhist influence, particularly meditation, has been secularized to some extent and incorporated into various psychotherapy treatments.

"One critique is that Americans change these Asian forms of Buddhism to suit their own cultures," Duntley said.

Students interested in Buddhist philosophy and meditation have a few resources.

The Philosophy department offers a meditation course and a Chinese and Indian philosophy course.

Students who want to try meditation can contact the BG Mindfulness Club, which meets Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 5 p.m. in the United Christian Fellowship at 315 Thurstin Ave.


The four noble truths of Buddhism

1. Life means suffering

2. The origin of suffering is attachment

3. The cessation of suffering is attainable

4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering


source: thebigview.com/buddhism
http://bgnews.com/infocus/buddhism-is-made-of-more-than-meditation-monks-and-monasteries/


 
Discuss.

[Matt]

In Western cultures today, there is usually a split between the various ethnic forms of Buddhism practiced by immigrant communities and the Buddhism practiced by white converts, who tend to be wealthy and educated

I dont know whether I agree with this or not. I know many many Buddhists who go to my local Dharma center and to retreats. Different races,colors and financial backgrounds for each. I dont know of any "wealthy and educated white converts", as most if not all the members of my Sangha are lower-middle class. Is it just my area? Does anyone know any rich Buddhists?

[Bodhisatta2010]

  Matt asks: " Does anyone know any rich Buddhists?"

Yes! One who is a Japanese business-man.  Another who volunteers on Freesangha. (I think his name is .......... Well!  I probably shouldn't say.)  Several in Vietnam.  More than a few from Hong Kong. 

Don't know anyone from Cambodia, but I am certain that there are a few rich Cambodian Buddhists there, otherwise they wouldn't be able to build all those temples and stupas.  I'll bet there are even a few in Ceylon and Sri Lanka.

[Shi Hong Yang]

This article is written by a reporter who most likely hasn't made an effort to visit a monastery or met monastics.  It reads like they did some research and put together bits and pieces for a story.  Their effort is to defame monasteries and Sangha by stating that's not the real Buddhism just a romanticized view of it and promote the local programs as legitimate.

[Javamahasattva]

Really? Where did you get the idea that the article was to defame monasteries and Sangha? Even monastics speak of Western perception in such light.

[humanitas]

Wow, my perception of the article was far more tongue in cheek than defamatory.  And it made a nice point that Buddhism is more than just a construct for the "lucky few" who get to be monks.  Not all can go down that path, so what for those people?  Nothing? Not as much buddhist value on them?  Clearly there is more to dharma than Buddhism because it is still an -ism.  Dharma is open and takes the shape of its bearers, no?

I thought it was at least interesting to consider.

[pickledpitbull]

Ogyen, I think it is totally worth considering!

Many practitioners believe that "practicing" consists of chanting mantras and sitting, and then forget that real practice takes place when you stand up.

In a dharmatalk that I have on CD, the teacher points out that you are free from defilements while you are meditating (I'm paraphrasing here).  If you meditate for 60 seconds, you have managed to be free from defilement for one minute, etc.  It's over-simplification, but the point to consider is how easy it is to be "enlightened" while you are sitting vs. when you are interacting with other people.

My practice (yes, zazen included) has helped me immensely in my personal and professional relationships.  The dharmatalks that I have heard include instruction for coping with everyday life.  Of course, these dharmatalks are given by monastics, so they must be on to something...!

[pickledpitbull]

Venerable Shi Hong Yang: 

I agree with you that this appears to be an article without much research - only an interview and basically a wiki search, but I must disagree that its intent is to debase the sangha.  The romanticism comes from the perception of westerners who are unfamiliar with true dharma.  The reporter was trying to create a visual backdrop to his story in the mind of the reader.

[dhammaseeker51]

Its a false perception isn't it?
My local temple is filled with people from all walks of life, there's certainly no one there who is rich, as far as I know.. and most are younger than myself, some MUCH younger!
But there are many rich Buddhists, celebrities, film stars etc. who say they are Buddhists, Richard Geer's the highest profile one that I know of....  Anyway, rich folk suffer just as much as poor do, just in different ways, and not really so different. We're all human after all.
Mindfulness, meditation, compassion. Thats what Buddhism is really about!
with Metta

[Shi Hong Yang]

Interesting discussion, still I stand by the little bit that I wrote about my impression on the article.  Maybe it's because I am Sangha that my perspective is seen as a little different that some of yours.  It's not a romantic view that I have.  Rather it is one grounded in traditional training and dilligent practice. 

A majority of articles written by reporters and media in the West have an attitude of devaluing Sangha because there is no contact with them by majority of Americans or maybe the reporter has not researched the topic enough or never tried to meet with Sangha.  It's rather odd to keep encountering this bias in Western media. 

Most of the time, it puts forth a stereotype of Buddhism that is just not true for the majority of Buddhists or even true of Western practitioners of Buddhism and claims it as fact and the reader is strongly led to assume this is true in the majority of encounters with Buddhism when in fact it is true in the minority.  How odd people accept a devaluation of part of the Triple Jewel as a norm or a lite view of Buddhism. The main point of the article was at the end clearly to promote the philsophy department program and the local church club both offering meditation.

The article leading line:

The Buddhism that comes to mind for many Americans -- ancient wise-men in robes, peaceful monks in isolated mountaintop monasteries and meditation -- is a romanticized and partial understanding of the religion.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

This reminds me of an article that venerable Appicchato posted at Dhamma Wheel just the other day

“Religious Encounters in Thailand: The Integration of Western Monks into Thai Monastic Life”
Brooke Schedneck - Arizona State University
( PDF available for download at... http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=3593#p52304 )

It's all about the idealistic vision of monastic Buddhism that Westerners come up with, and how these ideals hold up in practice when confronted by the reality of monastic life in a traditionally Buddhist country like Thailand.

