Modern Buddhism in the West

While I was researching this topic, I came across a Time Magazine article from 1997.  The article reminded me of how Buddhism surged in popularity during that time.  The Beastie Boys held their Tibetan Freedom Concerts, The Dali Lama won a Nobel Prize for Peace and Brad Pitt starred in Seven Years in Tibet.  Richard Gere and Tina Turner were well known practicing Buddhists and Tibetan Flags were everywhere.  That wasn't the first introduction of Buddhism to Western society, but it was a popular theme for a while and I think that many of my immediate thoughts about Buddhism prior to this class stemmed from those celebrity headlines.

I read a few different articles about how Western practitioners have adapted traditional Buddhist teachings to suit Western ideals.  Much like the protestant reformation aimed to bring christians to believe in equality over hierarchy and introspection over ritual, certain Buddhist practices have been more popular in Western society than others.  For those who brought Buddhism back with them from days of colonization, they claimed to want to return to an authentic Buddhism based on original texts rather than monastic chanting.  They dismissed idolatry in favor of meditation.

In America, Engaged Buddhism found favor over traditional Buddhist practice of withdrawal from worldly passions.  Some contributors think that Buddhism suits the American "do-it-yourself" mentality.  Meditation allows those who practice to take the time to look inside themselves and find a deeper meaning to everything around them.  From what I read, there are those who fear American adaptations are harmful to the traditional teachings of The Buddha.  Of course, there are an equal number who argue in favor of anything that offers a little calm and clarity in an otherwise hectic world.  I think that they are both correct in that not everyone is able or willing to give themselves over to monastic life, adopting certain practices are beneficial but they are not Buddhism in the traditional sense without the sacrifice of self that is the central theme of Buddha's teachings.



Van Biema, David, McDowell, Jeanne. "Buddhism in America. (cover story)." Time 150, no 15 (October 13, 1997): 72. Military & Government Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed June 30, 2014).

Steinfels, Peter. "Beliefs: The development of modern Buddhism is traced to a mix of Eastern and Western influences." New York Times. October 26, 2002.