Metta,
Retro.

[humanitas]

Interesting retro, a good read for certain!   

[Yeshe]

A majority of articles written by reporters and media in the West have an attitude of devaluing Sangha because there is no contact with them by majority of Americans

Well, contrary to popular belief, the 'West' is somewhat broader than the USA alone. ;)

I have no personal experience which corroborates what you claim about Western media.  In fact, I would say that the article is true in that many folk have a romanticised view of ordained Buddhists which, for example, spills over into adulation of such figures as the Dalai Lama and the many Tibetans now practising and teaching in the West.  I am not as sure that this is true for westerners who ordain in Buddhist traditions, who are less 'mysterious'.

The PDF file to which Retro linked is very informative about the adaptation of western monastics to eastern culture and temple life, and their adaptation back to western culture on returning to the west. IMHO a monastic ordained within another culture should not expect US or UK culture to change to accommodate unrealistic expectations.  Those expansion of Buddhism outside of India would have been stillborn had such an attitude prevailed.  The process of mutual understanding is gradual, and assimilation involves compromise.
    
My own experience in organising press coverage for teachings was that the press were very positive in their treatment of a western nun in a Tibetan tradition - it would have been easy for them to mock a young English woman dressed up like a Tibetan nun, with a shaved head etc.  In fact they gave us excelllent coverage. This shows that the media may have become more sensitive, if compared with the mockery of western followers of, for example, Hare Krishna etc. in previous times.

It is my experience that Buddhist monks and nuns are treated with more veneration than is given to the local Christian priest, perhaps becuase of this romanticised notion.   It is also my experience that the humility and jolly humour displayed by the ordained, for example as shown by the Dalai Lama, is an endearing quality which I am sure conquers many hearts. ;)

[Shi Hong Yang]

Retro, thanks so much for the link! I had a chance to read the presentation entirely.  It's very informative of the Thai tradition and Western encounters particularly the significance of the famous Buddhists in the media and some centers.

However, I am not in the Thai tradition I am in the Chinese Buddhist tradition and I have experience a little different than the Westerners in the presentation.  There is very little information about Bhikshunis in the west other than some of the most famous for their leadership; particularly elders Ven. Thubten Chodron, Dr. Ven. Karuna Dharma and Ayya Tathaaloka.  I think the thinking is a bit different for Bhikshunis/Bhikkunis on what is to be accomplished.

My story:  I came from Iowa from a non-religious non-spiritual family who had little knowledge or made little effort in spiritual development.  When I decided to pursue Buddhist ordination I took years to prepare since I recognized I had an affinity with China, and it's culture.  I studied the language, culture and was a part of a Chinese family for more than 10 years learning as much of the culture as I could...it's very complex and hard to study socio-religo Chinese culture but I figured I had better be prepared before I set foot in a temple.  I think of supplimenting my own culture expanding it with the complex Chinese one and using that to help with the temple life not going with the expectation of a certain type of practice or goal.  That way I opened myself up to the potential of what could be in my own practice and what I could offer to people no matter what their cultural background's were.  My tonsure master emphasized meeting the needs of whomever walked into our temple door as best to our ability...and theirs.

What did I expect when I entered the temple life, nothing....but good training.  My good friend and Sanghan Ven. Aruno a Bhikku gave me this advice..he said repeatedly..."what is inside the temple community is also outside the temple community, what is outside the temple community is inside the temple community....so do not expect anything different when you enter."

America if you will pick one country the USA, is a specially mixed culturally; it is a myth that there is one expectation of Buddhism only a small group of people fit the sterotype in the articles...well-off, educated, intellectuals, meditation fixated, rejection of Sangha/temples/authorities in dharma teachings, a type of imbalanced thinking...well then what do the rest expect? people should be credited with much more capability than one depicted in pop Buddhist or general media even by the presentation in this article Retro offered; In reality, it's so complex when you deal with people on their level not on yours that you cannot present a mcD-type approach to seekers or the curious who you encounter in your Buddhist life.

The PDF file is not the ultimate word, rather it's a record of who famously failed to stay robed... for reality is many more are living robed of their generation and have encountered the same problems or many different problems in their living in the West.  We have many that have stayed in robes since the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s all living in the West.

I have no doubt there is positive attitudes and writings by media presentors but I was addressing only the article by the OP and similar such articles that try to present a bias that is anti-Sangha in their style, orientation, words because 'Americans/Westerners don't support monastic life' because 'we never had it/it doesn't exist/it's not popular/not accesible/not relavant to Buddhist study/based in superstitious Asian culture' when that is just not true at all. 

In fact, in Western Buddhist monasteries in the USA like Abhayaghiri, Bodhi Monastery, Bhavana Society, Shasta Abbey, Sravasti Abbey (Canada, Ven. Thubten Chodron, my elder sister ordained in the same monastery as I was), Chuang Yen Monastery, City of 10,000 Buddhas, Hsi Lai Temple, Buddha Gate Monastery, and all the other monasteries and temples in the USA that I have experience with their sangha members who are western people from all countries and backgrounds the opposite of the article and presentation is true.. go visit them and see how much Buddhist culture you have to learn and how much in common they share.  All of these I mentioned have large amounts of western visitors many travel from around the world to visit these places like tourists and quite a few are devout Buddhists.

The culture of Buddhism is important to understand and learn well to help propigate the dharma in the west.  When I read that article I read with complete understanding of the Thai elders views who guided these westerners and applaud the one that stayed robed, for he understood the difference between Buddhist and Thai culture, stayed robed and skillfully taught and founded monasteries.
 

[retrofuturist]

Greetings venerable,

Excellent post - thanks for sharing.

 

Metta,
Retro.